Recently I did a countdown of my favorite shows that were cancelled too soon. It was sad and depressing going back and remembering the great losses I have suffered, so I decided that I would come up with a list of my favorite show that are still on the air--but I'm not ranking them, because each one holds a special place in my heart, not to be measured with another.
Anyway . . .
Futurama (Comedy Central). Like the "sweet zombie Jesus" that Adult Swim used to bleep out (but Comedy Central leaves in), this show came back from the dead with a fury. It took four independently produced movies (Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender's Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder) to get anyone to pay attention, but it worked. Audiences saw that the writing was still great, and executives saw that there was still money to be made. So Comedy Central aired all of the movies in half-hour increments as the first "new" season. Now they're back on a regular airing schedule and I couldn't be happier. What's better, is that they never lost any of the original cast. If things keep going well, Futurama could very well be the next South Park, but for nerds, not hipsters (did I just zing South Park?).
Franklin & Bash (TNT). It's good to see Zack Morris all grown up. No, I don't mean the actor. The character of Peter Bash is exactly how I imagined the character of Zack to be in 2011. But all that aside, it is a great show. It's like Psych meets Law & Order. There's plenty of humor and drama, both. It just wrapped its first season on TNT last night and I was honestly impressed. The writers didn't go for a lame cliff-hanger ending, and polished off the episode's troubles in the full hour. My only gripe about the show is that season one only ran ten episodes. I will be eagerly awaiting the return of this show because TNT renewed it just last week! Hooray. Are you paying attention, FOX?
White Collar (USA). This show is smart and cute. Yes, I said cute. The dynamic between Peter Burke and Neal Caffrey is something that isn't seem much in television today. They are complete opposites, that find common ground and have built a friendship around that little parcel of land. The supporting characters do more than support--and in the current season they've paid particular attention to each one of the supporting characters by giving them their own episode to shine. Not that this show is totally perfect. Neal is clever and smart, but he seems to know everything--like in an episode of Knight Rider where they give KITT a new feature, just to test, and, sure enough that little gizmo is the key to saving the day in the end. Also, as a poor person, I'm starting to get a little tired of all the glitz and glam the show depicts. Apparently, in New York City, everything is clean and shiny and everyone can afford bagels and coffee three times a day. I would like to see someone who drives a car that is more than five years old--and I know that Ford sponsors the show, but still . . .
The Closer (TNT). I'll admit that I never watched this show when it first came on several years ago. Honestly, I didn't like Kyra Sedgwick, and I still don't. She looks like she's in her 60s, regardless of how many makeovers they give her, and she's too skinny. But I love Brenda Johnson, her character. However, it is really the supporting characters that make up this show! Lieutenants Tao, Flynn and Provenza, Detectives Gabriel and Sanchez, and Commander Taylor and Chief Pope are really to thank for the success of the show. The writers do an excellent job of weaving the stories so that it isn't Chief Johnson who come up with the winning idea every time. She relies on her team, and goes to bat for them constantly. This show really goes beyond the typical police drama and captures the family unit that makes up a tight-knit group of people who work together.
Haven (SyFy). I started watching this show last summer because it was "based on" a work by Stephen King. Then I read the book this show is based on. I'm still watching the show, but it has very little to do with the book. The show focuses on supernatural happenings call "the troubles," while the book--which I read in a single sitting--is a simple mystery story that is never actually solved. I like the show because of all the crazy stuff that happens, and because I have a little fan-crush on Emily Rose, who plays female lead, Audry Parker. The setup is a Kingesque style of a small town in Maine where bizarre thing take place, and each episode centers around one particular incident. However, this show has fallen victim to the cliche that so many have in that there is usually a season-underlying event going on that you have to keep watching to get all the pieces. Though when the season ends, there are still more pieces and the puzzle isn't even close to done. I'm afraid this show will get the ax and leave so many questions unanswered. But while it's on, I love it.
Warehouse 13 (SyFy). I was super-excited about the premise of this show when it first started, and I still really like it, though the current season is starting off a little weak. The first season was highlighted by the two characters of Pete and Myka going around looking for crazy objects with supernatural powers, usually once owned by someone historically famous person. Near the end of season one they introduced Claudia (played by the near-scorching hot Allison Scagliotti), as a teenage tech-wizard who played around with and enhanced may of the outdated Warehouse systems. The trouble with this show, like many others, is the underlying, season-long story arcs. First it was Artie's former partner and his madness, then it was the escape of female H.G. Wells (yup, apparently Wells was really a woman in this universe). None of these shows have really been bad. They're a little bit like Dr. Who meets the History Channel. Obviously some are better than others, but in all, I'd like to see this show keep going for at least another two seasons.
Well, that's part one. Hope I inspired you to tune into some new shows, or look them up on Netflix or some unnamed website that hosts them in some fashion (I don't condone piracy in any form *wink wink*).
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