So these status updates got me wondering...what AREN'T people setting their DVRs to watch? I feel like I've recently adopted more than a few new shows that don't have the same amount of buzz generated by a South Park or Simpsons episode. That's not saying I don't still enjoy some of the old favorites, but I bet at least a couple of you are so bogged down with more important decisions, or so pressed for time that you can't afford to waste it taking a chance on something you might not thoroughly enjoy. I would hate for you guys to miss out! That's why I'm here! What if I offered you my personal stamp of approval on a select grouping of shows that do not suck in order to help you get your couch potato on the next time the opportunity presents itself? I will be your onscreen program guide minus all the infomercials, financially weighted opinions, and network propaganda! Before you ask, no one paid me to do this.(They should.) It's only my FREE opinion. It's just for fun.
These are the shows you aren't watching, but you should be...
The League:
The League is a show on FX about a group of guys who, like many of us, completely obsess over fantasy football during every NFL season. It's sense of humor is pretty edgy because it's only semi-scripted. (Sorta like the good Will Ferrell movies.) Mark Durplass plays the main character Pete who, in many ways reminds me of Ron Livingston (Peter Gibbons from Office Space). It also features Paul Scheer (from Human Giant and The Upright Citizens Brigade) who is an improv comedy master. It's already been re-signed for a 3rd season, but with 22 minute episodes and 19 total episodes, you could get caught up in no time flat. And you'll probably crack up the entire time.
Comedian John Lajoeie plays my personal favorite character on the show named Taco.
Shameless:
Shameless is another great show that has remained under most people's radar. I think it's partly because it has a later time slot than a lot of the bigger name shows, and partly because it's on Showtime, which most people have to pay extra for through their satellite or cable provider. I can honestly say Shameless alone is well worth the price of admission. It's about a horribly dysfunctional family headed up by William H. Macy who plays the part of Frank Gallagher. Frank is a single father of six kids, but because he is a complete loser of a lush, the children have learned to adapt and take care of themselves. They are dirt poor and have to take drastic measures just to make ends meet. Including, but not limited to: insurance fraud, car theft, fabricated workers compensation, and in some cases, selling drugs. While the situations these characters end up in can be funny at times, Shameless also has some pretty deep emotion and insight into world far different from our own.
William H. Macy is amazing in this role...much better than Wild Hogs.
Raising Hope:
The basic plot of Raising Hope is that a young man named Jimmy (Lucas Neff) impregnates a serial killer during a one night stand. Then she ends up on death row, and leaves Jimmy to take care of his new baby daughter, Hope, all by himself. Jimmy still lives at home with his parents and senile Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman) who try to give him a hand, but aren't really the greatest role models as parents. His mom, Virginia is played by Martha Plimpton whom you might recall from her roll as 'Stef' in the 80s hit The Goonies. (I'll admit I had to IMDb that one just to be sure. Trust me. It's her.) What I enjoy the most about this show is that almost nothing about it is typical. The storyline is pretty original, and most of the characters aren't the same faces you are used to seeing over and over again. It just feels fresh, and the off-beat humor keeps me coming back each week.
Cloris Leachman is probably the only real familiar face on Rasing Hope. But hey, she's won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe. No one from the cast of Friends, Joey, Cougar Town, or Mr. Sunshine can say that.
Spartacus:
Of all the shows I'm pimping for no apparent reason in this post, Spartacus is by far my favorite. To this point there have been two seasons of the series that have aired on Starz. Spartacus: Blood and Sand chronicles the trials and tribulations of a Thracian slave (played by Andy Whitfield) from the time of his capture through his training and eventual glory in the Roman arena as a gladiator. That story may sound familiar to you.. In fact, when I first tuned in, I thought Blood and Sand to be nothing more than a blatant rip off of Ridley Scott's epic, but after a few episodes, I had found my favorite show of all time.
The second season of Spartacus was a prequel called Gods of the Arena which offered more details on the relationships and upbringing of Whitfield's supporting cast from Blood and Sand. Originally, it was slated to continue where the first season left off, but production was delayed and GoA was eventually re-written due to Whitfield's unfortunate diagnosis with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. It was thought for a while that Andy would no longer be able to continue on in the role of Spartacus due to his extreme illness. However, Starz recently issued a statement saying that he is responding well, and if everything goes as planned, Whitfield will hopefully return for at least a few episodes of the upcoming season which begins filming this October. This gripping behind-the-scenes story cause most of its viewers to love the show even more.
While Spartacus doesn't have 300's special effects or Gladiators $103,000,000.00 budget (actual figure), it does have an awesome cast of characters with a web of intertwining story lines that all seem to perfectly intersect at just the right intense moment. The fight scenes are gory, the intimate scenes are raw, and the soundtrack is like nothing else on television. This show made me understand why some nerds feel the way they do about Star Wars. So much so, that I was even willing to shell out fifty bucks or so to own it on Blu-Ray rather than just stealing it off of teh internets.(I did that on purpose...stickler.)
Tell me this doesn't look badass! Go get you some!
And if somehow none these programs trip your trigger... Here's my short list of shows that may have fallen by the wayside (or are already a few seasons in and you need to catch up on) on your DirecTV, but are definitely worth stockpiling in your Netflix queue for a rainy day.. Arrested Development, Party Down, Weeds, Parks and Recreation, and 30Rock (OK. Pretty much everyone already watches 30Rock).
Maybe telling you I still watch WWE at the beginning of this opinionated post killed some of my credibility.. Screw it. I would love to hear if any of you faithful readers decide to check out something new based on my recommendation alone. And I'd thrilled to hear if you liked what you saw, but even more excited if you decide to berate me and call me a shit head for the garbage programming I've force fed you in this post. Feel free to bring me up to speed on anything on the boob-tube that I may be missing as well. Either way you have a vehicle. Email me at trox@troxtalk.com or follow me @troxtalk on Twitter. Holleratyerboy.
Warmest Regards,
Trox
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