Hey everyone! You've probably noticed, if you've been reading my last few blogs, how little has been going on as far as video games go. So I decided that today would be a good day to update my TV show list. In high school, the only show I watched was Lost but since I have more time in college (since i have 2-3 hours of class a day), I've picked up a few more shows to make up for the added time. I now have six shows and here I'll go through them in order of how much I like them.
6. Lie to Me
Lie to Me is a brand new show on Fox Television about a private team of human lie detectors. It's only gone through three episodes and I'm still debating whether or not I want to stick with it. It's about these four people who are all experts in human emotions and can detect what people are really feeling, like advanced polygraph machines. The government and other agencies then end up hiring these people to find out the truth behind various events and crimes. The storylines and concepts aren't anything that great but the characters themselves are VERY well done. The main character is a fascinating characters similar to House. The girl on the right is a very nice character who has her own problems to deal with in the form of a cheating husband. The girl on the left is a newbie to the team and is a "natural" to lie detecting. This means she doesn't know the science behind detecting lies but she's naturally talented at detecting people's true feelings. Finally, the guy in the back is the comedic relief for the show in that he has sworn to tell the truth all the time. This not only means he answers questions truthfully but he says ANYTHING that is on his mind at any given time. This ends up being pretty funny. All in all, a great cast of characters, hopefully the storylines gain something unique to them in the future.
5. Heroes
I picked an image from the first season on purpose. Trust me people, no one knows how far this show has fallen better than I do. And yet, I stick with it in hopes that it will regain the glory that it had in the beginning. For people who don't know, Heroes is about a group of normal people who gained special powers. The thing that makes this show different than the standard fantasy/sci-fi story is that the main characters are often forced to choose sides on a battle between someone who's really good and someone who's really not. Even if the main characters are good at heart, they often choose sides based off their own beliefs, sometimes not the right sides. Also, the god complex plays no part in this show since characters die left and right. In fact, three of the characters in this image die in the first season. Anyway, I highly recommend the first season of this show but after that, be warned.
4. Life on Mars (US Version)
Life on Mars is a remake of a UK series that lasted for one season. To put it very simply, mix Lost with Law and Order and throw it all in 1973 in New York City and you have Life on Mars. It's about a cop named Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) who is a cop from 2008 who, after getting hit by a car, wakes up in 1973. From there, he joins the 125th precinct along with Ray, Anne and Gene. The problems arise from the fact that Sam is a very modern day cop, believing strongly in preserving evidence, criminal rights and other modern ideas. However, in 1973, these cops will do anything to exact justice. The series plays on an episode by episode storyline but all of it is tied together by Tyler's efforts to get back to his own time. The storyline is great but the best part of the show is the spectacular cast. The acting is some of the best i've ever seen from a TV show. There are truly no weak links anywhere here. The only downfall Life on Mars has is some odd pacing issues for the overall story. You'll find yourself a little too unsatisfied by the little hints they throw every few episodes.
3. Bones
Bones is by far the best crime show on television IMO. It's about a forensic anthropologist named Temperance Brennan (based on the real life Kathy Reichs) and her FBI partner Seely Booth. Joined by Brennan's (nicknamed Bones) team of forensic specialists, they work to solve murders where the bodies are often brutalized beyond recognition. The thing that sets Bones apart from other crime shows is that it often has crimes lasting more than simply one episode. This way of melding storylines together goes a long way towards bringing you into the show and hooking you for keeps. For example, Season 3 had a season long storyline about a secret society that literally ate their victims and created skeletons from the bones of all their victims. Each episode had it's own crime but every once in a while, they'd find another victim of this secret society which would bring them one step closer to the incredible conclusion. Also, each character has a lot of depth, something that is very much needed in the bloated crime show genre full of 2D characters. All of them are very likable in their own ways.I highly recommend this show to anyone who even has a remote interest in the crime genre.
2. Fringe
Fringe is a brand new show this season and is actually one of the top rated new shows this year. When it first came out, it was advertised as an X-files for the new generation but it's evolved into so much more. After a plane crashs and everyone onboard was literally melted with no explanation, a new team is formed to combat a sinister new crime spree known as The Pattern. While this is technically a crime show, it's much more a sci-fi story that relies more on the overarching storyline rather than the individual crimes. It's hard to say much more than that about the storyline without spoiling it. With this show though, the acting is rather subpar at times but as long as you love the storyline, it won't keep you from enjoying the show. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys sci-fi or just a good mystery. Also has an incredibly strong online community and I believe an ARG is still going on for this show now.
1. Lost
This one should have been obvious to anyone who's read this blog for a long time. I've been obsessed with Lost since it first started about 4 and a half years ago. I've participated in two of the ARG's and learned about the third (that i unfortunately missed :( ) I've also seen all of the Lost: Missing Pieces mobisodes and talk to all kinds of people about theories almost constantly. I can pretty much guarantee that it will be my favorite throughout this year and the next which is going to be it's last season :'(. For those of you who have not heard of the Lost phenomenon, it's about a group of strangers who survive a plane crash on a strange island. While the characters all have mysterious pasts and are connected off the island as well, the real mystery of the show is what the island really is. It's hard to talk about it without spoiling the show, but lets just say that it is one of the most unique shows i've ever seen. This show is really the epitome of what TV shows can accomplish. I have never seen anything as great as this before. The only problem with Lost is that you really can't miss a single episode. It's so intricate and deep that you really have to watch each episode. This is fixed by the fact that every single episode is online on www.abc.com. I highly recommend that if you watch any show, check it out online.
Well, that's my TV list. All these shows are great IMO, not saying they're the best ever (other than Lost lol) but they are the best that i've caught on to. I'd easily recommend each of these shows to anyone (except for Heroes after season 1) and most of them can be found online pretty easily so if you're looking for something to watch other than anime, these are my suggestions. Enjoy friends! Peace!
Currently Listening To: Move Along - The All American Rejects - 2005