Not Worth a Thread: TV Edition

[nacho]

ED 3/10/09:  Here, I think we need this here.  No more one post threads or threads like "gee, we don't have a thread for Riptide?"  Also merging a few older threads below.  So just general TV chat and shows that aren't worth going on and on about.  Or whatever.





Being Human:

I was unimpressed with advanced talk about this show, ignored it, and then read (after the season ended) that it was quietly brilliant...so I decided to give it a go. 

A vampire turned during the Great War and a recently made werewolf move into an apartment haunted by the previous owner, a girl who died in an accident.  She's a chirpy, friendly ghost, they're a couple of British metrosexuals, and it's got this bizarre Friends vibe going on.  Except they're all struggling with these supernatural demons.  The werewolf has to lock himself up during a full moon, the vampire is the classic reluctant vampire type who works as a nurse and is trying to not kill people, and ghost girl can only be seen by certain people and can only do certain things.  They're all infinitely lonely, and the vamp has to deal with the whole vampire hierarchy thing...which doesn't seem to mind that he's a goodnik, but does mind that he's interfering with their "recruitment." 

It's strangely refreshing to see a slightly different take on the "young, special, do-gooder" vampire character and his sire (and leader of the clan).  Still the same menacing ancient overlord, but it's somehow fresh.  The sire vampire (who is a cop) does magic tricks for children, is polite, and is more like a somewhat easy going mafia capo than anything else.

Anyway...it's 100% fluff.  But it doesn't suck, and it's British so it's cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_Human_(TV_series)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/beinghuman/

[nacho]

Wait...where's the Burn Notice thread?  Didn't we have one?

Anyway...awesome show, everyone go watch it.

What I came here to post was to warn Sirharles off of the finale.  There's a car chase scene with a punk rock song where they bleep shit out.  It's just about the most distracting thing ever.

punk rock punk rock punk rock BLEEEEEEEEP punk rock punk rock punk rock BLEEEEP

So you're spending this entire awesome car chase with bullets and bombs trying to figure out what this Pavlovian tone is until you realize it's something in the song. 

So, I guess, wait for the DVD.

[Sirharles]

I saw last night, yea that scene was bad.  But the rest of the episode was great.  And it's coming back for another season in June!  So no year long wait.

[nacho]

Making the rounds today...

MTV News reports that casting for a live-action  Star Wars TV series is
currently underway.

News of the potential production first surfaced in 2005 while George Lucas was promoting Revenge of the Sith, but work on the Clones Wars animated feature film and Cartoon Network series took creative precedence. In late 2007, Lucas revealed that he and his team were about to begin writing scripts for the live-action show.

Acording to MTV News, Rose Byrne let slip during the junket for the Nicolas Cage thriller Knowing that Team Lucas is casting a wide net for actors to join the show. "A lot of my friends have been auditioning for it," she said.

Asked whether she planned to audition, Byrne replied, "I don't know if I look that good in space."

[Nubbins]

But....... she was in Sunshine?



Also I believe Einstein proved that hotness is magnified in the vacuum of space.

[nacho]

More on Being Human:

The reason I gave it a second chance was because everyone was jabbering about how the series took a turn towards the darker side as of episode five (building up for the finale).  Just finished episode five and, yes, this show is the shit.  After four episodes of cheesy nothing, which still managed to build up our characters, episode five does see a shift towards awesomeness.  And also makes a ref to the new Doctor Who and the old Sapphire and Steele, the latter of which is hilarious. 

So, yes, get into Being Human.

[nacho]

Gay.

Building on 16 years of water-cooler programming and soaring ratings growth following its most-watched year ever, SCI FI Channel is evolving into Syfy, beginning this summer, Dave Howe, president, SCI FI, announced today.

By changing the name to Syfy, which remains phonetically identical, the new brand broadens perceptions and embraces a wider range of current and future imagination-based entertainment beyond just the traditional sci-fi genre, including fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, reality, mystery, action and adventure. It also positions the brand for future growth by creating an ownable trademark that can travel easily with consumers across new media and non-linear digital platforms, new international channels and extend into new business ventures.

[RottingCorpse]

So it's "new" Coke.

[Nubbins]

The Real World on a spaceship

[Matt]

I wonder why they had such high ratings. Maybe it's your critically acclaimed show that you fucking canceled you fucking idiots.

[nacho]

Law & Order UK!  Watching for Jamie Bamber, and it's really weird. 

I guess Law & Order is one of those shows that, even if you never watch it, or own a TV, you still manage to absorb through the air because it's on 27 hours a day 8 days a week. 

But now it's in the UK, and it's that weird ass UK procedural shit.  And the narrator talks about the crown prosecutors.  And Jamie Bamber is talking with his real voice instead of his American Lee Adama voice.

I feel like I'm high or something.  It's Law & Order...but in British!

Really, Jamie Bamber throws me.  It's like whenever I hear Jin from Lost talking in his normal Iowa accent and I go -- JIN!  You can't speak English!  Stop it!

 

[nacho]

Here's a clear example of the problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYECcJQ5GCs

Talk about polar opposites.  It's not even the proper BBC accent.  It's that low rent estuary accent that makes the American accent sound almost melodic in comparison.

In fact... Law & Order UK might just be unwatchable because of the Apollo factor.

[nacho]

Also, Freema Ageyman as a high powered lawyer is laughable.  She's riding the coat tails of Doctor Who but, unlike Billie Piper, she's really awful.

[nacho]

The current How I Met Your Mother arc --

Let's talk about my feelings for Laura Prepon.

Except, when she's a blonde, she looks like the hideous New Jersey whore that she is.

But, still... It's the voice.

[nacho]

Also, is hiding Alyson Hannigan's pregnancy the most difficult thing TV has done?  Because, no matter how hard they try, it still looks like she's having sextuplets.