The offseason sucks. I’m forced to watch prime time television. It’s torture. Here’s a list of what I’m watching these days and how they vaguely relate to football:
Lost-Lost is the Peyton Manning of shows right now. It’s way too nerdy and cerebral for some people. There are plenty of folks who think there’s no way for it to pay off the hype, but for my money it’s the most fun I have watching TV all week. I love that it is intricate, detailed, and impossible to predict. Let’s not forget a healthy fascination with numbers.
Smallville-The Gary Brackett of my TV week. Smallville started the year after the X-Files left, and has given me going on 20 years of uninterrupted Freak of the Weeks. Smallville has reignited my fondness for comic books. At this point, I spend every season wondering if it is going to be the last and looking for signs of decay, but it holds up extremely well. When it finally does fall apart, I’ll be devastated, and unsure how it can possibly be replaced.
How I Met Your Mother-Joseph Addai. I’m a huge fan of this show. It resonates with me in a way that Friends never did, because these people are my age. They talk like my friends talk. They love Star Wars. Unfortunately, the show is only just now becoming appreciated, and I don’t think it has that many more good seasons in it. By the end of next year, it’ll be time for it to go…just when everyone discovers how good it is.
30 Rock-Like Reggie Wayne, 30 Rock is right in its prime. Consistently one of the funniest shows on television, it takes a certain kind of sophistication to really enjoy it. I don’t know that 30 Rock will ever make the top of the comedy heap, but has been funny for a while now.
The Office-Dwight Freeney has been stellar to this point, but he’s right at that age where the end comes fast. The Office was a giant, and could absolutely continue to be great for another 3 or 4 years without shocking me. Still, my gut tells me the best has come and gone. I’m sad about that.
Scrubs-My Adam Vinatieri show. I’ve been loyal to Scrubs since the first episode, and there was a time when it was legitimately a great show. That time has long passed. Now I never know when it’ll be on. When it is on, it’s actually not that bad, but I strongly suspect the end is nigh.
Fringe-I just started watching Fringe (aka: The X-Files 2: Blonder and Bustier!) a few weeks ago, but am now up to date. It’s the Austin Collie of shows. I’m not actually a huge fan, and it’s a bit too derivative for me, but I have to admit that I find myself entertained, mostly because I love the genre. There are some highlight moments (Dunham flying through the windshield to start season 2 is one of the best TV scenes of the year), but I’m not sure it is accomplishing anything that special. It could probably be adequately replaced by a half dozen other shows with similar skills.
24-Bob Sanders is Jack Bauer. Or at least they based Jack Bauer on Bob Sanders. 24 is great when it’s right, but it gets banged up a lot and doesn’t always finish the season strong. I’m watching this show on Argentine TV, by the way so I’m only two episodes into the season. No spoilers please.
House-House is my borderline show. I don’t find it that interesting, but it does entertain at times. It’s sort of like Melvin Bullitt. It isn’t perfect, but it has a lot of really strong components. I think I’d miss it if it was gone, and it fills in nicely when there’s nothing else on TV.
Saturday Night Live-Take a guess. Yeah, Jeff Saturday. It’s been around forever. It’s not going anywhere. It’s just part of the fabric of television at this point.
Clone Wars-Long stretches of not much followed by a few explosive moments that remind me why I love the franchise. Much like Robert Mathis. The scene a few weeks ago where the terrorist asked, “Which of you will be a cold blooded killer?” only to have Anakin come up from behind him and stab him in the back with his light saber was incredible. And yes, I watch it with my 5 and 3 year olds. Sue me. In truth they prefer Teen Titans and Ben 10: Alien Force. The best of all the cartoons of that ilk is Spectacular Spiderman, by the way. Yes, I am 33. Sigh.
Heroes-I gave up on this show mid way through the season, and I’m not coming back. When they randomly made Claire a lesbian, they proved they have no idea how to make their characters interesting. I’m not into lame ratings game. This show has been a mess for awhile, and my loyalty for past contributions has run out. Do you hear me Raheem Brock?
By the way, this year I also tried Mad Men. My wife and I HATED it. I get why it’s so acclaimed. I understand the artistic value, but there is not one character in the show who is sympathetic or appealing at all. We lasted six episodes into season one and quit.
We also watched the seldom mentioned Doll House, which was great. The hidden finale to Season One was one of the best Sci Fi episodes ever done.
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