Television Reviews: What Do People Want

[Snowspinner]

First off, the following shows are already going to be reviewed -

CSI: Miami (Mondays at 10)
Gilmore Girls (Tuesdays at 8)
24 [Note that this show has sucked lately, and I may drop it out of sheer hatred] (Tuesdays at 9)
West Wing (Wednesdays at 9)
Angel (Wednesdays at 9)
The Apprentice (Thursdays at 9)
Wonderfalls (Fridays at 9)
The Simpsons (Sundays at 8)
Alias (Sundays at 9)

What other shows would people like to see reviewed? I can get up to two shows in a given timeslot if need be, though I'd prefer not to. Also note that my personal preferences do play in - in other words, a lot of people will have to ask for Survivor reviews, whereas I could probably be talked into Game Over or Smallville pretty easily.

[Rasix]

What are these reviews going to entail? A weekly writeup each week on a show or just an overall look at it?

Some of the good/great HBO faire is not in there:

Sopranos (Sunday at 9pm)
Deadwood (Sunday at 10pm)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (just finished season)
Six Feet Under (new season soon)

And I'd argue South Park > Simpsons at the moment (and for the past couple of years at least).

[Snowspinner]

What are these reviews going to entail? A weekly writeup each week on a show or just an overall look at it?

Semi-regular write-ups. I have a life, and if I don't get around to a given episode of a show, frankly, I don't get around to it. Shows I like more will probably get more posts. Shows I watch through gritted teeth will get less regular ones. But either way, individual episode reviews.

I haven't checked out much of the HBO faire - didn't get HBO where I was living for the past four years. Any of those people would particularly like me to grab?

[CmdrSlack]

With the exception of Deadwood (haven't seen it), you'd be a fool to NOT review those other HBO shows.

[Snowspinner]

I've been hesitant to get into The Sopranos just because I missed seasons 1-4, and it seems to have big sweeping plotlines. I may try Deadwood and Six Feet Under, however.

[Rasix]

I've been hesitant to get into The Sopranos just because I missed seasons 1-4, and it seems to have big sweeping plotlines. I may try Deadwood and Six Feet Under, however.

Should be able to catch the Deadwood pilot this week. Seems promising so far.

[Numtini]

I've been hesitant to get into The Sopranos just because I missed seasons 1-4

Rent the DVDs. If not, you're going to kick yourself when you do.

[Aslan]

The Shield.  I keep forgetting when it's on and as I am mindnumbingly flipping through the airwaves on a Tuesday night, I see that I missed half of it and swear at myself.   But even so, I stay glued to the other half.  It's a great show.  Anyone else watch it with any regularity?

[HaemishM]

I watch the Shield religiously. It comes on Tuesday nights at 10 pm EST, 9 pm CST. Don't know about other time zones.

It has maintained a consistent level of quality even into the 3rd season.

[Aslan]

That's why I get so pissed off about missing it.  Every show I've seen is just as good if not better than the one before.  I remember one episode, was it from the first season, where the Mexican gangbanger would tattoo those doves on the cheeks of his rape victims, and that one little seven year old or whatever came home with one.  Man, that was some disturbing but good tv.  Thanks for confirming the times.  I need to also look up when they repeat the shows, as they do several times a week, so if I miss one I can catch it later...

[Snowspinner]

I'll check out an episode of The Shield and see what I think, then.

[Zephyr]

If your dropping 24, why not pick up Scrubs at 9:30 on NBC?  Gilmore Girls and Scrubs makes for a good Tuesday night of laughs.  Some episodes can be a bit off, but for the most part I am laughing my ass off.  I also wonder on some days if John McGinley is where Boog got his inspiration from.

[HaemishM]

I remember one episode, was it from the first season, where the Mexican gangbanger would tattoo those doves on the cheeks of his rape victims, and that one little seven year old or whatever came home with one.  Man, that was some disturbing but good tv.

That was second season. The Mexican banger would turn out to be the main bad guy for the second season as well.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone likes the Gilmore Girls, but my fiancee likes that and The Nanny, which I also despise. Some people even like EQ, so /shrug.

[Morfiend]

I watch the Shield religiously. It comes on Tuesday nights at 10 pm EST, 9 pm CST. Don't know about other time zones.

It has maintained a consistent level of quality even into the 3rd season.

The Shiel owns me. I have watched it from the first episode and loved every minute of it.

One of my favorite parts was when Shane pissed on the banger he was holding down cause he told him to "Suck my cock".

Haemish, if you havent, you really need to watch Npi/Tuck it has very "shield" like writing (IMHO) and once you get in to the characters, you will be hooked.

[Paelos]

I watched the Gilmore girls once or twice because my sister would steal the remote while I was back home in the summers. My biggest pet peeve with the show is that the girl that plays Rory sucks. She can't act, its like she's got the script in her hand while she's trying to play the part. Plus, they might as well have injected botox in her entire face for all the emoting she does on camera. Jokes aren't enough to salvage it since she's a main character.

