No machete required

[threemonkeys]

It is an ongoing search. The hunt for the next great TV series. The one which is going to grab my attention and suck me in, turning me into an obsessive fan. Often a show will start with promise but after a few episodes will fail to follow through. Other times it has real quality from the beginning but gets cancelled way before its time. Rarely a series will start with a little promise but turn out to have something more. Actually that latter case may not be quite so rare but I don't stick around to find out. It isn't easy. Over the last few days I have trialled a couple of episodes each of two new series. They have promise so my hopes are starting to raise. Perhaps this time it will be the rarest of all circumstances - very good and a long run.

Torchwood was the first one I watched. This Doctor Who spin-off has has the fans holding their breaths. Is it possible to have a series in the DW universe without The Doctor? First impressions are that it might be a struggle. It isn't bad but it just feels a bit flat. There isn't the extra spark of quirky personality and humour that the Doctor provides. There is promise though. The show has good production values and the Cardiff based production team has shown that it has the skill to build characters and stories. So, good enough to keep watching with a little hope attached.

The thing about Heroes is that there is an obvious similarity to The 4400. People who have acquired special abilities are around in our world. But Heroes is better written, better directed and better acted. Apart from a bit of hokey science as the Mcguffin and an annoying voiceover leading into the second episode it looks very good indeed. If you look deep enough into the credits you will even find Bryan Fuller's (Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me) name as co-executive produce. That I have to say is a good sign for quality but probably means it won't last more than one season. *crosses fingers* *uncrosses fingers because it doesn't help*

Comments

[a-lost-marianne.livejournal.com]

I really liked the second episode of Torchwood, I think it shows great promises of being a great show, with or without the doctor. (maybe he'll show up sooner or later...who knows!)

Heroes first episode was so crap, I really didn't feel much like watching the next ones...but I did and I am glad, because it is rather entertaining...however, if you compare it with a show like for example Shameless (I know, a completely different genre) or Firefly or even Deadwood....then I guess Heroes is struggeling.

I did love Wonderfalls and Dead like me too, I wish they hadn't gotten cancelled. (sorry about poor grammar, it's still early in the morning and my thoughts are not clear yet)

OH, and me and my kid loves that cardiff accent in torchwood, it makes it even better! :)

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I agree the second episode of Torchwood was a step up and promised further development. I'm not so sure about the accent though - although I must confess that Gwen is very easy on the eye. ;-)