Cliffhangers, and other updates

So, I am now happily settled back at home. All my shows have abandoned me, but I also have a few returns to look forward to. At this point, True Blood is the one I am dying for. HBO keeps releasing these freakin' promos that are just driving me crazy (in a good way). Plus, after reading Living Dead in Dallas, the second book in the Southern Vampire series on which the show is based, I am anxious to see how different Alan Ball will make Season 2. I know a lot of fans who would disagree with me (some of those people over at www.truebloodnet.com are even more obsessed than I am), but I like the show better. This is not usually the case for me- in general, the book beats the adaptation any day. But Alan Ball is simply a better storyteller. And the actors make those characters so compelling. And, I can't help it, I love Stephen Moyer's Vampire Bill, so reading about that complete jerk version of Bill in the books hurts my heart. And I do not accept it. So here's hoping that Alan Ball will take some major creative liberties. Staying true to the spirit of Charlaine Harris' work is a good thing, but allowing oneself to be confined by an already-established story instead of exploring new possibilities would be boring. June 14th cannot get here fast enough...

Also returning soon is Burn Notice on June 4th. The adventures of Michael Westen and Co. are always entertaining, so that will be nice to have again. I don't exactly know when The Closer premieres Season 5, but I assume it will be some time in July. And Mad Men, unfortunately, got into production rather late and does not come back until late August. This is lame. The most pressing matters will be the future of Sterling Cooper, or rather, Don Draper's future with the company, given the merger and new leadership. And, more importantly, the fact that Betty is pregnant with a child neither she nor Don wanted. Season 2 took a bit of a time leap from the conclusion of Season 1, so I wonder how much time will have passed to the beginning of Season 3.

So You Think You Can Dance is about to start. I have very strong negative feelings towards reality tv in general, but this is one of my few exceptions. It is so much fun, and I hope I will find a dancer this season who I can love as much as Joshua from last year. Having the guy you vote for every week end up winning is so exciting. Is it too much to ask for that to happen every season???

Network upfronts have been going on the past couple of weeks. As a result, I have been glued to the Twitter app on my iPhone to see what Ausiello had to report. Here are some of the crucial things: 1) Chuck was renewed. Season 3 will have 13 episodes, airing midseason on NBC. Reduced budget might mean less time with the filler characters like Lester, Jeff, and the rest of the Buy More peeps. Honestly, I don't think this will affect the show that much. I'm just so excited at the prospect of the new and improved Chuck. And NBC and Subway made some big, multi-faceted deal about sponsorship of the show, so it seems like buying that $5 footlong did make a difference!! 2) Dollhouse was renewed. Season 2 will have 13 episodes, airing midseason on FOX. Reduced budget might mean....I don't really know what, but with the high quality writing, I doubt the money thing will affect them that much. I think FOX would have been foolish not to give Joss, Eliza et al the opportunity to explore their story further. And I would just like to point out that I was totally right about both of these shows getting renewed even when tv critics said they didn't have much of a chance. And now those people justify the renewals with the same reasons I have been saying all along (re: FOX, Firefly, Eliza, Joss, etc.). So.... there. 3) Castle was renewed. I am greatly pleased. This show was a delightful addition to my slate and I would have been sad to lose it. Nathan was so adorable and tweeted that he didn't know what to do with himself because his shows never get a 2nd season.

Those are the major announcements. None of my shows were casualties!! I can't remember the last time that was the case. Upfronts was also a time for network people to speak out for some of the shows, which provided interesting insights (Kevin Reilly on House- unbelievable things in store; Steve MacPherson on LOST- S6 will have "some of the best writing ever"). There was a bit of schedule rearranging. Bones will now be paired with Fringe on Thursdays. If I do end up going into entertainment journalism, I think upfronts would be a really fun event to attend. I love montages and other presentation stuff about shows I love! And even about shows I don't really care about.

On to the major stuff: season finales. This year featured a mixed batch. Top honors go to LOST for literally going out with a bang. The hydrogen bomb exploded and the possibilities for Season 6 are endless. I mean, it's pretty clear to me that time was changed. Otherwise, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and all the 1977 Losties would be dead and there would be no show to come back to. Really, the question now is HOW was time changed? With Jacob now dead, killed by Ben at the urging of evil, possessed Locke, will everyone's lives be different? Flashbacks saw Jacob showing up at key events in several characters' past. Will that alter history? Will the plane still end up crashing? Season 6 is basically going to be the fulfillment of my entire existence. Questions will be answered! Finality will be achieved! Of course, some questions will remain, but I don't mind- LOST wouldn't be the same if there weren't an air of mystery to it. My primary concern is what characters might return (*fingers crossed* Charlie!!!). And, to a lesser extent, but I acknowledge that I still care a lot, whether Kate ends up with Jack or Sawyer. My money has always been on Sawyer, and not just because he is my favorite character. I think they belong together.

