So, Do You Think Babies Will Change My TV Viewing Habits?

I think we can all agree that the answer to this will be "yes." Only the most naive person would think that having twin infants won't change daily life. And television is a part of my daily life.

In the long run, I'm not sure that I want my children to see me just watching TV all day long. Not that I do, but I can, if bored or not feeling great. I certainly want them to watch cartoons and other shows, but I also want them to engage in actual activities, as well.

But first, they'll be just infants, and they won't be watching much of anything beyond their parents and caregivers. Maybe each other. TV will be little more than a noisy box to them. When they're first born, I'll probably spend most of my time feeding and changing them, and trying to get some decent naps. Not much TV in that scenario. I've been told that when they are still so young that I can watch TV while getting them to sleep or just rocking them. We'll see.

But I'm sure what I won't give up TV altogether. I spent some time this weekend wondering what shows I will try to watch, and what shows will get kicked off the DVR save list.

I first divided the shows that I save on DVR into categories. Roughly, they are:

- Shows with prominent arcs. An arc, of course, is a storyline that crosses, or arcs, from one episode to the other. The most famous shows with arcs include the Buffyverse shows and my current favorite, Lost. If these shows are not watched in order of airing, the viewer can be mightily confused. Unlike soap operas, which are prominent arc-series, these shows are too complicated to just not watch for a couple of months and just pick back up. Current shows I've saved on my DVR that have prominent arcs include Lost, Dollhouse (though now cancelled), Mad Men, Damages, and Fringe.

- Caper shows with background arcs. I call them "caper shows", because they usually involve a caper of some sort, often in an furtherance of protecting innocent people. Some of these caper shows have background arcs that rarely take center stage until the final episode or two of the season. A prime example is Burn Notice. Each episode could essentially be stand-alone, with Michael, Fiona, and Sam (sometimes with the help of Maddy!) help someone who is being victimized by a powerful group or person. They use their spy, gun, and special ops skills to save the person, often without pay. The background arc is that Michael was a CIA agent until he received a "burn notice" that he was no longer in the service. Michael has spent some time every episode either investigating who burned him or trying to get back into the spy business. You can skip a number of episodes without being too confused to enjoy the show. Other shows saved on my DVR that are caper shows with background arcs include Chuck, Leverage and White Collar. I suspect that Human Target will end up being a caper show with a background arc, as it seems to have started developing one.

- Procedurals. A procedural is a show that follows a certain pattern. The two best examples of procedurals are now franchises: Law & Order and CSI. I have neither franchise on my DVR list. The only procedurals I do have on DVR are Bones, The Closer, The Good Wife, and House. Bones and The Closer are about solving crime. The Good Wife follows a new associate in a law firm. House is about diagnosing a patient. Most procedurals have bare hints of arcs in their storylines, whether it's Lenny Briscoe's alcoholism and troubled relationship with his daughter, or Temperance Brennan's attempt to find and then bond with her family. The arcs are not prominent, and most episodes can be watched in any order with little to no confusion on the part of the viewer as to what is going on with the main characters.

- Reality competition shows. You might be surprised to know that I do not have The Biggest Loser on my DVR. I only catch it when I can. But I do have Project Runway and Top Chef on the DVR. A reality competition show is pretty much what it sounds like. Semi-amateurs or unknown professionals compete in a season-long competition to win a title and some nice prizes. You don't have to watch these shows in order, but it really makes sense to.

- Comedies. I don't watch a lot of comedies. The only traditional comedy I save is Community (which I think is really funny), but I also enjoy The Office (some times) and 30 Rock. You could argue that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a comedy, and it certainly is, but it's not very traditional. Maybe it's a late night show? Whatever, Stewart is definitely on the DVR.

- Finally, miscellaneous. There are two shows I watch that don't fall into the categories above. One new show I've started saving, though I'm not sure for how long, is Life Unexpected. This is one of those shows I watched because of one of the credited actresses: Shiri Appleby, formerly of Roswell. The other I've mentioned on the blog before: Men of a Certain Age. This is more like a buddy tv show than anything else, with life-long friends in their late 40s or 50s navigating middle age.

So what to keep and what to throw away? Well, I've heard many jokes from people that it's a good thing this is Lost's final season, and I must agree! This is one of those shows that has made it to my "pantheon" of favorite shows ever, joining the Star Trek franchise and the Buffyverse shows. I will greatly miss Lost, but better to have loved and Lost than to have never loved before.

I love shows with prominent arcs, so I know that I will continue to watch Fringe. You may remember that the relationship between the Bishops is one of the joys of watching TV for me right now, but I'm also fascinated by the relationships between the other characters and the concept of an alternative time line - you know, the one Peter's from. He just doesn't know that. Yet.

