TV, How I Love Thee

30 Days
My main complaint about Super Size Me was that it would have been better on TV. Needless to say, I was excited about the concept of this show. I liked the first episode a lot where he and his fiancee live on minimum wage for a month. Sure, it was a stunt but eating McDonald's for 30 days wasn't?

However, the second episode was terrible. That was the one with the former athlete who decided to take steroids. Lame concept. The third episode was the one with the Christian living as a Muslim - interesting concept but kind of dull as a show. I haven't watched the 4th episode yet with the one about the straight guy living as a gay man but I don't have high hopes.

Spurlock is a fairly interesting and charming guy. When he isn't in the show, it suffers greatly. Plus, what made the first show and Super Size Me interesting was that Spurlock had to live in a certain way and see what life would be like either by living on minimum wage or living strictly on a McDonald's diet. The other episodes seem to be more about a fish out of water concept. Gee, it would be funny to put a conservative straight man into a gay life! Hah! This show often feels like a preachier, less entertaining version of Wife Swap.

Six Feet Under
I hated the first episode of the season. It seemed completely lifeless and dull. It clearly seemed that the writers were going to be content to limp to the finish line.

But then the next few episodes happened. And they were fantastic! So depressing, so creepy (Nate's old high school friend confessing he has a thing for 14 year-olds), so fascinating. The writers are going to go out with a bang! The ratings are down? Who gives a fuck? Let's make everyone's life a train wreck and see what happens.

The tension between Ruth and Claire in the first few episodes was terrifying. The scene when Ruth barks, "Not everything is about you!" at Nate's surprise 40th birthday party was one of the best moments of the entire run of the series. I like that there has been an effort to incorporate the dead people into the story line. The past couple of seasons they have really strayed from that and the show has suffered because of it.

I have no idea where this show is leading. Will everyone end up miserable at the end? Will the last episode begin with a number of them killed in a car crash? Will things get better for anyone? As long as it doesn't end with all of them standing by a bonfire watching their stuff burn like the scene from the beginning of last season, I don't see how any of these options can be bad.

Entourage
I liked this show last year but I'm liking it even more this year. I'm not sure that it is necessarily any better but it is the kind of show that needs to gain its momentum. This season, it can not be stopped. It goes without saying that Jeremy Piven is the best character on television but the other characters are great as well. I don't see any reason why this show can't keep going strong for a number of seasons as we follow Vince's career.

Penn and Teller: Bullshit
I already wrote about the first episode of the season about circumcision. I have kept up with the show even though it can be a little hit and miss. The shows are the strongest when they have a definite idea what they are trying to espouse. There have been a couple of shows where they have a muddled view of what they are trying to say and the show suffers for it. Still, it has never crossed my mind to stop watching the show. I would give it a 75% success rate.

Empire
I gave it ten minutes. I'm not sure why I thought I would like this.

Stella
As discussed on Apes, this show sucks. I gave it five minutes.

Wonder Showzen
Youthlarge has been watching this show. I've got to admit that it is quite unique and probably the most bizarre show I've seen in years. Kind of an R-Rated version of Sesame St. There seems to be a season long thread of a gangland war between letters and numbers. I gave this show two episodes before growing weary of it. Still, if it happens to be on while I'm on the computer or reading the paper, I'll pay attention to it. One of the best bits involves a child reporter interviewing people on the street. The segment with a girl asking stockbrokers on Wall St. the question, "Who have you exploited today?" is one of the funniest things I've seen this year. Come to think of it, the segment with the hand puppet invading people's personal space is also pretty brilliant. Shit, I think I just talked myself into giving this show another chance.