I’ve not blogged about the TV show Lost because I don’t want to fall into the huge collection of websites that kick around wild theories and analyze every detail of the show. I have to make an exception now. Could that two-hour season finale been any better? (Don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical). We all knew that Charlie was going to die, but it was still sad to see him go. What’s up with the flash-forwards? Who died that Jack went to go see in the future? Is Jack’s dad dead or not? Did Kate hook up with Sawyer when they get off the island? Who is the girl that Locke killed really? Ben might have been telling the truth for once, or a variation of it, as Penelope was no where near the island. Why would Locke threaten to kill Jack if he made the call then walk off all casually when Jack made the call? How bad-ass was it when Jack beat the crap out of Ben? My dad thought he saw Sun and Jin on the plane in the flash-forward when Jack was asking for another drink. I wish I DVRed it. So many questions! This is by far the best show on television. This season finale made up for the first lackluster 8 episodes of the season. I’ve never looked so forward to the month of February in my life. Let’s hope the great story continues over the last 48 episodes and doesn’t fall into the rut it experienced the first half of this season.
I only watch a few shows, and the reason I watch them is not only because of the great stories, but also because they have at least one great character in the show that you either love or love to hate. Here are some of my favorite characters on TV at the moment.
Dr. Gregory House
How can you not like the great performance put out by British actor Hugh Laurie every week? Yes, he’s arrogant, pretentious, and downright mean, but you can’t help but love the character. The show would not work without the characteristics that embody House, nor do I think it could work without Hugh Laurie. He does such an excellent job. You can hate him one minute and feel sorry for him or laugh at his playful pranks and comments that he makes with his only friend, Dr. Wilson, the next moment. House is truly good television and is marked as one of my favorite shows of all time.
Johnny Drama
Johnny “Drama” Chase, the older washed-up brother of super star Vince Chase in the TV show Entourage is another character I really like. Kevin Dillon, the younger brother of Matt Dillon, does an excellent job playing the has-been actor. I think the fact that he follows in the shadows of his real life brother helps his character out, because Drama is doing the same thing in Entourage. E, Vince, and Turtle have nothing on Drama. My favorite moments are when he tries to equate a current situation the gang is going through with something from his acting past, whether it be his run on 90210 or his guest appearance on The Commish. He’s definitely the best out of the group.
Ari Gold
Another character from the awesome show Entourage is Ari Gold, agent to Vince and now Drama. He’s what really makes the show move. Ari’s quick comebacks and great one-liners (“Let’s hug it out, bitch) make the show funny. Without Ari, the show wouldn’t survive. Not even with Drama holding down the comedic one-liners.
Barney
No, not the big purple dinosaur. I’m talking about Barney from How I Met Your Mother. Who knew Doogie Howser could be funny? (well, those of you who have seen Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle know, but that’s beside the point). He’s misogynistic, witty, and always on the prowl for his next one night stand. He’s what makes the show flow smoothly, whether it’s telling characters to dump their significant others because single life is the way to be, or telling the guys to suit up for a night out of debauchery, Barney is one of a kind. You can even check out his blog and see interesting posts such as his hookup percentages.
Dwight
What makes Dwight from The Office so great is that he is someone you know. Every office has a Dwight and they are just as weird and annoying as the one in the show. Whether it’s telling us facts about bears (tv) or talking about how we should all wear matching jump suits (real life) we all know and love to hate the Dwight in our lives.
Monk
USA’s show Monk is a great show all because of Tony Shalub’s portrayal of the obsessive-compulsive Adrian Monk. He does such a great job with it, I have to wonder how he doesn’t turn into an OCD victim in real life. The stories are always formulaic, but the ways in which Monk solves a crime because of his OCD are awesome and always new.
The worst characters on tv:
The judges and host of American Idol.
Yes, they are characters. Pathetically fake people. ‘Nuff said.
Horatio
David Caruso’s character on CSI: Miami. Ok, this isn’t because of the character, it’s because of David Caruso. Can we all say “Worst actor ever?” Well, he is. All he needs is a pair of shades and his hands on his hips and a one-liner that is never witty and he had a hit show on his hands. I don’t watch the show because of him, which is a shame because the supporting cast isn’t half bad. He needs to stop acting. Now.