Mad Men and Damages are not traditional prominent arc shows, and you might argue they belong in a different category. Regardless, however, I plan to keep Mad Men on the list, for several reasons. One, it is one of the few shows that B and I actually watch together. We definitely have disparate likes when it comes to TV, so any commonality is worth maintaining. Plus, it is one of the best and most interesting dramas right now that doesn't involve a science fiction plot or procedural. The characters are well-drawn and acted, and the story lines never fail to produce a lot of thinking on my part. Damages, however, will not remain on the list, despite the great work of Glenn Close. I just don't enjoy it enough to keep watching it.

Of the caper category, I think I will only keep Burn Notice and Chuck. I really like the work that Jeffrey Donovan has done as Michael Weston, and any show that has Bruce Campbell should be supported by many. Chuck is another delight for me, with a great set of characters and fabulous actors to make any night's episode enjoyable viewing. And Adam Baldwin's Casey is turning into one of my all-time favorite characters (granted, a long list, I'm sure, but still, Casey belongs there).

However much I'll miss the antics of Timothy Hutton's Nathan Ford and his merry band of do-gooding thieves, I think Leverage is one of those shows that will be easy to catch up on with re-runs on TNT or somewhere on the internet. I'm certain I'll stop watching The Human Target, despite the appealing presence of Mark Valley. Since it is on Fox, it will most likely have to succeed for a number of seasons (up to at least 100 new episodes) to become a staple on cable TV (see Law & Order and Bones on TNT), so it may be that I'll never see the show again if it ends too soon.

Procedurals would seem to be the easiest of shows to give up. They rerun well, and the arcs are just not that complicated or interesting to keep up with. However, while I see myself giving up The Good Wife, I just can't see giving the rest up. But how can I give up David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Hugh Laurie, or Kyra Sedgwick? I only watch these shows because of these actors. Their shows all have a few flaws, but the actors and the development of the characters they play just keep me coming back for more. At least The Closer only airs a few weeks a year. If I must, I'll give up House and Bones, but they will be the hardest to give up.

I think I can give up on both Project Runway and Top Chef. They are both interesting to watch, but unlike the procedurals above, the characters (and they are characters) don't last more than a season. It is hard to get attached to the characters. Plus, I don't tend to watch every moment of these shows, usually focusing on the results of the contestants' work. Top Chef might be a little difficult to give up, simply because it is another show that both B and I watch together. But we'll see.

I'm also certain that I can lose the comedies, with the exception of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And of miscellaneous, I've threatened two out of three weeks to drop Life Unexpected, so I'm comfortable saying good bye to them. I think I'll also sign off Men of a Certain Age, though Andre Braugher's work here is just top notch.

So, how much did I get rid of? Let's do the count. I reported eighteen shows that I watch on a regular basis. I did not count Lost or Dollhouse, since they are essentially over. I dropped (more or less - and only in my mind, since the babies aren't here yet!) 10, and hope to keep 8 (assuming all 8 are renewed). That's not bad, for me. How realistic that is, I've no idea. I'm sure it will be an interesting story, one way or another.

Bonanza star Pernell Roberts dies at 81

Bonanza was always in reruns when I was growing up, and it was Adam who was the character I was most drawn to. I didn't know until much later about the drama behind the series, how Roberts grew increasingly restless with the series, and finally left when his contract was up. All I knew is that any episode without Adam was quite dull. I also enjoyed Trapper John, M.D., though not quite in the same way.

But Pernell Roberts has always been one of the actors I've kept an eye out for. Whenever he was a guest star or on a television movie, I watched, just to see him. I hadn't heard about him recently, and now I know why. RIP.

Bonanza star Pernell Roberts dies at 81

Fringe - The Bishop Boys

One of my favorite couples on television right now is completely unromantic and would be incestuous if it were. It's the Bishops - Walter and Peter. I've just finished watching What Lies Below, in which Peter is infected with a virus that is over 75,000 years old and may have wiped out the mammalian population. The virus does what it can to infect as many people as possible, so, once Peter is infected, he spends his entire time trying to escape from the building in which he is confined. Fortunately, Walter is a brilliant scientist and manages to concoct a cure before the Army is brought in to kill all the infected.

So there were some parts that weren't exactly the most believable, but to be honest, that is the least important to me. What instead really shined in the episode is the close relationship between father and son.

Peter started out the series not wanting any contact at all with his father. Walter was the stereotypical "mad scientist" who may not have been very nice to his family. In 1991, at least one of Walter's lab assistants was killed in a lab explosion, and Walter was charged with manslaughter. However, Walter was judged mentally unfit to stand trial and institutionalized for seventeen years. As Walter's only family, Peter was the only person who could get Walter released. Walter initially refused, but Olivia Dunham convinced Peter of the importance of Walter's work.

