TV TV TV
The list with get much much longer =)
Babylon 5 (TNT)
Imagine a futuristic sci-fi drama with endless possibilities, limited only by your imagination. Imagine earth politics, and our life on earth multiplied by a thousand times with different species on different planets, interacting with each other. The magnitude of this incredible interstellar politics, the issues you will need to deal with is beyond comprehension. If there is no limit to science or philosophy or the philosophy of science and the science of philosophy, if there are more players fighting for power or supremacy, then that situation is what is theme of Babylon 5. Set in the 23rd century, Babylon 5 is a large space station created to be a mediating ground between different species to make transactions and help with negotiations, but it soon becomes the base for all political conflict. The dominant species are the Humans, the Narns, the Centuris, the Minbaris and the Vorlons. The less powerful species form the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.
This is the only tv show with a story arc taking place over 5 seasons and was conceived as a “novel” with a defined beginning, middle and end. Still, it allows for enough trap doors in the event of an actors unexpected departure from the series.
Don’t let the initial graphics in the first few seasons fool you. Although the visual effects may seem outdated today, it was the first tv show to use computer technology for visual effects. As the seasons progress the graphics get more and more sophisticated. Babylon 5 was also the first to anticipate the shift to HDTV and planned all their shots for 16:9 even for the first seasons and compressed them to fit our current 4:3 screens. The show also is the first sci-fi to explore political and social issues relevant to our current landscape. It was the first show to denotatively refer to same-sex relationships. It takes on an array of issues, ranging on broad scale from religion, war, political ideologies like authoritarianism and free-will, to scientific advancements and even themes involving the subconscious mind. Definetly one of the more philosophically profound sci-fi series I have seen.
Battlestar Gallactica (Sci-fi Channel)
This ambitious sci-fi series takes on a lot of complex issues about rationality, religion and philosophy through the lens of scientific speculation. The politics of human society is now the politics of (human-like) people, of a system and of time. There’s internal conflict between the government, the military and the freedom-fighter terrorist and more importantly an external conflict with the Cylons who have acquired human form and have the ability to duplicate themselves and even program themselves as sleeper agents who don’t realize that they are Cylon until activated. Battlestar Galatica questions what the state of being real means and if the belief in God and reincarnation is restricted to humans and even questions if there really is some truth to it. Apart from all this, there’s brilliant performances and a fantastic depth in relationships, and great dialogues that are provocative and sometimes amusing, and a spectacular visual feel. What it does not have is comic relief, but that is anything but a drawback. One drawback however is that some of the technology seems inconsistently outdated - the computers, cameras, tvs, radio, mics...
Boston Legal (ABC)
A didactic legal comedy with some of the most distinctive and hysterically funny characters that television shows have seen. And yet, it is insightful and offers a whole lot of wisdom on everything from current politics to ethical concerns to attitudes and relationships. Alan Shore and Denny Crane sitting in the balcony with their cigars and scotch and reflecting on things is the ultimate benchmark of success and friendship.
Eureka! (Sci-fi Channel)
This is one of the least demanding sci-fi series there is, a quirky one with some humor and drama, but sort of wishy-washy in terms of the overarching premise. Like Torchwood, Eureka! too starts off with an interesting plot in each episode and takes on some really amazing subjects, but the ending of each episode is always lame, formulaic and doesn’t live up to the rest of the plot. After a point, you even stop expecting convincing explanations to all the bizarre occurrences. You just sit back and enjoy the feeling of tense excitement. The bright colors and the visual effects are exceptional.
The story is simple. Eureka is mysterious town in some remote part of the US, populated by the world’s greatest geniuses working on government-sanctioned experiments. It all began after World War II, the town which is the brain child of Einstein and funded by President Truman was a technological haven created with the belief that a peaceful world can only be secured through scientific advancement.
What mainly bothers me about the plot is how the US Marshall, who is the only average person in the town, somehow finds solutions to problems that the geniuses are completely clueless about. But, if you can laugh about it, you will love this rollicking series.