The finales of Dollhouse and The Office were really good, too. The reveal that Dr. Saunders was actually a Doll blew my mind. Mostly, it was a deeply profound episode that explored things like the soul and identity. I was really proud of myself for predicting, way back after the very first episode, that Ballard was going to become involved with the Dollhouse. Seems like he's going to be working for DeWitt in some capacity. And then on The Office, there was a company picnic that reunited Michael with Holly. I love them together. Their performance, "Slumdunder Mifflinaire" tanked, but I was enjoying every second. And then Michael went and talked about them being "one of those couples with a long story," and my heart just melted. Dwight's intensity about the volleyball tournament was terrific. And, oh yeah, Pam was pregnant. Jim was in shock and overcome with emotion. Can't wait to see what happens next year.

In the middle of the finale pack would go Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. With DH, I think the standard was set too high by last year's 5-year leap forward. I just can't bring myself to care that much about who Mike married. I did like the whole thing about Lynette being pregnant. That was funny. Everybody else's stories were pretty amusing. It was an alright episode. B&S was the same. The whole fam went to Mexico. I teared up in the last scene with Nora and Tommy. That was well-acted, and a nice send-off for Balthazar Getty. I adored Kevin per usual. Kitty was still bugging me, right up to the point where she chased after Robert to stop him from leaving. She didn't get to the helicopter in time, but it gives me hope that not all is lost for them next season.

And then, I am sad to say, I was a bit disappointed by Bones and How I Met Your Mother. A coma dream. A not-very-compelling murder story that told me nothing about any of the characters. They're loyal. I already knew that. Then, Booth wakes up and has amnesia. Hmmm... Intrigues me for next season. But beyond that, the episode was a dud. And then a silly little episode about Ted's 31st birthday. Not nearly as epic as previous season finales. The Barney-Robin stuff was kind of ridiculous. I wasn't expecting a definitive development between the 2 of them, but I expected something that would evoke emotion in me on the same level as Barney's sweet longing for Robin all season. And as for Ted and the mother, we found out where he first comes into close proximity to her. So at least that's something. But I'd say that "Right Place Right Time" was the peak of this season.

So that wraps everything up. I have occasionally mentioned a few shows that are on my "Intent to Watch" list. This summer is about working through that list. Projects I have going at the moment: 1) Getting my family hooked on Bones. We have watched 7 episodes in Season 1 so far. It's about to start into the greatness. Also, Claire and I have 3 episodes left in Firefly. That's a quick one to get through, with only 14 episodes total, but she's definitely a new Browncoat. 2) Get some of my friends hooked on stuff. I'm going to start watching LOST from the beginning again (for, like, the 4th time) with someone. 3) Watch shows I've never seen before. The Big Bang Theory. The Wire. Prison Break. 4) Watch shows I've fallen behind on/haven't ever watched all the way through. Fringe. 24. House. Sons of Anarchy.

Some rambling

This another article I just wrote for my college newspaper. Per my sister's request, I am posting it here. Once again I had trouble staying within my word limit...

Cancelled!

Oh, what a cruel business television can be. Every year as the television season comes to an end, shows with actual merit get axed by the networks because, unfortunately, a show with "merit" does not always mean a show with "viewers." The injustice is that new shows often must pander to the masses if they want to stay on the air, thus stifling originality. If a show's creator and writers are unwilling to do this, they might actually produce something great, which doesn't necessarily have mass popular appeal and the ability to attract a wide audience. As a result, the network will view that show as not financially viable, mutter some nonsense about wanting to go in a new creative direction with their programming, and add another reality show about fat people dating (see: new FOX show, More to Love).

