Television Shows

Like Movies, only its TV.

I recently gave some opinions on movies, but I thought it would be fair to do the same with some recent television shows I've checked out and watched (and in some cases, got addicted too)

Another thing I can do via my employer is rent TV shows that have come out on DVD. I guess I could also watch TV shows on their native habitat, but I don't like commercials very much. So, here's a review of some TV shows on DVD and what I thought about them.

Own and Watched at Least One Season - 'Nough Said.

Freaks and Geeks - the first TV show that I actually bought on DVD. I first saw this with my friend Marnie. It only lasted a season, about 18 episodes, and its a bloody shame. This show had promise. I don't know what it was showing on, but with its rotten luck, most likely Fox, which is notorious for canceling shows if they aren't instant hits. I think they ended it on a positive note however, giving the characters some closure.

Sliders - I watched the first couple of seasons of Sliders when it originally came out and found it pretty fascinating then. I still like it, although at times I note it can be rather preachy. Though I've also come to note that it seems like every world they visit is actually worse then our own, which kind of yells 'Yay for us!' Still, I've always had an interest with alternate dimensions. Which may be why I found this series so interesting in the first place.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I've only been harping about it for the last two months. I've known about Buffy since it came out, but I never watched it. Then one day I had to shine a pair of boots and clean a rifle and I prefer doing both of the above objects while watching the TV. I had HitchHikers Guide but felt it wasn't enough, so I bought the introductory disc of Buffy as well. Its all history from there.

What in the world is with Season 4? I love it when Hollywood tries to make a stab at what the military is really like, it is rather laughable. Still, I'm a sucker for Buffy now.

Angel - Buffy fallout brought me to Angel. Because Angel is one of my favorite characters out of the first three seasons of Buffy. This series is more adult then Buffy. Season 4 kind of brought major disappointment in the manner of the Jasmine storyline. The whole storyline gave me the squirmees, and when I got the squirmees from a show, it is never good news. Redemption came with Season 5, because Spike came over from Buffy and almost took over the show. That's both good and bad, good because Spike's one of my favorite characters out of the franchise, and bad becuase the show isn't about him, its about Angel. My own pet peeve is they ended this series without any closure, they better damn well hurry with that Spike movie I keep hearing rumors about.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - This is my guilty pleasure. Because when I was a wee kid of about 8 years old, I was seriously hooked on this show. When they came out with it on DVD, for pure nastalgic reasons, I had to buy it. In the process, I picked up the remake as well, just to see where they were going with it. Original - I probably wouldn't watch this if it weren't for the fact that I was so in love with the series as a kid. Theres just something about warping back to a time where things were a lot simpler and ninja turtles were the bomb. The animation now can be a bit painful to watch, but the story is the same and I wouldn't have it any other way. I grew up on these guys. Current - the current series is more stylized and geared toward an older audience (and hence, more Mature, the turtles don't have the same infatuation with pizza from before) from the original series, and I confess that if I weren't a fan of the original, I probably wouldn't be in the process of collecting this series as well. Still, I wish they had actually released the DVD in chronological order from the individual episodes. Damn them for screwing up my mojo, I have yet to see this show on Television and hence forth I'm not following it like its supposed to be followed. Sucks to be me.

Simpsons - You know, I have started collecting this on DVD (the first four seasons at least), but have yet to watch it in that format. Still, Simpsons have been out for how long? Who hasn't seen this show? DVD is different due to lack of commercial interuptions. And Simpsons are just classic.

Twilight Zone - The original series from the 60's, this stuff is pure classic. The storylines are original and its just fun to watch. That, and you can pick up any episode at random and watch it without feeling like you're jumping in the middle of something. I've got one more set to buy and I'll have this entire thing. Unfortunately, when I decided to buy it, they decided to re-release it in another format (this time by Seasons). Curse them.

Gargoyles - The animated Disney Cartoon. The first season was reasonably priced, the first half of the second season not so much. I don't think I'll be picking that up any time soon. It didn't catch my attention enough to warrent buying both at this time. Hmm, maybe later?

TV Shows on DVD in Process of Watching - This is something I'm currently in the middle of.

Firefly - I picked this one up because I've heard nothing but good about it. I probably need to watch the pilot again, because I decided to watch it while I was working on eBay, which meant my mind wasn't entirely on the show, and I likely missed somethings. So far, for a Sci-Fi western, it has proven to be suitably quirky and entertaining for my tastes.

On Deck - I plan to watch these in the not to distant future.

Smallville - Everything is screaming at me that this is bad news, do not buy this unless you want a repeat of an obsession to rival that which is currently happening in regards to Buffy. However, I've heard a lot of good about this show, and there's further good news! It is available to rent so I can rent the first couple of discs and make sure its something I want to get addicted too. A good friend of mine also recommended it as something to avoid for the reasons I mentioned above (he too got hooked on it) and further more, Buffy Fallout! James Marsters is guest starring in the current season as a villain, and I've become a James Marsters fan. Damn it.

Life or Something Like It - I'm a Freaks and Geeks fan. This is made by the same people who brought us Freaks and Geeks. I purchased it, never watched it, so now i need to make an effort to do so. Don't know if it is of the same caliber, don't know. It got canceled.

Aqua Team Hunger Force - I have heard so much about this bizarre series that i need to just sit down and check it out. I've already made the first step, I've got Season one on DVD during one of my impulse purchases at the PX.

Lost - Sooner or later, somebody is going to make me watch this. I better just get prepared for that.

Would Like to Buy - Name says all. If chance would have it, maybe one day I will own these. But they are purely wishlist, nothing more.

Star Trek: The Next Generation - I would love to pick up the entire series of Next Generation on DVD for similar reasons to Ninja Turtles. Catch? This series is expensive. Like a Hundred dollars a pop per season. I've overcome the fascination I endured over Next Generation a long time ago, this would be a pure Nastalgic purchase. And at that price, it's not worth it to me. Maybe I can find it used somewhere for cheap? Hmm, unlikely.

ST - Deep Space Nine - See above. And further more, these are the only two series in the Star Trek franchise I am interested in purchasing. Voyager wore out its welcome by season 2. The original series never caught my attention and I was out of the Trekkie phase by the time Enterprise debuted.

Avoiding Like the Plague - Erm, these are shows that I have no intention of watching. Ever.

Sex and the City - Not because it is bad, but because it sounds like something I wouldn't normally watch. I'm just not into shows like this. However, if I do brave a chance and sit and watch it, I'll probably end up collecting the whole series as well. I will save myself the time and financial burdon and forego ever seeing this series.

Friends - In a lot of ways, much like Sex and the City. I have seen episodes of this and it is actually really funny. Which is further reason to avoid. I will not have a show sap my life force away. That, and I'm not into Sitcoms anymore. Sitcoms are not worth watching on DVD.

Full House - I used to watch this show as a kid, but it doesn't hold the same nastalgic feelings like Ninja Turtles do. There is no way I'm going to collect the DVDs of it.

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That is probably all I can think of at the moment. Yeah, Television. As you can see, I don't have a whole lot of series on my list, considering how many there are out there these days. Like I said, I don't normally watch TV. I don't like having that much life force sucked from my brain as it is.