I’ve mentioned before that my wife and I don’t watch that much TV. Generally I’ll skim the NewsHour, but if there’s a good dramatic series we tend to find out about it after it starts, so we generally wait for the DVD so we can watch several episodes back-to-back without waiting a week for the next one.
Well, thanks to Chris Byrne, we found out about Burn Notice in time to catch the pilot episode, and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying this series. Hey, it’s got Bill Bruce Campbell! [thanks Darrell for the fix!]
I also just came across something called Saving Grace — which looks like a detective drama set in Oklahoma City or thereabouts — that has some great writing and acting. It doesn’t hurt that it stars Holly Hunter and that Laura San Giacomo shows up often. It also takes religion seriously. I’m not a religious fellow myself, but that is certainly a different approach for Hollywood. Anyway, the first season has four episodes left to go, so we’ll get the DVD when it comes out.
Now, I suppose this all means that TV is actually getting worse, considering the vast amount of programming on the vast number of channels that we choose not to watch because it’s utter crap.
Side note: during football season, our TV habits change, because my wife watches football almost 24/7. We tried to watch part of the Colts game last night, and Rivrdog’s criticism was spot-on. It was the worst coverage of a football game I’d ever seen. The three yahoos in the booth are not only terrible, they’re so un-photogenic that it would be better to just show the playing field and never cut to the booth.
ESPN had better change some things before the regular season starts, or Monday Night Football will actually start to lose viewers.
I was at the game; after the starters came out I was watching the Red Sox live cast on my cell phone.
I agree that burn notice is a good show. It also imparts some good tactical advice.
ESPN better reassure folks that this idiotic way of broadcasting a game is just for the preseason, but if I don’t see any apologies in print soon, I have watched my last MNF game.
Compare their inane performance to Sunday Nite Football on NBC. The two commentators there seem to know about the game and confine their remarks to either people or plays, and little else.
I think you mean Bruce Campbell, not Bill. The guy from Army of Darkness, Brisco County, Jr., Bubba Hotep, etc.
Burn Notice is absolutely great… The interplay is something many shows have been lacking of late, the deadpan humor is amusing, and the “secret spy secrets” are entertaining. It definitely gets TiVO’d every week.
Oooh…. someone else remembers Brisco County Jr. I think that just came out on DVD… *searches Amazon*
It was the Bubba Hotep comment that I was amazed someone else knew of. Killer movie.
Elvis: No offense, Jack, but President Kennedy was a white man.
JFK: They dyed me this color! That’s how clever they are!
Asolutely correct — it’s Bruce, not Bill. Thanks for the fix.
Bubba Ho-Tep is definitely an underrated gem. Pretty much an exemplar for “cult classic,” and I mean that in a very good way.