08 December 2006

When bad decisions happen to good TV

I admit it, I watch more TV now than I ever did before. Most of it, I think, is because DVR technology makes it so much easier to watch TV on my own schedule, but there's definitely some damned good stuff on the small screen. I posted a year ago about the worthwhile shows on TV, and my list didn't include perennial ratings champs 24, Lost, and Desperate Housewives. It still doesn't. I also avoid all reality shows except The Amazing Race. I'm still watching Boston Legal, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, Scrubs, and Iron Chef America. I've given up on Nip/Tuck, but I'm eagerly awaiting the next seasons of The Shield, Rescue Me, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (which, since they added Danny DeVito, is ridiculously funny). I've also started watching Heroes, Studio 60, and Daybreak, both season-long serials that I typically eschew. Heroes is remarkably well-written, well-cast, and well-done...plus it's tailored for the comic book lover in me. Studio 60 is just captivating enough to make me come back every week, but if it went away, I wouldn't mourn its passing.

Daybreak is another story. The acting isn't always stellar (although the great Adam Baldwin has perfected the endearing asshole character), but the story and the gimmick is just plain good TV. It's far better than the other litany of serialized dramas that have been cancelled this season, but, like the rest, it's going the way of the dodo. And that's a damned shame. The least they could do is air the episodes they've got in the can, but it looks like I'll have to stream them online.

Dangit.

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