Lately, my entertainment energies have been devoted to teaching and reading for class, so I have not had a lot of time to focus on working through DVD seasons as quickly as I would like.
My wife and I are still working through Buffy the Vampire Slayer in our spare time. We’re on Season 6 which is good because it’s integral to her Slayage paper. In addition to that, we also watch a good deal of current programming either as it airs or on the DVR:
- Glee (all her, though I will tune in for the Joss Whedon episode)
- How I Met Your Mother
- Fringe
- Big Bang Theory
- V
- LOST
- 24 (this one’s all me)
- The Soup
- Community
- The Colbert Report
- Caprica
- Stargate Universe
That’s a lot of TV to stay current on with busy schedules. It’s no wonder that we’ve still not finished Buffy or started anything else. It’s incredibly sad to think that so many great shows are passing us by. But this summer, I’ll have time to catch a few episodes per day (hopefully) and be able to work through a couple of seasons.
But there’s still too much. I need your help in deciding where to start. Because I am truly at a loss for which show should get priority.
I know it’s a great thing when TV has evolved so far past reality TV (well, part of it at least) where both the hour-long dramas and the sitcoms vie for attention with Bioware and Square/Enix RPGs and good SF/F novels.
But I can’t help but be a little frustrated in that there is so much high-quality stuff out there that I cannot decide what is worth watching. With new seasons coming out all the time, I honestly worry that I will always stay behind on the shows I really want to watch.
I have colleagues talking about how great Dexter was during Season 4. But have I seen past Season 1? No. My wife tells me how great Veronica Mars is, but have I been able to sit down and watch more than the pilot? Nay. And for all the crap that came in Seasons 2 and 3, I look forward to settling in with Heroes fourth season.
I’m pretty sure that Sanctuary will replace Stargate SG-1 as what my dad and I watch together. And I’m almost certain that Castle will be next for me and my wife (after a good rewatch of Firefly for my own research).
But solo watching this summer? There’s too much awesome. And that list is growing all the time. I spent an hour last night adding seasons to my Netflix queue to reactivate in May/June. I added such gems as Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Californication, and Weeds.
I don’t know if I’ll get to any of them.
My current time is going to be spent with FlashForward. I have nine episodes backed up on my DVR, and I finally got hooked by the story. I still think that the series is hoping way too much to be LOST, but it’s interesting, and it has a slew of actors I enjoy watching. I’ve heard the ratings are kind of bad, so even if I get invested, there may not be a second season to deal with. And if there is (and it’s worth watching), that’s icing on the cake.
So I need your help. I have narrowed my summer choices down to the following. Which of these shows do you all suggest that I work my way through this summer? You can either leave your vote in the comments or at SurveyMonkey.
- Mad Men 2-4
- Dexter 2-4
- Veronica Mars 1-3
- Stargate Atlantis 3-5
- X-Files 4-9
- Heroes 4
As someone with high hopes going in, I can now say that FlashForward has completely gone off the rails. Goyer left, and the show is now verging on ridiculousness – which I don’t blame on Goyer, because it was teetering off the rails even with him running it.
Also – if you’re going to watch something, move The Wire to number 1. I’ve only seen bits and pieces, but it’s a great show, and one of the most critically revered of all time. Weeds isn’t worth the time waste, and I’d say the same about Californication…and don’t even get me started on the train wreck that is Heroes
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Dexter, 2nd. choice SG:A. You should actually watch them both. And I will watch Caprica, I just do not know if or when it gets aired in Germany.
Well, you know I would vote Veronica Mars, but this is for solo viewing, and I want to watch it with you. So hmmmm . . . Seasons 4 and 5 of The X-Files are probably the best seasons, and then Season 6 is good for lighter episodes. But we both have problems doing marathon viewings of XF, so I would suggest sprinkling some episodes in with another show that you’re watching more serially. And save the best episodes to watch with me 🙂
Heroes Season 4 is very well done. It seems like the writers have finally gotten the hang of narrowing in on a few characters interacting in each episode. For awhile in the earlier seasons the writing was all over the place and they would try to touch on every character in each episode. It made for bad T.V.
With Season 4 you can almost watch any episode as a self contained show without knowing all the background. The focus is definitely on character interaction, which is where Heroes usually shines.
I don’t know if that helps you make up your mind, but I would recommend it if you have already made it through seasons 1-3.
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Yeah, I did make it through the first three. I was actually unaware until recently that Season 4 was totally finished. I thought it was just on hiatus. I saw a few minutes of the season premiere and it had a very “Carnivale” feel to it, so I was intrigued. I very much want to see where it goes.
Definitely go with Dexter 2-4. Great show that I don’t think you can go wrong with.