Monday, November 10, 2008

Save Our (well, my) Shows

As television mid-season approaches, some good TV shows are on the chopping block. Since we all know my life revolves around my television, I'd be heartbroken to lose touch with these characters. Won't you please tune in to save these shows from certain death?
Life Wed. 9pm NBC - Ginger Damien Lewis plays detective Charlie Crews, wrongly imprisoned for 12 years and now back on the job, with his sexy and sassy partner, solving crimes in LA while trying to find out who really committed the crime for which he was convicted. This season has Donal Logue as the hilariously inappropriate police chief. While Life has been granted a full season, it's, well, life beyond that is rather uncertain. The future is in your hands.

Life on Mars Thurs. 10pm ABC - I loved the BBC version and I've been obsessed with the US remake since they announced it's inception. While not as amazing as the UK version, the remake has a super dreamy hero, cast members from more HBO shows than you can shake a stick at, and Harvey Keitel...who's less terrible than I'd predicted. Yeah, it's another cop show, but it takes place in the 70's! People dressed funny back then!

Eli Stone Tues. 10pm ABC - While I haven't been as interested this season (mainly because there haven't been as many musical numbers or George Michael appearances), it's still a good lawyer show (though, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I wish they'd get a bit more Ally McBeal-y). Jonny Lee Miller really makes the show (all these shows star either English or Irish men. Are there no decent American actors anymore? (also, why can't the Republic of Ireland just submit to English rule? This sentence would work much better if I could just say they were all from the UK.)) Anyway, um, yeah. Please watch Eli Stone. Garney also wants you to.

Pushing Daisies Wed. 8pm ABC - One of the cleverest, most charming shows in ages, and no one is watching. It looks fresh, has smart, snappy dialogue, an interesting premise (man can bring things back from the dead, but must re-kill them within 1 minute or something else dies) and stars a homegrown American boy! Yee-freaking-ha!

I'd like to add 90210 to this list, but I'll be okay if it gets canceled (really, I should stop watching it and reclaim my self-respect, but I lost that long ago and it's too much effort to find it again). Please, please, please start watching at least one of these shows. I'll be forever in your debt...or in your debt until these shows start sucking and I pray for their cancellation myself.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, I have not seen any of these shows. I guess I should stop watching My Super Sweet Sixteen, TMZ and Making the Band for a few days, and branch out, huh?

Falwless said...

haha david..

My life is already consumed with too much TV. While you may argue, "So what's one more show?" my response would be, "Would you stop fucking arguing with me all the time? Jesus Christ."

This took a weird turn.

BeckEye said...

I've never seen any of these. And since you said you don't like MY favorite show (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), I hope all your shows die.

I'm sorry, that was horrible of me. But it was funny. See, horrible people saying and doing horrible things IS funny! (At least to the horrible people.)

Anonymous said...

@beckeye - Always Sunny is by far one of the THE best shows on TV.

Liz said...

The Republic of Ireland will submit to English rule when the Irish stop being the clearly superior race!!!! (Which is never!!!!)

The Imaginary Reviewer said...

Mmm, Pushing Daisies. With a British female lead too, just to add to the list.

Fun fact: Anna Friel, who plays Chuck in Pushing Daisies, first became famous in Brookside, a soap in which she played a lesbian who helped her mother murder her father.

Red said...

David "Boomer" Wells: Unless you are actually a 16 year-old girl, uh, yeah. You should branch out.

Fal: Yeah, but this is good TV. Not effing Celebrity Rehab.

Becks: The funny part of your comment was when you apologized for being horrible. If the d-bags on Always Sunny ever did that, maybe I'd watch...and laugh.

Liz: Submit to me. Submit!!!!!

Dr Zibbs said...

Red I'm way behind on my TV watching. Would you mind going back and starting at Charles In Charge?

Red said...

TIR: Super fun fact! I also read she has a kid with Remus Lupin (aka David Thewlis) which gives her Harry Potter cred...a good thing in these parts.

Dr. Z: If only to star longingly at Scott Baio, of course I can.

MichelleSG said...

Life and Pushing Daisys, we're adamant fans. DVR all the episodes since the kid is too young for it and we have to watch it after hours....

McGone said...

I hope they don't cancel "Pushing Daisies" simply because I don't want to read all the "clever" headlines hack TV writers will inevitably come up with. Plus, I like Lee Pace. I'll give you that one. I've dug him since "Wonderfalls," and I'm still bitter about that show getting axed believe you me.

On the other hand, Beckeye is absolutely right about "Always Sunny." I feel that if you give it time, you will develop an odd crush on Charlie Day, Red. I can sense it. Submit.

Now if you'll excuse me I must track down this Brookside show and see about this Anna Friel-as-lesbian-murderess business.

Red said...

Oh, I think all the dudes on ASiP are pretty cute, but still.

Fine. Because I'm such a caver to your whims, I will watch the last 2 episodes of the season and count the number of times I laugh out loud (the finale apparently has some sort of musical element, which should only help your cause). If I laugh fewer than 3 times per episode, you are all wrong and mean liars. If I enjoy it, I'll maybe keep watching, okay? Happy now?

words...words...words... said...

I like "Pushing Daisies" so much that I break into Nielsen households and watch the show on their TVs.

Like McGone, I am also still mad about "Wonderfalls". I loved Caroline Dhavernas. LOVED.

paperback reader said...

I say save the cancellation for "Two and a Half Men," which I've never seen but I know it can't be any good at all.

Liz said...

I'll never get why millions of people watch Two and a Half Men and no one watches Pushing Daisies. I don't want to say its people are stupid ..... but its probably because people are stupid

Malcolm said...

The only one I've seen is "Pushing Daisies". As for the other shows, they do look interesting. I'm glad to see Lenny Kravitz' ex getting work, but I hear she hasn't been used much in "Life On Mars". The way ABC promotes "Eli Stone", I think they plan on keeping that around for at least another season or two.

Red said...

I've given up on TV altogether, pretty much. I have to work pretty hard just to fit in the two movies a month I get from Netflix.

Don't be hatin', Red. I still love you!

Garney said...

Eli Stone is actually my least favorite of the four you mentioned, but is still surprising good for a show about a lawyer.

These are all great shows with all fantastic leading men. But I don't think any of them will be on next year's schedule except for maybe Pushing Daisies if it can get some award recognition that will convince ABC to give it at least one more half season order of episodes.