Post #23
I think Netflix and the internet have destroyed my ability to watch primetime serial television programs.
Over the past few weeks, season premieres have come and gone. If I wanted to match my expectations of these shows to the actual experience of watching while they're being aired, I probably would have to simultaneously inject myself with barely subtoxic doses of most of the drugs one could probably find within 3 miles of a major downtown hospital.
One of these shows came close, which is why I took the rare step and actually bought the first three seasons of the Wire (currently airing its 4th season). However the majority of the shows I waited a summer for disappointed in their premieres and few subsequent episodes. And yet, I still find myself waiting week by week every evening to watch them again. I think this fits nicely within a general definition of high tolerance, associated with addiction.
I'm pretty sure this is happening because of Netflix, and the ability to rent out half a year's worth of a season of a show and watch it in one weekend. If the show is any good, then that particular weekend is going to be incomparably awesome compared to having to wait until every Wednesday for an episode which may or may not be good.
I dont know what this means. If I wait until the DVD's come out, how could I stand the suspense? At least before I rented the series on Netflix, I could revel in the ignorance of that show's existence. I revel in ignorance a lot, in fact. Perhaps I should take up heroin, or a life, perhaps. That's unlikely, though. Eventually I'll probably become a Talkbacker on aintitcool.com.
As for the shows themselves, Lost is still maddeningly unrevealing. I think they basically figured out what made the X-files good, namely the excessive hinting of a backstory and NEVER EVER revealing it.
That actually makes sense to me. It takes advantage of the audience's imagination, and hypes up anticipation. It's still enraging, though.
On the other hand, that can't be all of it. Lost has some incredible moments, like some of Desmond's flashbacks at the end of last season. While they might seem generically Hollywood, that's almost exactly the way in which they are great, kind of like Casablanca.
Battlestar Galactica has been kind of disappointing. I think we've seen the whole someone -going-back to retrieve lost people three times now. Maybe they should realize that Cylons OWN ALL THE PLANETS IN THE UNIVERSE, even if they are the weakest killing machines put to film ever. In my eye, Terminators > Cylons, and giant robots > all. Oh yeah, and Lee Adama is now the most unconvincing fat man in all of TV. Kind of half-assed characterization work there.
Studio 60 is a good show, but I think it's getting a lot of negative reviews lately because while it is a drama about a weekly live comedy show, the comedy is awful. The drama's good though.
Over the past few weeks, season premieres have come and gone. If I wanted to match my expectations of these shows to the actual experience of watching while they're being aired, I probably would have to simultaneously inject myself with barely subtoxic doses of most of the drugs one could probably find within 3 miles of a major downtown hospital.
One of these shows came close, which is why I took the rare step and actually bought the first three seasons of the Wire (currently airing its 4th season). However the majority of the shows I waited a summer for disappointed in their premieres and few subsequent episodes. And yet, I still find myself waiting week by week every evening to watch them again. I think this fits nicely within a general definition of high tolerance, associated with addiction.
I'm pretty sure this is happening because of Netflix, and the ability to rent out half a year's worth of a season of a show and watch it in one weekend. If the show is any good, then that particular weekend is going to be incomparably awesome compared to having to wait until every Wednesday for an episode which may or may not be good.
I dont know what this means. If I wait until the DVD's come out, how could I stand the suspense? At least before I rented the series on Netflix, I could revel in the ignorance of that show's existence. I revel in ignorance a lot, in fact. Perhaps I should take up heroin, or a life, perhaps. That's unlikely, though. Eventually I'll probably become a Talkbacker on aintitcool.com.
As for the shows themselves, Lost is still maddeningly unrevealing. I think they basically figured out what made the X-files good, namely the excessive hinting of a backstory and NEVER EVER revealing it.
That actually makes sense to me. It takes advantage of the audience's imagination, and hypes up anticipation. It's still enraging, though.
On the other hand, that can't be all of it. Lost has some incredible moments, like some of Desmond's flashbacks at the end of last season. While they might seem generically Hollywood, that's almost exactly the way in which they are great, kind of like Casablanca.
Battlestar Galactica has been kind of disappointing. I think we've seen the whole someone -going-back to retrieve lost people three times now. Maybe they should realize that Cylons OWN ALL THE PLANETS IN THE UNIVERSE, even if they are the weakest killing machines put to film ever. In my eye, Terminators > Cylons, and giant robots > all. Oh yeah, and Lee Adama is now the most unconvincing fat man in all of TV. Kind of half-assed characterization work there.
Studio 60 is a good show, but I think it's getting a lot of negative reviews lately because while it is a drama about a weekly live comedy show, the comedy is awful. The drama's good though.
posted by joe at 7:37 PM
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