New TV Shows

Yes, I know that this blog has been more neglected than Britney's children over the last few months, but I am going to try to write more often. Most of you know that my wife started working for Frontier airlines this summer. Well, she is currently working a shift from 4:30 pm to 1:30 am. So most nights, I return home, take the dogs for a walk, make some food, and spend some time with my new best friend - DVR. I have become a little addicted to television over the past year or two, but I don't feel as guilty thanks to DVR. You can skip through the commercials and watch an hour show in 45 minutes. Thus, it leaves me with plenty of time to read, sudoku, work on my stamp collection, and cure world hunger. So, I thought that I would share my thoughts on the new shows that the networks are beaming into our living rooms. The selections below are the new shows that I have watched and actually feel are worthwhile additions to the DVR recording schedule.

Pushing Daisies - If you have listened to any of the Harry Potter books on tape, you will immediately recognize Jim Dale as the voice of the narrator. I could listen to this man read a book on fluid dynamics and still find it fascinating. The show is about a man who has the gift/curse of being able to bring people back to life if he touches them. A couple of conditions though; one, if he touches them again after bringing them back to life, they are dead forever; and two, if he doesn't touch them within a minute of bringing them back to life, another person dies in their place. The main character makes pies and works with a private investigator to solve murders. The characters are quirky, the dialogue is witty, and the visuals are bright and impressive. It feels like a mix of Amelie, Harry Potter (thanks to Jim Dale), and a Tim Burton movie. It is a pleasant change from the CSIs, Law and Orders, and weekly soap operas, such as Greys Anatomy.

Chuck - This show is growing on me. I only started watching it because it is from Josh Schwartz, creator of the OC. Chuck works at a Best Buy-like big box store in their Nerd Herd. He then has a bunch of government secrets implanted in his brain and ends up helping with the CIA and NSA. Of course, the CIA agent he works with is smoking hot and a romance is on the horizon. Plus, the show has had a kickass soundtrack featuring artists such as The Shins, Beck, Spoon, and The National. The show fits in with the current nerd/geeky guy trend in pop culture. I am not dissing on this, rather, as an enginerd, I embrace it. I think I will devote an entire post to this phenomenon later.

Gossip Girl - Of course, I have to have one trashy teenage soap opera show on my list. Gossip Girl follows in the vein of such great shows as 90210 and the OC, although one can only hope it can reach the heights of those shows. It is also Josh Schwartz's other new show this year. To put it simply, it is the OC set in New York, with the protagonist as an outsider in the world of the rich and richer (ie. Brandon and Brenda or Seth and Ryan). A nice guilty pleasure.

Kid Nation - I was flipping through the channels and stopped on this show. It is everything that is good and bad about television. The bad - it exploits children, it is a reality show, and it is on CBS. The good - you can truly feel the emotions that the kids are going through, as they aren't as deceptive or manipulative as adults on reality shows. The kids aren't using this as a platform to start a career in showbiz (although their mothers might). The kids truly seem to care about one another and trying to improve their town of Bonanza. Their only ulterior motives might involve winning the gold star each week, which is worth $20,000. And even the one character who appeared to be working hard simply for the star did so to get money for college. A slightly disturbing but interesting show.

Anyone else have a new TV show recommendations?