Firefly (Fox)
A fantastic sci-fi drama set in the 2500s with a recycled Western theme. It’s about the renegade crew on a Firefly-class spaceship called Serenity, who fly into space smuggling goods for survival and escaping the Alliance, which is the central government formed by the two surviving superpowers- United States and China. Except for the advancement of technology and humans occupying a lot of planets and moons, nothing else has changed. I really like how the wrongdoers are the protagonists with very hero-like qualities. They are a robinhood-like team - good guys who are prey to circumstances and love adventure. The dialogues are extraordinarily good. And the visuals have a very space opera kind of feel, with a western theme and some oriental elements. The characters are charming as hell. The series has only 14 episodes, 11 of which were aired on Fox, but didn’t do well because of Fox’s screw up, but the DVDs are super popular and worth buying.
Friends (NBC)
Needless to say, this series is about a group of friends, more or less living together, messing around, messing up and then pulling through with each other's help. What makes it unique is its ensemble format where no one protagonist dominates the show. Each of the six friends is charming in their own way, with peculiar traits and quirky personalities. There are seasons in between when they become annoyingly cranky and cynical, but for most part they are delightful. Although there were many TV shows with the Friends theme before, this one is really the trend-setter, more like a modernizer that became a genre in itself, setting popular culture and influencing everything from language to fashion. There’s much to be said about the endearing qualities of each character and certain recurring themes, but essentially this covers it.
Heroes (NBC)
This series is about seemingly ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Each story arc builds slowly revealing the powers of the protagonists and how they learn to deal with them and use them to save humanity. There are many obvious gaps in the plot, with things left unexplained or not adding up, but the plot sucks you in and is addictive enough that the errors can be discounted, which says a lot about the other qualities of the film – great dialogue, acting and concept.
House (Fox)
House needs to be watched for House. He is a stubborn, sardonic, non-conforming medical genius, easily unraveling medical mysteries like he’s solving the Rubik’s cube. Dr. Wilson makes a great sidekick, and that he is a good friend of House is probably a testament to the sensitive side of House and the enduring quality of Dr. Wilson.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
This is yet another variant of the Friends sitcom, except it happens in flashback. In 2030, Ted narrates the story of how he met his kids’ mother to them. The show has a very interesting narrative structure with nested flashbacks, multiple points-of-view and telepathic conversations and is awash with awkward or amusing events and intriguing characters.
Inside the Living Body (National Geographic)
Wired magazine calls it “organ porn”. This is a human science lesson at it’s best. It demonstrates the metamorphosis of human bodies from birth to death with vivid and realistic visuals of the natural body. The film uses endoscopic high-def cameras to explore deep inside the body and sheds light at the minutest level on how and why our bodies do what they do. It’s like seeing how a diaphanous human body functions beneath the skin.
King of Queens(CBS)
This is (was, cos it ended in May) a generic “couple” sitcom, about a goofy blue-collar couple living in Queens with an odd-ball dad. Most of the episodes have them acting scrupulously or immaturely. It's fun to watch.
Live from Abbey Road (Sundance)
This series features a unique mix of music artists as they record songs at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. Each show showcases three music bands rehearsing their performances for their recording. Their awe-inspiring performances will leave you with goosebumps and long-lasting memories. Unlike a lot of television series, this one is filmed in hi-def using 35mm lenses so that it “looks like a movie and sounds like a record”.
Orangutan Island (Animal Planet)
As the destruction of the Borneo forests and illegal logging operations threaten the lives of Orangutans, the Nyaru Menteng center rescues hundreds of orphaned and homeless orangutan babies and teaches them the skills that they need to survive in the wild. The center has created a groundbreaking project, whereby the orangutans are sent in batches to live in a protected sanctuary called Orangutan Island after they are taught the essential skills of survival, like building nests for the rainy season on top of the trees, fearing deadly reptiles and foraging for food.
The show introduces us to 35 orangutans who are dropped off at the island, and takes us on their journey of survival, as they form friendships, share knowledge and protect each other from external threats. This is very unlike the lives of wild orangutans, who live solitary lives and travel across endless territory every day and learn to fend for themselves. The baby orangutans in the wild live with their mothers for over 8 years and slowly learn to survive on their own. This fact alone makes the plight of the little orphaned primates on the island very heartbreaking. They have only experience to teach them the consequences of a bite from a deadly snake.
