Though most people on *this* list know this (and more) I thought I'd
toss out some info on a few series that I've enjoyed. You may have
missed some, but with rerun season here, now's a good time to check 'em
out and see what you've been missing. Remember when rerun season was
fun, as you could finally watch all the shows you missed while watching
other shows? Course that was in the pre-VCR/PVR days...
Lost
Wednesdays at 8 pm, ABC -- Season one has just started its reruns.
Great show that keeps you guessing. Are the passengers in some kind of
giant lab? Another dimension/time? Is the island in someone's
imagination? Are they all dead? Polar bears on a tropical island?? The
plane crash--shown from several different perspectives in the first few
eps--is quite harrowing. Don't watch if you're afraid of flying.
Season two's going to continue the guessing, if the really wild ending
of season one is any indication. Can they possibly keep an audience
confused, guessing, and anxious for another whole season and not cause
them to lose interest? We'll see. I'm willing to give 'em the chance!
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.html
http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index.html
The 4400
Season 2 premieres June 5 at 9 pm, USA over 4000 people appear on the
shores of a lake one day, deposited there by a giant ball of light. The
group consists of folks missing from throughout the world, and
throughout time . They include doctors, lawyers, teens, and even a
little girl who went missing back before WWII. None of them has aged a
day. Many start exhibiting strange powers such as telepathy,
precognition, the ability to bring the dead back to life. A government
agency monitors the 4400 to see whether they pose a threat to humanity.
Season one started strong, but quickly faded to a plodding show of
investigators stalking people while never really doing anything. We have
time to ponder questions such as why only two major investigators to
track 4400 people? Is it a violation of civil rights to monitor these
people. How long will these obvious super powers continue to be
overlooked by the agency? It almost reminds one of the X-Files--only
without a Muldar to be the voice of fanatic belief. And a one-theme show
like this can degenerate very quickly into a boring collection of
monotonous power of the week episodes if not handled properly. Still,
a good cast, an intriguing premise, and lots of room to work with will
have me coming back for season two.
http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/
http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/
Medium
Mondays at 10 pm, NBC Reruns start June 5. I was skeptical of any
scifi/supernatural show on network TV, but this one caught me by
surprise. Based on the true story of a real life medium who's on record
as helping police with her psychic powers. Patricia Arquette does a
great job as a lady using her gift--sometimes reluctanctly--to help
others. Well-written stories, moving stories, sometimes disturbing
stories (murderers and all kinds of freaks abound), but never boring
stories. Just when you think it'll become a repetitive gimmick of the
week show, they throw you a curve, such as Arquette's character
guessing wrong, or being pressured by her husband and boss to circumvent
the law by using her powers. The show is grounded in Arquette's desire
to have a normal family life, despite the fact of the growing
psychic powers of her two oldest daughters! And this may sound weid,
but I love the fact that she and her husband fight and yell, that their
kids' hair needs combing, that the house looks vaguely like something
from Roseanne. All reminders that, mental powers aside, this is just a
lady trying to live as normal a life as possible.
http://www.nbc.com/Medium/ http://www.nbc.com/Medium/
Justice League Unlimited
Saturdays at 9 pm, Cartoon Netwoork. Now in its second season. Skip
this paragraph unless you're a lover of comics and 'toons like me. For
the rest, this show is a blast. The roster's been expanded from the
original JL cartoon of a couple of years ago. Heroes and villains that
you've always wanted (or maybe never wanted) to see are here, including
Solomon Grundy, Vixen, Atom Smasher, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and many
others. Intelligenty written, sometimes surprisingly mature (such as
Green Lantern John Stewart being asked by an alien GL, Do you still
snore?) Kudos to the latest ongoing theme that the government
distrusts the JL due to their powers and autonomy (to say nothing about
the armed satellite orbiting Earth!) and is willing to go to extreme
means to reign them in. Like I said, if you love 'toons, watch it.
http://schedule.cartoonnetwork.com/xmlServices/ScheduleServices?methodN
ame=mainSchedule
http://schedule.cartoonnetwork.com/xmlServices/ScheduleServices?methodNa
me=mainSchedule
Stargate SG-1
Fridays at 8 pm, Sci Fi Channel In reruns, new season premieres July
15. For years I've pondered the question how does SG-1 stay on TV when
