Post 50 - Part II

Yes, yes, this probably makes Post 50 - Part II more like Post 51, but whatever. There isn't really a new topic here, it's the continuation of yesterday's already long post - sans sports. So, here's more random thoughts about TV shows.

Long Running Shows Altering Their Theme Songs - Anyone notice that several shows have changed their theme songs? It's really the most pointless part of the program, but it's still noticeable. I think that most of the programs that have altered their theme songs have gotten worse than they were before. Nip/Tuck had the simple rhythmic music, but now it has lyrics and kinda sucks. CSI:NY (the best of the CSI series) decided to techno-up Baba O'Riley by The Who - which should not have been done. It's one thing to use a classic song as an intro, but why screw with it? I can understand having a band cover a classic song, but turning a classic rock song into a techno-ish song makes no sense.

NBC's Monday Night Line-up - Being the big sci-fi fan that I am, the Monday night line-up of Chuck, Heroes and Journeyman, couldn't get much better. All three shows are "serial" format (meaning each show builds on the one before it... for anyone that didn't know, for those that did know, I apologize for insulting your intelligence), which I tend to eat up. Chuck is a good mix of humor and action - the lead character works for the Nerd Herd at Buy More (an obvious fictional version of the Geek Squad, Best Buy's computer tech division) and accidentally downloaded the entire database of the U.S. government secrets into his brain. He now assists the CIA/NSA to use the info stored in his brain to thwart evil plots while attempting to maintain his normal life. How could anyone not find Chuck amusing when in the pilot episode he downloaded a virus from a porn site to shut down a computer attached to a bomb - porn saved the world - hilarious! Heroes is always entertaining and very dark. Individual heroes and villains cross paths through an intricately woven plot that takes an entire season to develop. There's something about a show that has every episode end in a cliffhanger that keeps me interested and wanting more. Heroes has taken the formula from the best show on television (Battlestar Galactica) and applied it to live action comic books. Journeyman is basically a reinvented Quantum Leap. The concept is the same, in that the main character travels through time and helps people. In this version, he visits someone from the past at their most critical junctures and has to try to help without damaging the timeline. If you thought Quantum Leap was good, then you'll probably like this one as well. Anyway, all three shows are well written and entertaining. It makes Mondays something to look forward to... or whatever day you end up watching the shows that you record on Monday nights. Ah, DVRs, what a brilliant invention. I could never go back to watching TV without it.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor - As mentioned earlier - Battlestar Galactica is the best show on television. For those of you who haven't seen it, you are really missing out. However, those that haven't seen the show, shouldn't start watching it with the 2 hour movie that aired on the weekend (called Razor), because it won't make any sense. Well, I suppose it would make sense, but it just wouldn't mean as much because the first time viewer wouldn't know any of the characters or any of the storylines that led up to this point. Razor tells the story about the battlestar, Pegasus, and it's journey between the time of the Cylon attack of the colonies until the point that it meets up with Galactica in the second season of the show. More or less, this movie just visualized the bits and pieces of the battlestar's story that was broken up across several episodes in the second season. Was Razor necessary? Not really, but I guess they decided that some new Battlestar episode needed to be aired to keep the viewers interested since the third season ended in March - and season four doesn't begin until March 08. WTF? A whole year off? You bastards! Of course, the third season ended with a cliffhanger, and they're making everyone wait a frackin' year to see the conclusion. But, if it takes them a year to figure out what they want to do with the season and it's even half as good as the previous seasons, it will still be the best show on television by a mile. I'm sure I'll talk more about Battlestar Galactica in the future, but for now I'd better stop, or I'll have to break this post up into a Part IIb for tomorrow. My best recommendation is to get out there and rent/buy a copy of season one and you'll be hooked by the time you're through the first half of the pilot episode. I can't even count how many people I've passed my copy of this series to and they always come back for more. That's right, I'm like a drug dealer - product of choice = Galactica. My best suggestion is, to please, watch it from the beginning - it will be much more enjoyable.