In the first season, Peter was the often-annoying voice of reason, protesting that his father's theories were too outlandish to be true. But since this is a show about fringe science, Peter's well-founded skepticism was disregarded, and Walter was often proven correct. As this occurred, Peter became more accepting of the wild theorizing, often commenting that he was crazy for considering these ideas.

I think what surprised Peter the most was how vulnerable his father was. Walter's institutionalization left a very child-like man with limited social skills and many fears. Peter often finds himself parenting his father, and Walter has responded alternately with gratitude and frustration. So, it turns out that Peter finds himself liking his father.

However, we've learned a few things that may change all that. Last season, we learned that Peter Bishop died in 1985. Thus, Walter built the door to the alternate universe to collect another Peter. Our Peter is not our Peter, if that makes sense. We learned this season that Peter has a history of nightmares in which he is kidnapped by his own father. And in this episode, Walter told Astrid, "I can't let Peter die again." Astrid heard the "again", and asked him about it, but Walter refused to respond. This secret will come out. And there will be hell to pay.

The Jay Leno Show Implodes

I was actually surprised by NBC's decision to essentially cancel The Jay Leno Show. After all, it didn't have to bring in many viewers to make a profit, and the show appeared to be achieving that less than stellar goal. What I hadn't counted on was the dissatisfaction of the affiliates with the inability of The Jay Leno Show to bring in viewers to the 10 o'clock local news. Even The Tonight Show has experienced a decline in viewers that might be partially attributable to the poor lead in. In other words, Law & Order brought more viewers to the local news than Jay Leno does.

So what does NBC do? They screw it up, just as they have the last two times The Tonight Show changed hosts. Fearful that Leno will jump ship to another competitor, the powers-that-be decided that Leno will take the post local news slot (10:30 central time) and The Tonight Show, hosted by Conan O'Brien, will start at 11. Jimmy Fallon's show will start at midnight.

Guess what? O'Brien hates the idea. He has no intention of taking a back seat to Leno. NBC clearly cannot keep both. And the late night shows have been abuzz with jokes and snippy comments about the entire situation.

But of more interest to me, and more fitting to the theme of this blog, is that extra hour each week day that will soon be left free. My first thought, when I heard, was to wonder if NBC was sorry it had cancelled Southland before its second season, which NBC had already ordered. Fortunately for the show and its fans, TNT decided to pick it up. I've since heard that the Law & Orders (original, SVU, and Criminal Intent) will be airing at the 9:00 hour originally taken by Jay Leno. as will a reality show or two and an episode of Dateline. NBC has time, however, as nothing will really change until after the Olympics in February. Perhaps something will fall into their laps.

Ricky Gervais and the Golden Globes

I don't normally watch the Golden Globes, even though they have a TV component, but this year I believe that it is must see TV. And solely because Ricky Gervais is the host.

I've been mildly interested in Gervais since I caught the British version of The Office. I've seen him in a few interviews since then, primarily on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But it wasn't until the Emmys a couple of years ago that I realized how funny this man really is. He didn't host, but he was an award presenter. He spent his time haranguing Steve Carell for "stealing" Gervais' Emmy the year before. It was so hilarious that I was rolling on the floor. This past Emmy show also gave Gervais an opportunity to show how funny he is.

The producers of the Golden Globes must have paid attention, because they snapped up Gervais. And that means I'll actually be watching the Golden Globes tomorrow night.

As an aside, Michael Emerson, Ben Linus of Lost, is up for an award. I'll let you know if he wins.

Chuck is Back!

One of my colleagues at work uses the term "delightful," and I think the word fits Chuck to a tee. There is much to love about Chuck and little to dislike.

For those of you unfamiliar with Chuck, let me give you a little background. Chuck, the eponymous hero of the show, was a promising student at Stanford University when he was wrongfully expelled for cheating. He ended up living with his sister and her fiance, working at Buy More in the Nerd Herd. An underachieving slacker, his best friend, Morgan, is even more of a loser than Chuck. But then, one day, Chuck opened up an e-mail from his college roommate, Bryce Larkin, which changed Chuck's life forever. Embedded in that e-mail was an intersect, which included all the secret intelligence gathered by the US. Somehow, the intersect downloaded itself in Chuck's brain. In the meantime, Bryce Larkin destroyed the mainframe intersect.

Eventually, the FBI and CIA find Chuck, and two agents are assigned to protect Chuck from the world. Chuck finds himself to be the reluctant spy who must hide his new life from friends and family. Many adventures ensue, and Chuck finds himself falling in love with the agent who is acting as his girlfriend, Sarah.

Finally, at the end of last season, Chuck takes the opportunity to have the intersect removed from his brain. He learns that his father had created the intersect, and had arranged for Bryce Larkin to protect Chuck. The Intersect 2.0 is created, but Chuck has no intention of downloading it. That is, until his handlers, Sarah and Casey, are in danger of being killed. Chuck then downloads the Intersect, and saves the day, gasping, "Guys, I know karate!"