As the show progresses, you get to know the orangutans by their names and their personalities and fall in love with all of them and begin to feel concern when they are sick, and admire them for learning a new trick. It is a touching and emotional roller-coaster, but more than that, it is very entertaining. These kids are funny and lovable as hell. If they don't win your heart, you may need your head checked for marbles.
Scrubs (NBC)
This comedy-drama is a funnier and more innovative version of ER with lots of narration and daydreaming scenes. The show does extremely well in weaving multiple storylines together into a single seamless theme. The best part however is the verbose dialogues. Scrubs, is probably one of the most entertainingly talkative or talk-intensive shows there is. Unlike most TV shows today, Scrubs uses single-camera production, which makes the editing style even more unique and interesting.
Seinfeld (NBC)
This has to be the greatest comedy series of all times. It’s a celebration of disaster and the lack of moral conscience depicted by insanity, dishonesty and tons of completely ridiculous schemes. There’s Jerry Seinfeld, the main protagonist, a fictionalized version of the real Jerry Seinfeld, who is the “voice of reason” in the show.; there’s George Costanza, the insecure loser, always in the act of doing something terrible and then getting caught; Elaine, the more intelligent one, dealing with the eccentric people in her life; there’s Kramer the ever-scheming nice guy who is the wackiest of the lot; and then there is the despicable Newman, who is Kramer’s evil accomplice in his ploys. This is the first series since Monty Python whose characters fit the postmodern genre. Each episode has a very interesting story arc, where the events of one character somehow affect a seemingly unrelated event of another leading to an unexpected conflict that’s miraculously resolved in the end.
Sin City Law (Sundance)
This reality crime series is very revealing of the American justice system and the "sinful" side of the city of Las Vegas. Each episode takes viewers inside the recent criminal trials in Vegas. It's extremely suspenseful as it moves quickly from witness interviews to strategy sessions of attorneys, defendants, judges, investigators, victims and family members. The portrayals are possibly the most honest that viewers have seen. The conversations among lawyers and cops and their biases or casual attitude towards the crime, or sometimes their cut-throat mentality is easy to relate to and at the same time very telling of how criminal trials are handled.
South Park (Comedy Central)
Despite all the off-color humor, South Park is a lot of fun to watch. The parodies in the series, or more specifically the “children” don’t spare anyone. The show satirizes all the current events and everyone and everything that’s newsworthy. The topics are always controversial and provoke objections, but that’s apparently what it’s going for.
There’s Stan, the oversensitive leader of the group who tries to do the right thing when it comes to solving some really outrageous problems. There’s Kyle, the skeptical jew who is also the guy with the moral conscience. There’s Cartman the evil, conniving, anti-hero. There’s the hooded Kenny whose speech can only be understood by Kyle, Cartman and Stan. He’s usually the victim, when he is not dead or going about on his grotesque killing rampage, and then there is Butters the nervous and gullible kid. The south park residents as such, the protagonists’ families and school staff included, are as flamboyant as you can imagine and generally judgmental but quite unrestrained by any real sense of right and wrong.. but they try. =)
I like the cutout animation, where the characters are always directly facing the screen even as their walk around or talk to each other. I personally detest the vulgar humor, the only thing that keeps me from completely enjoying the show, and it’s a huge part.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
This has to be one of the wittiest sitcoms of this era. It is about a group of socially inept super-genius scientists. Leonard and Shelldon’s passion for physics is as interesting as their views on the complex subject of women. Rajesh and Wolowitz complete the geek squad and make an impression with equal aplomb.
The Green – Big Ideas Small Planet (Sundance)
This series, dedicated entirely to the environment, inspired me to make a ton of changes to my life, from the way I live to what I do for a living. What ecoist and eco-designers produce to make a difference, like clothes out of recycled soda cans and recyclable hybrid cars made almost entirely with reused material is astonishing to say the least. It’s high on enlightenment and watching it is definitely the best first step to take towards an active, sustainable way of life.