Granted, the sword falls on shows that deserve to disappear as well as those that don't. I know very few people who were sad to say goodbye to Lipstick Jungle, Moonlight, or Back to You. And I know even fewer who even remember the horribly painful Viva Laughlin, a crime musical set in a Nevada casino--it was yanked from the CBS schedule after 2 episodes. When a network gets rid of a show that deserves to continue, however, devoted fans become outraged. A few years ago, people started launching campaigns for their favorite shows when news indicated that they were in danger of being cancelled. They do this because, sometimes, it actually works. In 2007, CBS decided not to order a second season of Jericho. Fans started sending nuts in the mail to CBS studios, an homage to something that happens in a Season 1 episode. After CBS received about 40,000 pounds of nuts, they changed their minds about a second season and asked people to stop mailing them nuts.

Another one that has been able to survive despite ratings never being very high is Friday Night Lights, the show about high school football in Texas. It features some of the most realistic and inspiring acting, writing, and producing being done right now. Filmed in Austin, TX, the actors of Friday Night Lights have well-written scripts to follow, but they often improvise their scenes based on what flows naturally between their characters. They don't do rehearsals or use constructed sets or block out every movement. As a viewer, you forget that you're watching a television show because it seems so real--just normal human beings experiencing normal things and reacting in ways that we can all understand and relate to.

NBC could have made a purely business decision and cancelled Friday Night Lights after Season 1 or 2 because of its small audience. But, because it's so good, critics love it, as do the fans, many of whom are in the entertainment industry themselves. When it was being considered for renewal, people sent plastic "Save FNL" footballs to NBC, in addition to donating thousands of dollars to a charity connected to the show. For Season 3, NBC made a deal with DirecTV that would keep Friday Night Lights on the air. It was recently announced that this deal was renewed for a fourth and fifth season.

But these are exceptions to the rule. In most cases, fans can write letters and sign petitions until they are blue in the face, but that is not going to stop studio executives from canceling a show. A notable example is Veronica Mars, the show featuring Kristen Bell as a witty teenage private investigator who solved small cases for her fellow students in addition to big crimes in her town. The CW waited until the last minute to decide not to order Season 4, resulting in a frustrating and unsatisfying conclusion. Another example is Pushing Daisies, from the whimsical imagination of creator Bryan Fuller (the follow-up to his equally unique Wonderfalls, also cancelled before it had a chance to prove itself). Pushing Daisies is about a pie-maker named Ned (Lee Pace) who has the ability to bring things back to life with the touch of his finger. After growing up with this gift, he has learned certain rules that come with it, one being that if he revives something and then touches it again, it will be dead forever. So when Ned's childhood sweetheart is murdered, he goes to see her body in the funeral parlor and can't help himself--he touches her, knowing that he will always love her but can never touch her again.

Among the rest of the taken-too-soon shows, there are some whose cancellation still hurts the fans who loved them, such as Judd Apatow's clever, short-lived series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. Joss Whedon's sci-fi western, Firefly, remains one of the greatest travesties ever committed by the FOX network, which did not even allow its final episodes to air so that people could have closure to the first and only season. FOX's mistake is clear, given that even now, 5 years later, it has a cult following of people known as Browncoats who gather for conventions around the country on a regular basis.

A show does not need to have a small number of episodes to be considered "cancelled too early." Sometimes it's just when the people who make a show want to get one more season to finish their story but are denied. Gilmore Girls is one such show. It had 7 seasons, which is a pretty long time, but executive producer Daniel Palladino wanted to conclude with the eighth season and without that opportunity could not bring the plotlines to a satisfying end. As someone who loves television and watches a lot of it, my greatest wish is always that a showrunner gets to decide when is the right time to stop. For Ricky Gervais' British comedy Extras, it was only 2 seasons. Ronald D. Moore decided upon 4 seasons for Battlestar Galactica. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced a couple of year ago that they had mapped out LOST to finish after its sixth season in 2010. In each of these instances, the producers knew how long they could create good stories and, with permission from their networks, were given that control. The result is a set of episodes that represent a complete history of the characters and the world in which they live. Like the Harry Potter books, you can return to those shows on DVD and rewatch them from the very beginning, knowing that there is an ending--no ambiguity, no abrupt stop. Unfortunately, networks are rarely inclined to give that much power to a show's producers. They make their decisions based on Nielsen ratings and advertising revenue.

