Monday, September 19, 2011

The one about tv shows

This is going to sound weird but I sometimes find myself thinking about the show Lost and wondering what the hell compelled me to keep watching it. (And what on earth is compelling me, right now to write a whole post about it.) If I think about it rationally, it was one of the worst shows ever aired, but apparently the writers were really awesome because they kept me (and millions of other people) coming back for more.

I recently realized that the main reason why I kept going back for more was because I kept hoping that sooner or later it would all start making sense to me, that somehow they would manage to tie it all together. Of course as the show progressed this seemed less and less likely, though the pull towards making sense of it became ever stronger. So I watched all the seasons, once, and the end result was something that was far-fetched and unlikely, mostly unlikeable, and definitely infuriating. When I think of Lost it generally pisses me off, to think of all the wasted hours, but the individual episodes were actually quite good, keeping me on the edge of my seat and all. Of course, the general feeling that all the writers, producers and directors where mostly doped up on crack remains. So I am letting it go. Because not all shows can be good, but the good ones stayed with me. The good ones where shows I watched over and over and over again, but of course “the good ones” is also very subjective.

So I’m burying my memories of Lost and my anger and disappointment towards it today by remembering some of my favorite shows, the ones that kept me coming back with happy feelings.

Friends – I remember slowly saving to buy all the season DVDs of Friends, slowly, one at a time from amazon uk, cause they weren’t out in Italy yet. I’d get my box set and sit at home for several nights just watching the entire season, and then I’d watch it again. It was hilarious, it made me happy and I still have fond memories of that time.

The X-files – my brother started watching the X-Files when they first came out in the US. I was already in Italy for University at that point and started watching it with him when I went home on holiday. I won’t lie, I thought it was a load of crap. My brother, then 15 or 16 thought it was all true and spent his days spouting conspiracy theories as teens are wont to do. Years later it finally comes out in Italy too and my roommate was really into it, so I started watching it again, and slowly a compulsion started. Unfortunately my roommate has since passed away (at 27 from a brain aneurism) but watching the X-files always makes me feel close to her. “The truth is out there” and I’m sure she knows what it is now.

Studio 60 on the sunset strip – I imagine most of you haven’t heard of it. It was one of the smartest, wittiest, most well written shows I’ve ever seen, which is probably why it was cancelled after only one season. If you have the chance, watch it, you’ll thank me.

The West Wing and Boston Legal – these are my go to “comfort shows”. I watch them when I need a mood lift, I’ve watched them both during both of my pregnancies, while breastfeeding my kids, after my Dad passed. I can’t explain it, but they distract me in a way that doesn’t leave me feeling dumb afterwards. They both have dialogues I actually want to follow, to me it always comes down to the writers, the use of words.

I watch other shows too, I like the mainstream popular ones like Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives or CSI, but those are my “switch my brain off” shows. Nothing wrong with that, of course, I’m not a TV snob, but the shows that really stayed with me throughout the years, the ones that I want to keep watching over and over are the ones where the writing matters.

This is why Lost pisses me off, the idea was so good, the execution was so bad. And now after this little venting post I hope to finally, definitively forget about Lost so I can concentrate on the really important stuff, like Modern Family and trying to figure out if Kitchen Confidential and The Big C are any good.

What are your favorite shows? What makes you keep going back for more? What’s important in a show, the writing, the action, the actors?

11 comments:

  1. I was so disappointed in Lost too. Mostly because there were all kinds of hints that there was going to be some kind of deeper philosophy behind it - all the characters were stand ins for some great metaphor. Buuuut...no. Just kept waiting and waiting for it to go somewhere...and when it didn't....just kept waiting and waiting for it to redeem itself. And it didn't. (We watched it on DVD after the whole thing finished, but I think I remember hearing that after the first season, that's when we had the writers' strike in LA, so all the good writers were gone.)

    Anyway, my favorites were The Sopranos and The Wire. I also love Mad Men. And I love House, M.D. I guess what draws me in to shows most is well-written dialogue and really good character development. I love fascinating characters and I love shows that are about something more, that reveal something about human nature and drives. I also appreciate when a show is beautifully shot. I'll like one that is primarily comedic, but it won't keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next episode and I won't go out of my way to remember to watch it.

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  2. I just gave up on Lost after a while. It was too much. Modern Family is more my speed. And Dexter.

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  3. I liked Lost. It pissed me off a lot, but it was still one of my favorite shows. I like what you said about The West Wing, it is like comfort food for me too. I'm a huge ER fan. I think I've seen every episode at least twice. Even when it got crappy I still watched-like comfort food too.

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  4. I have to disagree with you about Lost.  I still love that show.  However, we totally agree about Studio 60.    It was a great show and my husband and I were upset when it got cancelled. We also agree on Modern Family.  That is one of the funniest shows on TV.  Along with 30 Rock and The Office. Another great show just recently cancelled after only 2 seasons-Men of a Certain Age.  Those three guys together were fantastic. I also like the sci-fi X-files type of shows, so Fringe is one of my favorites right now.  I have to stop now, because I could go on.  I am a TV junkie and could talk about this for a while.  Although, I am proud to say I don't indulge in the reality shows.  I used to love them when they first came out, but they are just so douchy now.  I can't take it.  Survivor is the only one I watch and that's only because Andy makes me.  

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  5. What about Sex and the City?? My all time favorite. Ok, so I am a NY expat, but I thought the dialogues were brilliant.

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  6. I loved Sex and the City too, it just doesn't make the top 5, top 10 definitely. Next time I'll write a longer post!

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  7. 30 Rock, rocks!! I had forgotten about that! Never saw Men of a certain age, maybe hasn't come out here in Italy... and Fringe! I love Fringe! Definitely one of the top 10!! Also, Hero's was pretty good too... AAAAHH why did I open up this can of worms! I'm not big on reality shows either, I get embarrassed for the participants... 

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  8. E.R.! Haven't watched it in a while, but it was awfully good!

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  9. Never got into Dexter. Modern Family is awesome though, and Cougar town...

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  10. I've just started the first season of Mad Men so I still have to figure it out... I watched and liked the Sopranos but sort of forgot about it since. We like House a lot though, it's one of the few shows the Husband watches, so it's kind of "our" show... But I really don't watch that much tv... really!

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  11. Yeah Mad Men moves slowly, which I found to be awesome and brave and infuriating. :) We don't actually watch a lot of TV either and are pretty picky about what we will watch. I haven't had cable since...2002? Oh, no, I did have it one year in 2005. What we did watch were things we could get through Netflix or Hulu while we were still in the States. But still, we spend most of our nights doing something else entirely.

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