The IT Crowd (NBC)
This one, I would highly recommend and even make it a mandatory requirement for all sitcom fans. =) It's about a technically challenged girl stuck with two nerdy IT guys in a dingy, untidy basement of a huge british corporation, the rest of the building very modern with stunning views of London. The show has ample doses of call center humor, social ineptness, lots of stupidity and situational humor. It has some elements of The Big Bang Theory and some of The Office. The casting is phenomenal and the chemistry between the protagonists is a delight to watch. They are the cutest characters I have seen and their accents too add to the fun.
The Universe (History)
Exploring the universe has never been as much fun. The series takes viewers into space and reveals everything scientists know and hope to unravel, as space probes travel all the way to the end of our solar system and send back astonishing images and videos of life in other planets. That we are a small speck in our galaxy and a small galaxy in the universe, and that we know nothing about our neighbors and that worlds are colliding and new worlds are forming is a tough one to grasp and knocks your head back, even though they are known facts.
Torchwood (BBC America)
This is a very lame show about a group of people hunting down aliens. It's an example of a show that can be exceptional, but just doesn't rise above a mediocre plot. England looks beautiful and the visuals make it worth watching.
Traveler (ABC)
This was an exciting drama-thriller series about two Yale university students who become terrorist suspects when the Drexler Museum in New York is bombed. They are on the run, trying to the escape the terrorists and the FBI, while tracing clues and uncovering the conspiracy. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled despite fans trying hard to revive it. The creator delivers closure and answers questions about Traveler on his blog.
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Two squabbling, diabolically opposite brothers, one of whom is a cool suave affluent casanova and the other is a nerdy free-wheeling divorced dad of a really lazy kid, live under the same roof, in this really witty sitcom. The dialogues, the decisive arguments, the snappy comebacks and all the theories on relationships (mostly from a man's point-of-view) is extremely gratifying to watch. The episodes with the stalking neighbor Rose are particularly hilarious. The housekeeper Berta too shows brilliant comic timing.
Babylon 5 (TNT)
Imagine a futuristic sci-fi drama with endless possibilities, limited only by your imagination. Imagine earth politics, and our life on earth multiplied by a thousand times with different species on different planets, interacting with each other. The magnitude of this incredible interstellar politics, the issues you will need to deal with is beyond comprehension. If there is no limit to science or philosophy or the philosophy of science and the science of philosophy, if there are more players fighting for power or supremacy, then that situation is what is theme of Babylon 5. Set in the 23rd century, Babylon 5 is a large space station created to be a mediating ground between different species to make transactions and help with negotiations, but it soon becomes the base for all political conflict. The dominant species are the Humans, the Narns, the Centuris, the Minbaris and the Vorlons. The less powerful species form the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.
This is the only tv show with a story arc taking place over 5 seasons and was conceived as a “novel” with a defined beginning, middle and end. Still, it allows for enough trap doors in the event of an actors unexpected departure from the series.
Don’t let the initial graphics in the first few seasons fool you. Although the visual effects may seem outdated today, it was the first tv show to use computer technology for visual effects. As the seasons progress the graphics get more and more sophisticated. Babylon 5 was also the first to anticipate the shift to HDTV and planned all their shots for 16:9 even for the first seasons and compressed them to fit our current 4:3 screens. The show also is the first sci-fi to explore political and social issues relevant to our current landscape. It was the first show to denotatively refer to same-sex relationships. It takes on an array of issues, ranging on broad scale from religion, war, political ideologies like authoritarianism and free-will, to scientific advancements and even themes involving the subconscious mind. Definetly one of the more philosophically profound sci-fi series I have seen.
