I've recently become devoted to, not one but, two different television series, both of which could be considered 'guilty pleasures'. The first is an obvious one for a guy like me; that show being Heroes. The other is obvious to a specific group of nerds like me; that show happens to Burn Notice...
Heroes is a widely popular show that is viewed and enjoyed by millions across the globe. Since its debut after the Superhero Movie Boom over the last 5 - 10 years, it has tapped into the latent interest of the superhero as well as the etheral concept which allowed the X-men (comic) to become as popular as it has been for nearly 50 years. This concept of the outsiders being special and having a community of their own resonates strongly with the 'downtrodden' and those feeling 'different', for whatever reason. Heroes has taken concepts, already very familiar to comic books, and added their own touch to the fantasy. To butcher an oft quoted statement, 'With great writing, comes great success.' The writing of the series, for the most part, has been believable and acceptable, at least in the realm they want to abide in. The first season was incredibly strong, as most could attest, and the second will always get dumped on due to it's quick ending and lack luster attempts at plot. This, however, could be attributed to the Writer's Strike that ended this year, bring to a close many television series prematurely. The third season of Heroes is upon us, and frankly, I'm excited thus far. While I have not approved of some of the decisions they've made thus far (Sylar is in the Petrelli family, killing off the black hole guy, killing off Adam Monroe, basically replacing Elle with Daphne, a few others), they have made an exciting season up until now, and they've kept me eager for more episodes. I call that the true sign of a good television series...
The other show, as stated above, is Burn Notice. It's sort of a spy type drama, if it needs classifying. The lead plays a burned (read: recently blacklisted) spy type who's trying to figure out why he was burned and, in the process, finds out he has a heart of gold by helping out the 'little people' in Miami. His 'sidekicks' are a slightly crazy and kinky ex-girlfriend who still has feelings for him (and vice versa) and a grizzled, slightly hokey semil-retired spy played by the main man, Bruce Campbell. Yep, I just revealed why I started watching the show. I love Bruce Campbell. Sue me. Thankfully though, the writing in Burn Notice is worth watching. It's clever, fast paced and the acting is a joy to watch, if a bit predictable. But I am finding predictable is ok, whereas I haven't always felt that way. Plus, whomever is on the writing team, they know what and how to write for Mr. Campbell. While not the main character, he is probably the best character, or at least gets the best lines. You might be thinking I'd want 'Ash' to be the lead in the show. No. He does better in small, pivotal/fun rolls in these situations, especially in the format of television. It's just who he is. The role seems tailor made for our man Bruce, and God love him, he gives us a treat each episode. Guarenteed...
2 comments:
I just finished watching the most recent episode of Heroes, and my feelings are virtually the same as yours. I'm so excited about this season after the lackluster previous one (and I agree with you that much of that lackluster-ness can be attributed to the writer's strike).
Haven't heard of Burn Notice before. Ah, it has Bruce Campbell in it. No wonder you like it :-P
Does your first paragraph have anything to do with the rest of your post?
Yeah it does, definitely. I'm not one to get attached to television shows like this, so I'm not sure what emotion I should be feeling. Shame? Resignation? Joy? I just don't know...
Post a Comment