[Glamdring]

It figures that one of the two shows I watch regularly is the one that you think sucks.  I typically hate all television shows and greatly prefer watching a movie.

I may have to try out an episode of 'The Shield' though.

The only other show I watch regularly is 'Smallville'. I used to really dig this show, but recently my interest has been waning.  He hasn't really made any new personal discoveries since early in the season, and the Lana love plot got old about 30 episodes ago.

I think it's time for 'Smallville: The Journalism Years' or whatever the fuck they plan to do with this show once they all graduate high school.

[Aslan]

Hame, did you notice the new bad Latino guy is that fucking whackjob from Half Baked and the Pop Copy skit on Dave Chapelle's show?  I swear to god if he calls the bald cop B even once, I am going to drive to his mother's house and slap the shit out of her just for inflicting him upon the planet...

[HaemishM]

I missed that skit and movie.

As for Gilmore Girls, just because I don't understand it doesn't mean it necessarily sucks. Some people like, even some critics whose opinion I respect. I just have never been able to watch the damn thing for more than 5 minutes without it just making me cringe. The way the main actresses talk and toss dialogue about just irks me.

[Bunk]

Gilmour Girls: Kevin Smith dialogue for chicks.

[Aslan]

I missed that skit and movie.

Well, OTHER than that annoying ass who has a few spots in the show, Dave Chapelle's show is hilarious.  If you ever get to see the Playa Hata's skit, try to do so.   "That bitch is so ugly, she wear underwear with dickholes in it."  Chapelle's show is fucking brilliant, to quote a broadcast network.  Check it out if you haven't yet...

[HaemishM]

I love Chappelle's show, I just haven't made it a regular thang yet. I need to, but that usually cuts into my gaming time.

"World Series of Dice" and "I Know Black People" are some of my favorite Chappelle skits, along with "Samuel Jackson Beer" and "Rick James."

MMMMM mmmm BITCH!

[Aslan]

HAHAHA That's GOOD motherfuckin beer, BITCH.  Well, my friend got the uncensored version on DVD, it's so much more fun when you get to hear all the profanity.  It's only like thirty bucks, hell, that stuff was so good I am thinking about getting it for myself...

[airety]

I insulted your TV reviews based on your CSI Miami one on another forum. But you seem committed to it, so I'll give some constructive criticism that you can take or leave on the table.

Firstly, you sound like you wanna do episode recaps as opposed to overall show reviews. Because of this, I'd pretty much success you abandon doing sitcoms and maybe even one-and-done shows right away (such as CSI.) Why? True sitcoms don't really have much beneath the surface for you to expand on and don't make interesting recaps. As far as one and done shows go such as CSI where each individual show is extremely interchangeable with the others, many people will be extremely content to simply catch the show in reruns or never hear about it at all.

To expand, you'll find the reason people read recaps are because:

1)They missed the show in a plot-heavy series.
2)They saw the show, but your writing and insight are so good that they can pick up on new things by reading the recaps.
3)They saw the show and are mental midgets. They need someone to break it down for them so they can excel during water cooler sessions.

Your best bet is to stick with very plot heavy shows, and ones where the plot is never, ever resolved in one episode. The OC, love it or hate it, is one of the most recapped and most demanded recap because so much happens, nothing is ever resolved and people constantly sit back and go "what just happened?"

Your best bet is to work with shows that fit into that framework. Looking at your list:

Gilmore Girls (Tuesdays at 8)
24 [Note that this show has sucked lately, and I may drop it out of sheer hatred] (Tuesdays at 9)
West Wing (Wednesdays at 9)
Angel (Wednesdays at 9)
The Apprentice (Thursdays at 9)
Alias (Sundays at 9)


These shows sound like keepers (though I don't watch GG, 24, WW, Angel or Alias) because they are plot heavy and there is a continuity from one episode to a next.

Other shows to consider would be Survivor and The Sopranos. You'll have to watch the Sopranos DVDs though or you'll be lost. If you do get around to watching the DVDs and catching up on the episodes past, you'll probably find Sopranos recaps to be the easiest to write (tons to expand upon) and most visited (average viewer misses out on a lot.)

Best of luck.

[Snowspinner]

As a note, I will not be doing any HBO shows in the near future - Comcast has apparently decided to stop including basic HBO and Showtime in their digital package, and I am poor.

[Hanzii]

I'm often reading the paper while my daughter watch Teletubbies. If you could do a recap of that show, so I know what the fuck she's telling me, I'd appreciate it.

[nach0king]

Why not just review what shows you're interested (for good or bad reasons) in? Surely writing about something you actually care about will reap the best results.

[Furiously]

I'm often reading the paper while my daughter watch Teletubbies. If you could do a recap of that show, so I know what the fuck she's telling me, I'd appreciate it.

Tinky Winky lost HIS fricking purse again.

[Tebonas]

Tinky Winky is a he? Now such vital informations are why we need Teletubbies Recaps.