Battlestar Gallactica (Sci-fi Channel)
This ambitious sci-fi series takes on a lot of complex issues about rationality, religion and philosophy through the lens of scientific speculation. The politics of human society is now the politics of (human-like) people, of a system and of time. There’s internal conflict between the government, the military and the freedom-fighter terrorist and more importantly an external conflict with the Cylons who have acquired human form and have the ability to duplicate themselves and even program themselves as sleeper agents who don’t realize that they are Cylon until activated. Battlestar Galatica questions what the state of being real means and if the belief in God and reincarnation is restricted to humans and even questions if there really is some truth to it. Apart from all this, there’s brilliant performances and a fantastic depth in relationships, and great dialogues that are provocative and sometimes amusing, and a spectacular visual feel. What it does not have is comic relief, but that is anything but a drawback. One drawback however is that some of the technology seems inconsistently outdated - the computers, cameras, tvs, radio, mics...
Boston Legal (ABC)
A didactic legal comedy with some of the most distinctive and hysterically funny characters that television shows have seen. And yet, it is insightful and offers a whole lot of wisdom on everything from current politics to ethical concerns to attitudes and relationships. Alan Shore and Denny Crane sitting in the balcony with their cigars and scotch and reflecting on things is the ultimate benchmark of success and friendship.
Eureka! (Sci-fi Channel)
This is one of the least demanding sci-fi series there is, a quirky one with some humor and drama, but sort of wishy-washy in terms of the overarching premise. Like Torchwood, Eureka! too starts off with an interesting plot in each episode and takes on some really amazing subjects, but the ending of each episode is always lame, formulaic and doesn’t live up to the rest of the plot. After a point, you even stop expecting convincing explanations to all the bizarre occurrences. You just sit back and enjoy the feeling of tense excitement. The bright colors and the visual effects are exceptional.
The story is simple. Eureka is mysterious town in some remote part of the US, populated by the world’s greatest geniuses working on government-sanctioned experiments. It all began after World War II, the town which is the brain child of Einstein and funded by President Truman was a technological haven created with the belief that a peaceful world can only be secured through scientific advancement.
What mainly bothers me about the plot is how the US Marshall, who is the only average person in the town, somehow finds solutions to problems that the geniuses are completely clueless about. But, if you can laugh about it, you will love this rollicking series.
Firefly (Fox)
A fantastic sci-fi drama set in the 2500s with a recycled Western theme. It’s about the renegade crew on a Firefly-class spaceship called Serenity, who fly into space smuggling goods for survival and escaping the Alliance, which is the central government formed by the two surviving superpowers- United States and China. Except for the advancement of technology and humans occupying a lot of planets and moons, nothing else has changed. I really like how the wrongdoers are the protagonists with very hero-like qualities. They are a robinhood-like team - good guys who are prey to circumstances and love adventure. The dialogues are extraordinarily good. And the visuals have a very space opera kind of feel, with a western theme and some oriental elements. The characters are charming as hell. The series has only 14 episodes, 11 of which were aired on Fox, but didn’t do well because of Fox’s screw up, but the DVDs are super popular and worth buying.
Friends (NBC)
Needless to say, this series is about a group of friends, more or less living together, messing around, messing up and then pulling through with each other's help. What makes it unique is its ensemble format where no one protagonist dominates the show. Each of the six friends is charming in their own way, with peculiar traits and quirky personalities. There are seasons in between when they become annoyingly cranky and cynical, but for most part they are delightful. Although there were many TV shows with the Friends theme before, this one is really the trend-setter, more like a modernizer that became a genre in itself, setting popular culture and influencing everything from language to fashion. There’s much to be said about the endearing qualities of each character and certain recurring themes, but essentially this covers it.
Heroes (NBC)
This series is about seemingly ordinary people with extraordinary abilities. Each story arc builds slowly revealing the powers of the protagonists and how they learn to deal with them and use them to save humanity. There are many obvious gaps in the plot, with things left unexplained or not adding up, but the plot sucks you in and is addictive enough that the errors can be discounted, which says a lot about the other qualities of the film – great dialogue, acting and concept.
House (Fox)
House needs to be watched for House. He is a stubborn, sardonic, non-conforming medical genius, easily unraveling medical mysteries like he’s solving the Rubik’s cube. Dr. Wilson makes a great sidekick, and that he is a good friend of House is probably a testament to the sensitive side of House and the enduring quality of Dr. Wilson.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
This is yet another variant of the Friends sitcom, except it happens in flashback. In 2030, Ted narrates the story of how he met his kids’ mother to them. The show has a very interesting narrative structure with nested flashbacks, multiple points-of-view and telepathic conversations and is awash with awkward or amusing events and intriguing characters.
