Starting a new show... five years later

Once you've managed to mow through most of the fall television season, not to mention a fourth pass through some seasons of the medium's finest hour (Lost), it's time for something new. With little to go on save the recommendation of an old roommate, I decided to take the plunge and turn on How I Met Your Mother. Granted, I had never seen an episode, but the jolly one placed it under the Christmas tree this year. Three episodes in, I must admit that I'm pretty pleased! Sure, the show at times appears to be little more than a showcase for Neil Patrick Harris, but, so far, I'm in!

Are there Men Who Stare at Goats?

I went into The Men Who Stare at Goats flabbergasted that I was watching a movie that was even partially based on a true story. Did the military actually believe that it could create "psychic soldiers," men who could kill things with their mind?! It made for an entertaining premise, and, while George Clooney was up to the challenge, the material was uneven. It was one of those films that suffered from an excess of quality scenes, one whose best material was splattered all across the previews. It wasn't bad, per se, but it had a lot of room for improvement...

We will be victorious!

I'm old enough to remember the original V miniseries, but young enough to think it was actually pretty cool. Come on - lizards disguised as humans, infiltrating our people with the goal of exterminating us all?! What a great premise! Did I mention that it was headlined by The Beastmaster himself, Marc Singer, and eventual Highlander II: The Quickening "star" Michael Ironside. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for the arrival of the new V series. Reviews be damned - although they're actually somewhat favorable - I'd ready to go. Don't let me down!

Harp on this!

It's been a pretty long month since the official 2009-2010 television season ended. People can talk all they want about how television must now be programmed year-round, but I say those people haven't taken a look at network television lineups this summer. Sure, cable trots out some of its best & brightest every summer, but, generally speaking, the best shows still air in the traditional September-May timeframe. (Some of the very best actually air solely in the January-May timeframe, but I digress.) We just finished a much-delayed Desperate Housewives season finale, so, for us, the season is now finally at an end. Thank God for Netflix, or summer would be a dark place indeed!

Will this show ever die?!

I've stuck with Prison Break for the entirety of its run, although I must admit that, at various points, I've debated running for the hills. The show has been implausible from the start, but it has tended towards the ridiculous at times. Nevertheless, I've been true to the show. However, make no mistake - I am clearly looking forward to the end. By my count, I've made it through all but the show's final two episodes ever, and I feel I have to see this through to the end. I have absolutely no expectations, and I honestly think the overwhelming sense I will feel is one of relief. Burning through the three most recent episodes in the last 24 hours has reminded me how much I once liked this show, but also how much I look forward to its end. It's been a fun ride, but it's bound to wrap up sometime. Thankfully, that time is now only two weeks away!

Enough to save my show?

It's a little too early to say whether or not Chuck will survive until next season, but, if it doesn't, that was a hell of a way to end the series! (It's also a hell of a way to set up next season, but we'll leave that for the suits at NBC to determine.) The show has never been one of my can't-miss programs, but I find myself eager to find it on the DVR each week. That's gotta mean something, right? Plus, with a couple of my shows at the end of their runs and another handful likely held back until next January, I can use every show I can get!

No more Friday nights...

I must say that I will miss Friday Night Lights now that it has officially ended its season. (Well, on NBC, since it ended its DirecTV season some months ago!) After last season's dip, I did not expect the creative bounce back we saw this year - fitting sendoffs for some favorite characters, a worthy end to the football season, and an interesting new direction for next year. This show is firmly entrenched in my top five, and I will happily tune in when it returns next year - on whatever station and at whatever time that might be!

Terminate this show

For the past month, as I've mowed through the backlog on my DVR, a couple series have managed to... linger. Kings, NBC's big-budget epic, sits there helplessly, likely to be deleted as soon as the show is canceled. (It's not a question of "if," but "when"...) But Terminator, which I've stuck with from the beginning, is finally wearing on me. The show is sputtering in the ratings, and has been since before it was moved to the graveyard that is Friday night. The end is near, yet the series feels so far from a satisfying conclusion. With Christian Bale's big screen reboot coming this summer, it feels even less relevant. My only question is whether or not I'll be there to wish the show well on its way out the door...

Is it really almost over?!

I can't believe that there are only four episodes of Battlestar Gallactica remaining! It seems odd that the series is really coming to a close, considering (a) the strength of this final season and (b) how much remains to be resolved. How can the show really fit everything into four remaining episodes? Regardless, I've enjoyed the ride, and, while it's never good to see a beloved show ride off into the sunset, I hope it walks away with its head held high.