19 October 2008

TV : 5 New TV Series That Are Worth Your Time, and 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch Them

If you've been here more than twice, you'll probably noticed that I kinda' have this infatuation with Heroes and a certain Ms. Penettiere. Though I still love Heroes (..although at the moment I'm not feeling the whole 'some powers are given' and present-future-present storyline), I cannot ignore other exciting new series premiering on American TV. They're many to choose from - some are good and some are bad, depending on your preferences. Listed below are the 5 new series that I think are worth your viewing time (..or DL-ing time, especially for someone who is in Malaysia, like me).


True Blood

What it's about :
True Blood, from Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball, is a small-screen adaptation of Charlaine Harris' smart Southern Vampire Mysteries books, and poses the question, "What if vampires were not only real, but part of society?"
After a Japanese scientist makes synthetic blood, vampires come out of the coffin and are free to roam the world, presumably because they don't pose a threat to humans anymore. Anna Paquin stars as mind-reading waitress Sookie Stackhouse (best character name EVER) who becomes enamored with her town's first fanged visitor, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).

5 reasons you should watch it :
  • > It's a social satire. The vamps movement could very well be about civil rights or homophobia and it's very fun to watch. How would you react if vampires were actually part of your everyday life?
  • > Horny characters. There's a whole bunch of them..
  • > That kid from The Piano, Anna Paquin. Gap-toothed southern gals has never been sexier.
  • > The blood and gore. Well, if you're into that kind of thing..
  • > The opening credit. One of the best I have ever seen. It set's the tone really well, with creepy grainy images flashing to the tune of Jace Everett's Bad Things.

Fringe

What it's about :
Fringe stars Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, and John Noble as an unlikely trio that investigates unusual phenomena for the FBI. Before you ask "Wait a minute, isn't that The X-Files?" Well, unlike Scully and Mulder who are running after aliens and ghosts, these guys are chasing phenomenons that are almost real. That's how Fringe gets it name - from 'fringe science', or the fields of technology and science that are on the verge of breakthroughs.

5 reasons you should watch it :
  • > Very high production values. The pilot was almost movie-like with high explosives, amazing special effects and great sets.
  • > The conspiracy theories. Who doesn't love them?
  • > Amidst all the seriousness, there's also some surprisingly humorous moments that catch you off guard. Great writing.
  • > Watching an episode almost like watching a Discovery channel special because it might actually teach you a thing or two.
  • > It's from J.J. Abrams, the man behind Alias and Lost. So you know what to expect.

Breaking Bad

What it's about :
Well, it's not really new; Breaking Bad actually premiered on US TV in January this year but I recently discovered it, and I'm glad I did. The series stars Bryan Cranston (the dad from Malcolm In The Middle) as Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher with a handicapped child and pregnant wife. When the already tense White is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he breaks down and turns to a life of crime, setting up meth drug lab in a desire to secure his family's future financial security.

5 reasons you should watch it :
  • > Bryan Cranston. Fucking amazing actor. No wonder he won an Emmy recently.
  • > The acting is as good as you can get on TV. The supporting casts are so much fun to watch.
  • > The writing and the storytelling is compelling. I guarantee by episode 3, you'll be attached to the characters and their lives.
  • > I love the premise. Walt White is the perfect anti-hero. You cheer for him but at the same time you can't believe what shitty mess he's gotten himself into. Would you succumb to the same situation if you're in his shoes?
  • > Walt in his underwear, with a gas mask on, driving an RV in the desert. You have to see it (click here)

Life On Mars

What it's about :
No, it's not about life on planet Mars. It's actually about a New York City homicide detective who suddenly finds himself inexplicably transported from 2008 to 1973. The series was adapted from the British series of the same name shown by the BBC. The series just premiered on Oct 9 and currently in it's 2nd episode.

5 reasons you should watch it :
  • > Harvey freakin' Keitel.
  • > ..and longtime crush Lisa Bonet.
  • > ..and Gretchen Mol in a policewoman uniform with 70's wavy hair.
  • > Great 70's music throughout the show especially the title track, David Bowie's Life On Mars.
  • > Time-traveling stories are always fun to watch.

My Own Worst Enemy

What it's about :
Edward Albright is a super spy. Henry Spivey is living the normal American dream in the suburbs with his wife, two kids and dog. The two men have one thing in common - they share the same body because Edward took part in an experiment several years earlier to create a split personality. Henry has never met his alter-ego Edward, except for an email he receives from Edward saying that people are coming to kill him. Now, the super spy and the suburban daddy have to learn to live with each other in the same body and not get each other killed.

My Own Worst Enemy premiered last week after much hype and I'm actually 50/50 about this one. Looks promising though, but we'll see how it goes.

5 reasons you should watch it :
  • > I actually kinda' like Christian Slater. The last time I saw him in anything was in this indie flick, He Was A Quiet Man in which he did an excellent job. So it's good seeing him return to prime time.
  • > It sort of have that Alias feel to it with all the super-spy and espionage tales.
  • > The pilot was directed by David Semel, who also directed the pilot for Heroes so you got the same style of storytelling, pacing and a revealing ending.
  • > It's a twist to the classic Jekyll & Hyde story.
  • > err.. Madchen Amick?


