Tuesday, June 01, 2010

TV Tweets: May 23 - 31

 As always, you can follow me at LowBrowJon to get my boisterous blips, as well as other LBM updates.
------------------------------------
May 24th [Lost, Treme]
Can the haters at least agree that the last #Lost was better than the #Sopranos finale?
I've discussed this show enough in the last 10 days.

Those trailers were a haunting sight. LaDonna probably just moved to the top of my favorite #Treme storyline list after this week.
As expected, Treme continues to be excellent. I'm sure I'll change my mind on my favorite storyline soon enough. Khandi Alexander's heartbreaking performance as LaDonna is the Treme character du jour, but there's just too much good here to stay fixated on one element for too long. Wendell Pierce is lovable. Steve Zahn is electric. Lucia Micarelli is pure talent. Clarke Peters is inspiring. Kim Dickens is a joy. And John Goodman cusses like no other.

May 25th [American Idol]
RT @simonsam Goodbye, Simon Cowell. I'll think of you whenever I see a guy in a t-shirt acting like an asshole, which is pretty often.
------------------------------------
After the jump, I say goodbye to 24, hello to Dexter, and am initially rendered speechless by Breaking Bad.

Grading the 2010 Television Season Thus Far

As I've let the Lost finale marinate in my mind these past few days, I've been contemplating why we watch TV. For me, it's more than just passing the time. A finely-crafted, serialized story is probably the most enjoyable form of art I can think of. A great movie is a wonderful feat, but I prefer the evolving tales of a group of characters since it allows extensive exploration of plot and character if done well. Since there are just so many damn good shows on right now, I've felt the need to analyze and discuss them here on the site. All of that is a long way of saying that this week's Lost made me want to assess each show I watched since 2010 began.
It feels odd only looking at the shows which have just recently ended even though most began back in the fall, but I had to have a cut-off point. Plus, I know I loved shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm this year, but too much time has passed for me to properly rate them after nearly six months time has passed. As a result, anything that concluded before 2010 will be ignored.
------------------------------------
24 
(Season 8, Fox)
Decent ending to a show that should've bowed out a few years ago. I know there's a movie in the works, but this felt rather uninspired for a series finale. This year, the show tried to pull new twists and brought back some old villains, but I think we've all become desensitized to everything 24 has thrown at us at this point after eight days. On a side note, I don't think they really ever topped that absolutely insane decapitation early in season 2.  C

30 Rock 
(Season 4, NBC)
Part of me wants to chastise them for using so many high-profile guest stars and instead focus on more great shenanigans for Jack and Liz, but when they come up with ways to use Jon Hamm, James Franco and Julianne Moore as they did, I have to remind myself to just enjoy the ride instead. Don't need to see Matt Damon again though. Best part of the show is still Alec Baldwin, who slays me each week.  B+

Big Love 
(Season 4, HBO)
I have never hated a main character of a show the way I despise Bill Henrickson right now. Part of me feels I should hate His power trips are purely for self glory; I don't buy this testament bull for a second. The politics angle struck me as unnecessary as it unfolded, but the end result has set up season 5 to have some truly extreme hardships for that family on the horizon. And, man, did I miss Roman this year. They got rid of him too soon. Although the result was more Alby, which I found to be fascinating storyline.  B-

Caprica 
(Season 1, SyFy)
Sadly, Caprica was not as great as I hoped it'd be. There's certainly room for it to improve, but measuring up to it's parent show, Battlestar Galactica, is probably not going to happen. Technically, season one hasn't concluded, which is fortunate since it's midseason finale was only mildly exciting. However, the sooner we all stop wishing it to be BSG, the better.  B-
------------------------------------
After the jump, see the other 11 shows I covered that recently wrapped up.