Inside the Living Body (National Geographic)
Wired magazine calls it “organ porn”. This is a human science lesson at it’s best. It demonstrates the metamorphosis of human bodies from birth to death with vivid and realistic visuals of the natural body. The film uses endoscopic high-def cameras to explore deep inside the body and sheds light at the minutest level on how and why our bodies do what they do. It’s like seeing how a diaphanous human body functions beneath the skin.
King of Queens(CBS)
This is (was, cos it ended in May) a generic “couple” sitcom, about a goofy blue-collar couple living in Queens with an odd-ball dad. Most of the episodes have them acting scrupulously or immaturely. It's fun to watch.
Live from Abbey Road (Sundance)
This series features a unique mix of music artists as they record songs at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. Each show showcases three music bands rehearsing their performances for their recording. Their awe-inspiring performances will leave you with goosebumps and long-lasting memories. Unlike a lot of television series, this one is filmed in hi-def using 35mm lenses so that it “looks like a movie and sounds like a record”.
Orangutan Island (Animal Planet)
As the destruction of the Borneo forests and illegal logging operations threaten the lives of Orangutans, the Nyaru Menteng center rescues hundreds of orphaned and homeless orangutan babies and teaches them the skills that they need to survive in the wild. The center has created a groundbreaking project, whereby the orangutans are sent in batches to live in a protected sanctuary called Orangutan Island after they are taught the essential skills of survival, like building nests for the rainy season on top of the trees, fearing deadly reptiles and foraging for food.
The show introduces us to 35 orangutans who are dropped off at the island, and takes us on their journey of survival, as they form friendships, share knowledge and protect each other from external threats. This is very unlike the lives of wild orangutans, who live solitary lives and travel across endless territory every day and learn to fend for themselves. The baby orangutans in the wild live with their mothers for over 8 years and slowly learn to survive on their own. This fact alone makes the plight of the little orphaned primates on the island very heartbreaking. They have only experience to teach them the consequences of a bite from a deadly snake.
As the show progresses, you get to know the orangutans by their names and their personalities and fall in love with all of them and begin to feel concern when they are sick, and admire them for learning a new trick. It is a touching and emotional roller-coaster, but more than that, it is very entertaining. These kids are funny and lovable as hell. If they don't win your heart, you may need your head checked for marbles.
Scrubs (NBC)
This comedy-drama is a funnier and more innovative version of ER with lots of narration and daydreaming scenes. The show does extremely well in weaving multiple storylines together into a single seamless theme. The best part however is the verbose dialogues. Scrubs, is probably one of the most entertainingly talkative or talk-intensive shows there is. Unlike most TV shows today, Scrubs uses single-camera production, which makes the editing style even more unique and interesting.
Seinfeld (NBC)
This has to be the greatest comedy series of all times. It’s a celebration of disaster and the lack of moral conscience depicted by insanity, dishonesty and tons of completely ridiculous schemes. There’s Jerry Seinfeld, the main protagonist, a fictionalized version of the real Jerry Seinfeld, who is the “voice of reason” in the show.; there’s George Costanza, the insecure loser, always in the act of doing something terrible and then getting caught; Elaine, the more intelligent one, dealing with the eccentric people in her life; there’s Kramer the ever-scheming nice guy who is the wackiest of the lot; and then there is the despicable Newman, who is Kramer’s evil accomplice in his ploys. This is the first series since Monty Python whose characters fit the postmodern genre. Each episode has a very interesting story arc, where the events of one character somehow affect a seemingly unrelated event of another leading to an unexpected conflict that’s miraculously resolved in the end.
Sin City Law (Sundance)
This reality crime series is very revealing of the American justice system and the "sinful" side of the city of Las Vegas. Each episode takes viewers inside the recent criminal trials in Vegas. It's extremely suspenseful as it moves quickly from witness interviews to strategy sessions of attorneys, defendants, judges, investigators, victims and family members. The portrayals are possibly the most honest that viewers have seen. The conversations among lawyers and cops and their biases or casual attitude towards the crime, or sometimes their cut-throat mentality is easy to relate to and at the same time very telling of how criminal trials are handled.