Those are the 5 'new' series that I think are worth watching or *cough* downloading *cough* right now. Take those 5 series plus new seasons of Life, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, Entourage, Nip/Tuck, The L Word and others, I certainly have my hands full. And don't forget the always amazing new season of Mad Men, Californication and Chuck. And speaking about Chuck, say hello to Yvonne Strahovski who played Agent Sarah Walker :
























Nothing.. I just need a reason to post her picture here. :)

There's also a bunch of new series premiering in the past few months such as The Cleaner, Raising The Bar, Sons of Anarchy, Privileged, Worst Week, The Mentalist, Sanctuary & The Eleventh Hour that has created a great buzz either critically or commercially, that I have yet to discover.

Phew!
So many great TV series, so little time..
I need Hiro's powers...
And super fast broadband Internet access.

10 comments:

Pompuan Emosi said...

Akku saket pale dgn Heroes yang baru. Sylar jadi baik? Claire jadi villain? (oops, spoiler)
It's like, can you actually make up your mind who is what?

Maka akku beralih pula dgn True Blood. Akku dapati Stephen Moyer agak hot (Those eyes made my knees weak). And baca2 gossip he is dating with Anna Paquin. Rasa2 mmg trend skrg, dating with your 10++years older co-stars. Hmph.

Somehow akku nampak Lafayette nampak macam Chuck Bass versi negro and I love the BurgerWithAids scene.

Oh. Sblm ni akku tak penah jumpe opening credits yang boleh buat akku horny like this one :p

Nazim Masnawi said...

Aku nak tengok Mad Men tapi tak tertengok-tengok lagi. All and all for Christina Hendricks' tits.

Life on Mars rasanya aku akan tengok BBC series punya dulu since it only had 16 episodes, tops. The American version otherwise akan go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.

Sons of Anarchy - yeap, anything that includes any F&G and/or Undeclared alumni(s) will always be on my watch.

Hey, no love for The Flight of the Conchords ke?

Edd Vedder said...

Suen..
That Lafayette character is something.. Tough fag, that's what I call him. And that Burger with AIDS scene is classic, "..all u got to do is say hold the AIDS", hehe.
Opening credits makes u horny.. Hmm. Too much information.

Nazim..
Aku tak pernah tgk UK Life on Mars walaupun banyak yg cakap it was way better. But you know how it is with the American.. there's even a shot of WTC twin tower in one of the scene.

cubaan aku utk d-load Flight of the Conchords sebanyak 7 kali dah gagal. Aku pun tak tahu kenapa.. But HBO is showing it now.. it's growing on me. I guess I might like it soon.

Edd Vedder said...

oh yeah.. talking about F&G alumni.. Remember Lizzy Caplan aka Sara from F&G? She's in True Blood. Topless.

Zack said...

Buat masa sekarang ni, sejak ketiadaan internet kat rumah, aku cuma dapat nonton Kekasihku Seru, Sutera Maya, dan apa2 aje yg ada kat free TV. Yang aku follow ada la satu dua citer aje, mcm Carpoolers, Criminal Minds, Panorama, Ho Chiak! dan Hypermarket Saga, itu pun sebab nak tengok Faezah Elai.

Ps: Jeles? Oh yes…

Anonymous said...

macam poster jennifer's body pulak.

Edd Vedder said...

zacko,
Kekasihku Seru is a must-see. There haven't been anything as good as that series (locally) in such a longtime.
Not sure about Sutera Maya though. Fasha Sanda & incestuous relationships are a no-no for me.

On TV, I watch a lot of reality series : Amazing Race (Asia & US), Project Runway, ANTM and of course my weekly dose of Grissom, Horatio and Mac. Oh yeah, Saturday Night Live & Who's Line are starting again.. so that's good too.

Jealous? Don't be.. you know I can always send u the CD's.

Edd Vedder said...

kamarul..
what's up. Welkam.

Yup, that True Blood poster mmg sebijik mcm Jennifer's Body punya poster... except bila kau tgk J's Body punya poster, kau akan terbayangkan Megan Fox.. hehe.

Dr. Bentara said...

Life On Mars... gua ada on DVD. Not bad at all. In fact, above average. Gonna wait sampai Season 2 boxset jadi murah.

True Blood: Gua will look forward for the DVD. Six Feet Under was among my feveret drama. I had all seasons on DVD ( lepas tengok jual kat eBay la apa lagi).

Paling gua tunggu series macam Sopranos tu. Gila best. Ada satu, hampir jejak Sopranos iaitu Brotherhood (Sopranos - italian, Brothers - Irish).

Sekarang just layan X-Files. Itu hari ada sale, gua sapu all 9 seasons on DVD.

Edd Vedder said...

bro ben..krenmaut!
welkam.. Life on Mars BBC kat Malaysia dah nak start tunjuk season 2. Tapi I still belum tgk yg BBC version.

True Blood is no Six Feet Under. Totally 360 degrees turn for Alan Ball.

Syok la kat Australia bleh dapat DVD original murah.. kat JBHifi pun banyak sale.