There is a ray of light for those who want to find shows with the creative freedom and potential to become true genius: the recent rise in original programming from cable channels. The same things can be said for all of those channels--they give their shows time to grow. The fear of being axed is not constantly looming over their heads. The results? FX's Rescue Me, the show from Denis Leary about post-9/11 firefighters in New York City; TNT's The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick as an LAPD Chief with Southern manners and a twang who specializes in getting criminals to confess; USA's Burn Notice, about a former spy who was fired and got trapped in Miami, where he helps people fix their fraud/kidnapping/extortion problems while he searches for the people who made him lose his job; AMC's Mad Men, Matthew Weiner's show about advertising executive Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and life in New York in the 1950's. These examples are representative of what cable has to offer--and that doesn't even get into premium channels HBO and Showtime that produce shows like The Sopranos, Dexter, Big Love, True Blood, and Weeds, that push the boundaries in what television can portray.

Every one of these shows is completely original and fascinating. They are all critically-acclaimed and award-winning. The reason--their showrunners are given free rein to follow their vision and have intricate characters and stories that evolve over time. Were these same shows produced by one of the networks instead, they would feel pressure to make their early episodes flashy so that they could instantly draw in many millions of viewers. Gone would be the slow development and subtlety of these cable shows. Networks definitely have a few quality shows to offer, but they could take a lesson in creative practices from the cable channels, or perhaps just take themselves out of the strictly business mindset as they have on those certain occasions. They may find that they achieve a legacy of consistent greatness that will outlast a few Nielsen numbers and money from some 30-second commercials.

Things that are awesome (or not)

AWESOME:

-The fact that Dollhouse had an even better second episode than its first. For me, a large part of this was the development of the relationship between Echo and Langdon. Sooooo sweet. Handler is to Active as Watcher is to Slayer. The fact that they were reminding me of the Buffy-Giles relationship was great because I have always been very emotionally attached to that kind of bond.

-Watching Hugh Jackman's opening act from the Oscars. Over, and over, and over again.

-Just having LOST in my life, period. Last week's episode, "316," blew me away. I think I would probably put it in my Top 10. First of all, I am a sucker for the reunion scenes/moments (see: "Collision" and "One of Us"). Also, I would never in my wildest dreams have expected Jack and

Co. to return to the island so soon. And the circumstances of their return set up so many intriguing flashbacks. There's a reason why I am obsessed with this show, and Season 5 is justifying that.

-Battlestar Galactica. Ellen is back, and the fates of the humans and Cylons are uncertain but I have complete faith that the conclusion will be satisfying in every way I have imagined.

-The hope that the best Grey's relationships (Owen/Cristina, Mark/Lexie) will continue to progress with sufficient cuteness.

-Rewatching Buffy.

LAME:

-Having to wait 3 weeks for the next new episode of Bones. What is up with that?! I need it NOW.

-Even entertaining the notion (and from what I've been reading, the definite possibility) that Robert will die on Brothers & Sisters. Sadly, that will be the nail in the coffin of that show for me.

-Misleading promos for The Closer season finale that make me worry that Brenda and Fritz will not go through with the wedding. That's just cruel.

-Waiting. I miss Mad Men, True Blood, and Dexter...

-Shows that I love having a run of episodes that use old material and don't move the story forward. I'm talking to you, Chuck and Burn Notice. I still watch, I still enjoy, but I'm not currently anxious about the state of affairs. In television, anxiety is a good thing because of the sweet relief that comes after everything works out! It's not a question of "if" but "when" these shows will get back on track.

-Bad comedy. I would rather be blind than be forced to watch any of the following shows: Kath & Kim, According to Jim, Rules of Engagement (my love for Patrick Warburton notwithstanding), Two and a Half Men, Gary Unmarried, or 'Til Death. Also Scrubs, but I know a lot of people like it. I don't deny that it is probably a genuinely funny, well-written show, but I just can't stand Zach Braff at all.

-Reality tv. Still pervasive. Still soul-sucking. One of the things I look forward to the most in my life is the day when people stop watching American Idol and it gets canceled and never mentioned again. And an entire season of 2-hour episodes of The Bachelor? That's pathetic. America's Next Top Model Cycle 83? Good grief... (Obviously, this sweeping generalization does not include So You Think You Can Dance, which I personally love, or a few others that are not bad, like Project Runway and Top Chef.)

SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY BE LAME BUT THAT I WISH WOULD BE AWESOME:

-Castle. I heart Nathan Fillion. There is no getting around it. I will be watching Castle when it premieres in March. But... I just don't have a good feeling about it. I hope to be proven wrong.