(And I fully realize that by the time this actually POSTS, it probably won't be Friday anymore. But too bad, people, cause this is my world now! And in my world, people have jobs with long hours and don't get home in time to get blogs in a purposeful or timely manner . . . But I'm working on that too!)
So without further ado, here are my . . . .
Top 3 Underrated TV Shows!
*(Top lists are ALWAYS multiples of fives, but I just don't know that many shows!)
(USA, Wed at 10 pm)
. . .
Wait, now I have a new idea, because I just tried a number of times to write up a basic synopsis of the show's concept, and I failed miserably. So maybe that is also why it hasn't caught on! It's hard to describe!
The bottom line is that Sean, with the help of his best friend Gus, opens a psychic detective agency and works with the Santa Barbara police department. The catch is that Sean isn't psychic, he just has a photographic memory and was raised by a cop who trained him to use that to his advantage. (Even that sentence is woefully inadequate, but it's been a long week, so that is the best you are getting!) The only people who know Sean is a fraud are Gus and his father; everyone else thinks he's legit.
What really makes this show so great, though, is that cast camaraderie. I think the best shows are the ones that convince you that the actors are actually as great of friends in real life as they are on the screen. This is the first show since Friends where I've REALLY believed that they must be having just as much fun doing their job as I have watching them do it. Everyone is SO likable, and absolutely perfectly cast so that you have a great comedic balance without any character seeming overly forced or caricatured. Sean's sense of humor is unique, and his character in particular plays off of everyone else really well. I love that they also include outtakes at the end of every episode, and unless those are staged, they really do seem to be having a fantastic time :)
So even if I wasn't able to accurately capture how really funny the show is, I hope I've at least got the word out there about it, because I don't want it to go off air :) Give it a shot at least and see if you like the humor (I think the website has clips from the show and fun games, too).
(Sat at 2 pm, but I can't find what network. Just go with hulu!)
This was a show J had looked forward to for a while because he's read all of the books that they're based on, and I was actually mad at him the first time we sat down to watch it (we don't get much time to sit together and watch a show, and when we did, he didn't ask ME what I wanted to watch, just put this show on anyhow! The NERVE! It was one of those kinds of nights). When he put on a second episode, I was a little less mad and a little more intrigued, and by the third episode, I was totally hooked! Now I'm the one asking him if there are any new episodes ready to be watched (which, unfortunately, only gives him more ground to stand on when he tells me that he doesn't need me to tell him what I like because he already knows. It's INFURIATING when someone who always insists that they are right actually is always right).
In any case, though, this is more of a J kind of show - it's a fantasy/adventure show, though it of course has comedic moments and some romantic tension (any TV show that wants to survive has to have those elements to some extent!). There's action, but it's not overly violent or graphic in any way (it's one of those shows where they are slicing and dicing people with swords, but there's never any blood anywhere! I'm always yelling at the show for that one) which I guess would mean that it could also appeal to queasy people and kids. Even with all those attempts to encompass as many demographics as possible, I still think the fact that it is based off of a series of novels means that there isn't a huge viewer fan-base (nevertheless on a Saturday afternoon, what a bummer of a time slot for them!) but I think people would be surprised at how good the show is if they gave it a chance.
The plot of the show has to do with this quest they are on to save the world and the bad guys they fight along the way (I give FANTASTIC show descriptions, don't I? That one specifically only applies to this TV show, no other movie has ever tried to use "good" versus "evil" as a plot before!) and this is another one where the chemistry between all of the cast members is what really makes it. There actually is a fair amount of emotion in the show, and for being actors I've never heard of before, they're very good. Also, for the sake of honesty, I should mention that the main character (everyone has weird names in this show, so he will now just be called The Main Dude) is really hot - I just need to put that out there right off the bat. Young, but hot ;) That always helps. The leading lady is also beautiful, though (in that kind of gorgeous girl next door way that everyone can agree on without feeling threatened or jealous of) so it's an equal opportunity eye-candy-fest!
The show is a good one to watch when you just want something light and easy to follow that will let you escape the real world for a while. If you've read the books, you might be upset at some of the episodes they seem to throw in just to kill some time, but from what J has said, it follows the books fairly accurately. Give a few episodes a shot and see if you think I'm crazy for thinking it's great :)
(NBC, Mon at 8 pm)
Now, this one is probably the most well-known of the three (I'm pretty sure they did a big-deal 3D ad during a Super Bowl or something) but I still don't know anybody who actually watches the show! And that is such a shame, because it is so funny. This is another one where no matter how hard I try to write a plot synopsis, it's going to sound lame (I had to trick J into getting on board with the show by watching it when he was around but never actually asking him to watch it with me, because I knew if I told him what I'm about to tell you, he'd flat out leave the house. He ended up getting intrigued by the show when I was a few episodes in, so when I went back to show him the first episode, he was annoyed at it but already too invested in the character to leave. Chuck is just so gosh darned likable that J got over his anger towards the portrayal of technology in TV shows, and if J can, you can too!).
So, here is the plot: The CIA and NSA's super secret information is downloaded into Chuck's brain without his knowing it. (See, that is hard to swallow, I know). When he sees something in real life that has some kind of relation to the information in his brain, the information "flashes" and he suddenly recalls all sorts of important stuff. So, the government needs his help, but he just leads the Nerd Herd at the local Buy More (everything about the store and the Nerd Herd is such an obvious reference to Best Buy, it's hysterical!) so they have to send in top secret spy people to go undercover as his girlfriend and co-worker to manage him.
THAT DOESN'T SOUND FUNNY AT ALL, I KNOW! You just have to trust me that the characters are so genuine and work so well together, and Chuck is just so inept at spy work (there is some great physical comedy, but in the good way! Forced physical comedy is awful, but when it comes naturally, I love it love it love it!) that it ends up being a recipe for success. There is some cool action and spy type stuff, but as I just mentioned, since a computer nerd is involved in it, it usually ends up funny :)
So what I think we've learned from this today is that I'm not very good at giving plot synopses, and I apparently like shows where the characters seem like they get along. (Who knew that was the recipe for getting me hooked on a show? Maybe not the recipe for a successful show, since I don't have anybody to talk about these shows with, but it at least works for me!) Also, I think we've learned that if I have daily themed posts, most people won't get to read them until the next day ;) Oh well, the anticipation is what will keep them coming back for more! And in the meantime, I'm always looking for new shows to watch (though I don't have enough time to watch the shows I currently follow, but you never know what else is out there unless you look for it! ) so feel free to share your personal favorites with me!
We watch Chuck! We are a couple episodes behind, but we've seen all of them in order. It's a good show!
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