While in college I never really watched any traditional programming. I was either too busy working, writing papers, studying, or going out to watch programs on TV regularly. Since out of college, I have become a glutton with TV. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t spend all my time watching and recording shows, but compared to the regular programming I watched in college and what I watch now, the number has gone up dramatically. It could be because I have more time, better programming, or other things. I typically am a movie guy, but there is some damn good TV out there. I’ve been watching Lost and House for a few seasons now. This year, I got into Studio 60, Heroes, Scrubs, and The Office. There is a new show on NBC tonight that I’m looking forward to seeing. It’s called Thank God You’re Here. I love improv comedy, and that’s what this is. The premise is a bunch of famous TV actors and comedians suited up in a costume and thrown out onto a set without knowing anything that’s going on and have to improv a funny scene based on the setting and what the other characters say. I think this could be very funny, along the same lines, albeit with less structure, as Who’s Line is it Anyway?. So, another show to add to my list of shows I currently watch. I really should quit watching so much TV, but the shows I mentioned are so good that I can’t help but watch them.
EDIT: I forgot to mention one of my favorite shows, Entourage. Part 2 of season 3 began last night on HBO and it looks to be a great second half of the season.
Something for my friends that enjoy the holidays.
This I remember from when I was a kid. In fact, I still have this on tape somewhere. We used to watch this cartoon every Christmas, along with some other Christmas specials that were on the tape. If you can sit through the commercials, give it a shot and watch the Smurfs Christmas Special. I’m sure you’ll be able to find this on the net somewhere to download, if not, AOL has it for free. But typical AOL, you will have to sit through commercials. Reminds me of that thing I used to watch back in the day. What was it called? Oh yeah, TV. How far we’ve come with DVR and on demand programming. No wonder the networks are afraid of losing advertising dollars.
A great friend sent me this link. I thought I’d share it with you all. It should be noted that it might not be suitable for children. See how far you can Smack the Penguin.
Both of these go out to a very special friend, who may or may not ever read this. I’ll remember you always. Take care of yourself. We’ll always have the rain.
Okay, I’m a little late on the Lost train. My dad and sister have come to love the show, so I gave it a shot. In about 5 days (one a sick day in which I spent all day watching past episodes while in bed) I caught up with the series. It is a great show, but it made me think about shows like Lost. Shows such as Lost, Surface, and Prison Break are a tough sell to new viewers. If you weren’t watching from the beginning, it’s hard to catch on as the story is in-depth. Now, I don’t watch Prison Break but I did watch Surface. Surface was good until I got sick of seeing the previews for the upcoming episodes and then the scenes wouldn’t even be in the upcoming episode, but an episode way down the line. They catch you like this to keep you watching, but I got sick of it. It was because of this, and its long hiatus, that I quit watching the show. Lost I was able to get into because I was able to watch all of the first season and all the episodes that have shown up until this point in season 2. The problem with these shows, for the networks anyway, is that their life spans are short. People aren’t going to want to watch season after season to see someone break out of prison or people get rescued. These shows are in for the short run. If networks try and extend them longer, they lose viewers and that leads to an un-climactic ending that most are disappointed with. I hope lost doesn’t go this way. I seriously see Lost only lasting another season. I don’t know how much I could take of seeing what these survivors go through for much more than that. Prison Break is another example. People are waiting for the guy to break out of prison. Keep leading them along and it’s only going to hurt the show. Maybe this is the way of network series now. No longer do we have the Cosby Shows, West Wings, and MASHs that are able to last season after season. People’s attention spans are shorter and shorter each season it seems. How I Met Your Mother was another such show that seems to have climbed past the “waiting for an ending” stigma. It started out with each episode dealing with a new girl that may or may not be the “mother” of the title. They have since somewhat abandoned that and started developing rich characters and amusing story lines. (Neil Patrick Harris’ Barney is a great character). Shows like Lost, Prison Break, and Surface won’t be able to do this, so what will become of them? Hopefully, networks realize that even though they are hugely popular, that they must end at an appropriate time to do the show justice. Anyway, there is my little rant on TV. I hope that Lost doesn’t outstay it’s welcome and won’t last past its third season.