07 October 2011

List #30: Fall TV Shows I'm Digging

1.  The Playboy Club
This just got cancelled, so I'm not going to bother to tell you what I liked about it, lest you get excited about it.  I will say that I'm not entirely surprised that it's been cancelled.  While it was good, it wasn't GREAT.

2.  Person of Interest
I am absolutely fascinated with this show.  The (very, VERY basic) premise is that "The Machine" (built after 11 September and originally designed to predict who would commit acts of terrorism) spits out the social security numbers of persons of interest.  The problem is that these people may be of interest because they are going to commit a crime or because they are going to be a victim.  A team of two men track down the person of interest from only their SSN, find out what their story is, and try to prevent the bad thing from happening.  And, as with successful dramas these days (that aren't police procedurals), there is a ton of mythology that goes along with this.

3.  Unforgettable
This is about Carrie Wells who has a medical condition that ensures that she never forgets anything - ever.  Which, of course, makes her a great detective.  Ask her a date, and she can tell you anything that happened that day (involving her, or as long as she had some experience with it).  She often solves crimes because she's able to recall the crime scene and then compare that memory to things she experiences and sees during the investigation.  While I like her character, I really don't like any of the other characters.  And the thing with her mother having dementia is just too...  cutesy (in an ironic way, but you know what I mean).  And I'm not sure how they'll keep this show fresh.

4.  Prime Suspect
Maria Bello plays a detective in New York City who is competing with the Ol' Boy's Club.  She's not your average "I'm trying to use my womanly ways to my advantage" kind of female detective.  She's hard, tough, and completely gung-ho.  But not so much so that she's a caricature.  I'm really loving this show so far.  Also, Maria Bello is just hot.

5.  Pan Am
I didn't think I'd like this show.  I only watched the pilot episode on a fluke.  In fact, I had forgotten that I set it to record "when possible" since it conflicted with some other shows with it originally débuted.  But this is quickly becoming a favourite.  I was wary of it, because really - a show about flight attendants?  or people flying?  Really?  But it's actually a show about people who just happen to work in the flight industry.  The story is told non-linearly, which apparently bothers some people, but I'm enjoying it (although I HATE books that use this device).  For instance, one of the stewardesses (remember when we still called them that?) is a runaway bride.  And as the flight takes off in the first episode, we flash back to the day of her wedding to find out exactly what happened.  And we're still finding out the entire story about the other characters a few weeks in.

1 comment:

  1. I am completely loving "Prime Suspect"! I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, because it's based on one of my favorite British crime dramas (only the British version stars Helen Mirren), and I wasn't sure how well it would translate to the US. But they've done a great job of making the show very, very New York and entirely awesome.

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