27 September, 2005

Okay, so it’s to the point where, if you don’t have a DVR, it’s akin to not having a VCR by 1986. Get one.

I have been watching the following shows lately. Not that I have time to watch, but I tend to only sleep four hours a night, so I do get in a few shows now and then.

Surface - http://www.nbc.com/Surface/

Both on NBC and Sci-Fi (which makes recording it all that much easier, because I can get around conflicts with other shows), this stars ex Boston Legal gal Lake Bell as a oceanographer who discovers a race of giant alien marine mammals at the bottom of the ocean, around volcanic vents. Yeah, I know, but check it out. It’s kind of Jacques Cousteau meets the X-Files. It’s not just about her though.

You can catch a repeat of the first episode this coming Saturday at 7:00 PM CT, followed by episode two at 8:00 PM., on NBC. (or on Sci-Fi from 8:00 AM CT – 10:00 on Sunday). Its regular slot is on Monday’s at 7:00 on NBC.

Prison Break - http://www.fox.com/prisonbreak/

I think of this as The Oz meets Escape from Alcatraz (because I must think of everything as a something meets something). A brother gets himself thrown into prison to help bust out his innocent brother (or is he?) before said inmate gets the chair. The helpful brother just happens to have worked for the company that designed the prison, and before he gets himself thrown in the pokey, he has tattoos drawn all over his body containing the blueprints, recipes for explosives, and all other kinds of goodies.

Smallvillehttp://thewb.warnerbros.com/web/show.jsp?id=SM

Now is season five, it has moved nights, to Thursdays at 7:00 PM CT on the WB. In the season four finale, the spaceship transported him to the Arctic circle, and compulsively he threw the crystal about a half mile out into the snow . . . yeah, we all know what that means; For the first time, we see The Fortress of Solitude. You won’t want to miss this one. Additional tid-bits: Chloe is also transported to the Arctic, but being human, is overwhelmed by the cold. Also, two Kryptonian aliens emerge, from a crater of the latest meteor shower, and go lookin’ for the big guy. Oh yeah.

Interesting Smallville site:

http://smallville.warnerbros.com/flash_large/flash_large.html - Tour the town by moving the map and clicking on sites.

The 4400 -- http://www.the4400.com/

Not technically a fall show, because it is on hiatus (its season is a cable season and thus a bit sideways, it is a good opportunity for you to get caught up. Season 1 is out on DVD, and they are re-airing recently ended season 2. Plot: People from the future abduct 4400 humans, over the course of 50 years, then return them all to 2004. Some have special powers. Regardless, Homeland Security has to keep an eye on them. Why did the future humans do this? What is their angle? Find out.

Losthttp://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/

We didn’t watch it when it first aired, but we caught up this summer. In case anyone on the planet doesn’t already know…

A plane crashes on an island a thousand miles off course. Somehow some 48 or so folks survive. The island is inhabited by polar bears (yep), wild boars, shadowy CGI wraiths, “the Others”, and a workout addict living in an underground bunker. Oh, and the chicks and guys are all hot, so you can even watch it with the sound off.

Stargate: SG1 and Stargate: Atlantis -- both shows can be found at http://www.scifi.com/stargate/

Their seasons just ended, but you can catch up on the past season on Sci-Fi Friday nights. SG1 is shown all the time, and the older episodes air (among other times) Mondays from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.

Justice League Unlimited – http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/jlu/

The Batman – http://www2.warnerbros.com/thebatman

Both shows are on the Cartoon Network. I am 14 again. Luckily, my 6 and 7 year olds will watch TV with me, these shows and Stargate. Nothing like being covered with one’s off-spring while watching Hawkgirl and Green Lantern open up a can of whoop-ass on Solomon Grundy. Nirvana. This ain’t your ‘Super Friends’, Folks (although they do make a funny nod back to the Wonder Twins now and then).

If you want your Batman a bit less intense than the JLU version (or the fantastic live-action Batman Begins), check out ‘The Batman’. Still cool, but aimed at the pre-teeners versus the full blown teens (like me). A Bruce Wayne who only recently has donned the cowl. Still kick-ass and funny, with advanced plots and great writing.

Medium -- http://www.nbc.com/Medium/

Patricia Arquette just won an Emmy for best actress in a drama series. Aside from the fun ways she “talks to dead people” to solve murders or abduction cases, the main reason I like this show is her interaction with her family. I may be biased, because she has three girls, and a husband who’s a scientist, but whatever.

Honorable Mention

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Battlestar Galacticahttp://www.scifi.com/battlestar/

This is a remake of the old 70’s show, far superior. It’s more of a serial than the first, and very dramatic. Edward James Olmos is involved, so ya know it’s gotta be good. I won’t blather on about how it’s “the best show on TV”, because I don’t buy into the critics’ hype. I do think it’s great though, but to be honest, I removed it from my DVR’s roster, because there is a point where even I do not have time to watch it.