threemonkeys (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
threemonkeys) wrote2010-08-02 10:11 am
threemonkeys) wrote2010-08-02 10:11 am
Drowning in the lightweight stuff
Time again to take a trip through the latest TV offerings that caught my eye. Some didn't keep it caught for very long. There seems to be a "fish out of water" or "strangers in a strange land" theme going on at the moment in some of the new shows. I guess the success of Lost, Eureka and Burn Notice has had an impact. You can see TV executives saying - "lets do a show like..." when you look at the new offerings. But then, there aren't that many ideas out there really, so it all comes down to execution, and that is where the good news lies.
Persons Unknown finds a bunch of strangers all thrown together in a small town that they can't escape from. They have been kidnapped and put there but they don't know why. Somewhere between Lost and The Prisoner. I've struggled with this one. The setup has been done well, but the character interactions just didn't do it for me.
Haven has an FBI agent taking a job in a small town sheriff's office to track down her long lost mother. All sorts of mysterious supernatural "troubles" happen in this small town which may or may not be related to the agent. It is rapidly becoming a very formula story but the lead characters are very strong, so it is holding my interest for the meantime.
This Is Not My Life begins with a character waking in a small, slightly futuristic, community with no knowledge of his surroundings or the family he finds himself with. We find that he has been placed there. The mystery for the ongoing series is finding out who he is and how to get out of this town. Early days yet, but worth watching for a while yet. Extra points for being locally made.
The Glades is the cop version of Burn Notice. Big city cop moves to sleepy Florida community. Turns out it isn't so sleepy and so he uses his over the top super observation skills to solve the crimes of the area. It works for the same reason that Burn Notice works - the strength and general air of niceness of the cast.
The mention of over the top super observation skills reminds me that Sherlock has started. It is a modern day setting for Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The setup and characters are absolutely superbly done. I was a bit concerned that the mystery plot of the pilot was pretty feeble. Yes, the heart of the Holmes story is the personality of the eccentric genius and his relationship with Watson, but in order to bring that out, the mystery each time has to be a strong and deep one, otherwise there is not enough to show just what a tortured genius he is. The dual strength of both story and character is what has made Sherlock Holmes such an enduring character in fiction. Here's hoping that this show can deliver - it has made a good start.
A few other quick mentions:
Rubicon seems all about the mystery, code breaking and secrets generally. I'm looking forward to giving it an extended look.
Identity is about a police unit that specialises in identity theft crime. I found myself going to sleep every time I tried to watch this.
The Pillars of the Earth. Medieval miniseries. Oh dear, just how melodramatic can you get. I was strong and gave it a full 15 minutes. Was that too harsh?
The Great Outdoors. Tries to do The Smoking Room in the setting of a hiking/rambling club. Despite a good cast, it just fails.
Any other debut series I should be giving a look?
Persons Unknown finds a bunch of strangers all thrown together in a small town that they can't escape from. They have been kidnapped and put there but they don't know why. Somewhere between Lost and The Prisoner. I've struggled with this one. The setup has been done well, but the character interactions just didn't do it for me.
Haven has an FBI agent taking a job in a small town sheriff's office to track down her long lost mother. All sorts of mysterious supernatural "troubles" happen in this small town which may or may not be related to the agent. It is rapidly becoming a very formula story but the lead characters are very strong, so it is holding my interest for the meantime.
This Is Not My Life begins with a character waking in a small, slightly futuristic, community with no knowledge of his surroundings or the family he finds himself with. We find that he has been placed there. The mystery for the ongoing series is finding out who he is and how to get out of this town. Early days yet, but worth watching for a while yet. Extra points for being locally made.
The Glades is the cop version of Burn Notice. Big city cop moves to sleepy Florida community. Turns out it isn't so sleepy and so he uses his over the top super observation skills to solve the crimes of the area. It works for the same reason that Burn Notice works - the strength and general air of niceness of the cast.
The mention of over the top super observation skills reminds me that Sherlock has started. It is a modern day setting for Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The setup and characters are absolutely superbly done. I was a bit concerned that the mystery plot of the pilot was pretty feeble. Yes, the heart of the Holmes story is the personality of the eccentric genius and his relationship with Watson, but in order to bring that out, the mystery each time has to be a strong and deep one, otherwise there is not enough to show just what a tortured genius he is. The dual strength of both story and character is what has made Sherlock Holmes such an enduring character in fiction. Here's hoping that this show can deliver - it has made a good start.
A few other quick mentions:
Rubicon seems all about the mystery, code breaking and secrets generally. I'm looking forward to giving it an extended look.
Identity is about a police unit that specialises in identity theft crime. I found myself going to sleep every time I tried to watch this.
The Pillars of the Earth. Medieval miniseries. Oh dear, just how melodramatic can you get. I was strong and gave it a full 15 minutes. Was that too harsh?
The Great Outdoors. Tries to do The Smoking Room in the setting of a hiking/rambling club. Despite a good cast, it just fails.
Any other debut series I should be giving a look?