South Park (Comedy Central)
Despite all the off-color humor, South Park is a lot of fun to watch. The parodies in the series, or more specifically the “children” don’t spare anyone. The show satirizes all the current events and everyone and everything that’s newsworthy. The topics are always controversial and provoke objections, but that’s apparently what it’s going for.
There’s Stan, the oversensitive leader of the group who tries to do the right thing when it comes to solving some really outrageous problems. There’s Kyle, the skeptical jew who is also the guy with the moral conscience. There’s Cartman the evil, conniving, anti-hero. There’s the hooded Kenny whose speech can only be understood by Kyle, Cartman and Stan. He’s usually the victim, when he is not dead or going about on his grotesque killing rampage, and then there is Butters the nervous and gullible kid. The south park residents as such, the protagonists’ families and school staff included, are as flamboyant as you can imagine and generally judgmental but quite unrestrained by any real sense of right and wrong.. but they try. =)
I like the cutout animation, where the characters are always directly facing the screen even as their walk around or talk to each other. I personally detest the vulgar humor, the only thing that keeps me from completely enjoying the show, and it’s a huge part.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
This has to be one of the wittiest sitcoms of this era. It is about a group of socially inept super-genius scientists. Leonard and Shelldon’s passion for physics is as interesting as their views on the complex subject of women. Rajesh and Wolowitz complete the geek squad and make an impression with equal aplomb.
The Green – Big Ideas Small Planet (Sundance)
This series, dedicated entirely to the environment, inspired me to make a ton of changes to my life, from the way I live to what I do for a living. What ecoist and eco-designers produce to make a difference, like clothes out of recycled soda cans and recyclable hybrid cars made almost entirely with reused material is astonishing to say the least. It’s high on enlightenment and watching it is definitely the best first step to take towards an active, sustainable way of life.
The IT Crowd (NBC)
This one, I would highly recommend and even make it a mandatory requirement for all sitcom fans. =) It's about a technically challenged girl stuck with two nerdy IT guys in a dingy, untidy basement of a huge british corporation, the rest of the building very modern with stunning views of London. The show has ample doses of call center humor, social ineptness, lots of stupidity and situational humor. It has some elements of The Big Bang Theory and some of The Office. The casting is phenomenal and the chemistry between the protagonists is a delight to watch. They are the cutest characters I have seen and their accents too add to the fun.
The Universe (History)
Exploring the universe has never been as much fun. The series takes viewers into space and reveals everything scientists know and hope to unravel, as space probes travel all the way to the end of our solar system and send back astonishing images and videos of life in other planets. That we are a small speck in our galaxy and a small galaxy in the universe, and that we know nothing about our neighbors and that worlds are colliding and new worlds are forming is a tough one to grasp and knocks your head back, even though they are known facts.
Torchwood (BBC America)
This is a very lame show about a group of people hunting down aliens. It's an example of a show that can be exceptional, but just doesn't rise above a mediocre plot. England looks beautiful and the visuals make it worth watching.
Traveler (ABC)
This was an exciting drama-thriller series about two Yale university students who become terrorist suspects when the Drexler Museum in New York is bombed. They are on the run, trying to the escape the terrorists and the FBI, while tracing clues and uncovering the conspiracy. Unfortunately, the series was cancelled despite fans trying hard to revive it. The creator delivers closure and answers questions about Traveler on his blog.
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Two squabbling, diabolically opposite brothers, one of whom is a cool suave affluent casanova and the other is a nerdy free-wheeling divorced dad of a really lazy kid, live under the same roof, in this really witty sitcom. The dialogues, the decisive arguments, the snappy comebacks and all the theories on relationships (mostly from a man's point-of-view) is extremely gratifying to watch. The episodes with the stalking neighbor Rose are particularly hilarious. The housekeeper Berta too shows brilliant comic timing.