Many of us worried over the long break between seasons whether Chuck would now be so competent a spy that the lovable goof from the first two years would be lost. We shouldn't have worried. It turns out that Chuck must be in control of his emotions in order to access the skills portion of the Intersect, and Chuck, famously, is incapable of being cold and calculating. He attends six months of "spy school", but flunks out precisely because his emotions get in the way. He returns to his sister's apartment and takes residence on the couch, growing a beard, eating cheese snacks, and hiding from the world. Only when he runs out of his cheese snacks does he leave the apartment, and at last, Chuck reemerges.

We learned through flashback that Sarah had tried to talk Chuck out of being a spy as she feared it would change his personality. Instead, she wanted him to adopt a new identity and run away with her. But Chuck couldn't do it. Finally, he was told by people in authority, that he could help people and his country, and he felt he couldn't walk away from that. Sarah couldn't forgive him. Chuck thus found himself without a job or a girlfriend.

By inserting himself into Sarah and Casey's latest mission, Chuck nearly gets himself and Sarah killed. But he manages to control his emotions enough to - you guessed it! - save the day. Chuck is thus welcomed back into the spy fold.

What makes Chuck so delightful is not the storyline, which is rather silly, I know, but the characters. Beyond the charmingly goofy Chuck and the beautiful Sarah, there's Casey, the other handler. Casey's initial mission was to kill Chuck, and he was quite disgruntled when those orders were changed and he was given the mission of "handling" Chuck. Suddenly, Casey has a job at Buy More too, more often than not scaring all the nerds working there. Casey clearly doesn't understand Chuck, but he grows to appreciate him, and, later, when given the opportunity to kill Chuck, doesn't. He saves Ellie's wedding even after he had been discharged from working with Chuck. Casey is all red-blooded American, patriot, John Wayne-lover. As played by Adam Baldwin, I never fail to laugh when Casey is on screen.

Chuck's sister and her fiance (now husband) are also vital to the story. Ellie and Devon are both everything that Chuck is not - successful doctors in a loving relationship. Devon is so perfect that Chuck has nicknamed him "Captain Awesome," a nickname that Awesome allows with good humor. He is, after all, Awesome. Chuck finally has to reveal to Awesome that he is a spy, which leads Awesome to actually respect Chuck. Awesome's adventures in the spy world this season have been hilarious.

I must confess to mixed emotions about the characters labeled "Buy Morons", who work at the Buy More with Chuck. The primary one is Chuck's best friend Morgan, who is disliked by Ellie (perhaps because he has openly lusted after her for years) and tolerated by many. Morgan is overly optimistic and a good friend, but he's also not the brightest bulb in the bunch. Two other "nerd herders" are Lester and Jeff, best friends, and such outcasts that few socialize with them willingly. Big Mike is the gruff manager of the Buy More, whose appetite is legendary. If used judiciously, the Buy Morons are an incredibly funny addition to the show. Too much, however, is too much. And that doesn't take a lot.

So, every Monday night, I'll be thoroughly entertained by the delight that is Chuck.

The Best Series of the Decade

For some reason, it hasn't hit me that many people consider this to be the end of a decade - the first of this new century. I'm honestly confused about whether a decade begins with "0" or with "1", but I'll just go with the popular consensus.

This list includes shows that may have started at the end of the 1990s, but to me, they are shows of the decade. This means that one of my favorite shows ever, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will not be on the list - it definitely is a show of the '90s.

That said, here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Lost - of course Lost is first on my list. Even if it had been in order, no other show this decade has come close to this show in character development, suspense, mythology, and emotional involvement.

2. The Wire - okay, true confessions, I've seen two episodes of this show. But too many people and critics for whom I have respect love this show for me to leave this off the list.

3. The Sopranos - I was a latecomer to this show, not having HBO for a long time. But once I started watching, it was impossible to quit. It may have been uneven in its past couple of years, and a lot of people were frustrated by the wait between seasons, but still, these characters and their stories always stuck. Tony's mother always scared me more than most of the mobsters.

4. The Closer - the best of the TNT dramas focusing on an eccentric character played by a big name, The Closer has excelled in drawing some of the best character studies out of the whole ensemble. Flynn and Provenza never fail to delight.

5. House - if I did have this in order, this show would probably be lower, simply because of its unevenness. However, anyone who's spent time with Hugh Laurie's acerbic doctor recognizes the brilliance of that portrayal. House's struggle with his Vicodin addiction and recovery has been nothing less than phenomenal. I really hope Laurie gets that long-deserved Emmy next year.

6. Mad Men - yes, people argue that it's all atmosphere, but no one does it better. There aren't too many characters on this show that I'd like to spend time with, but I do thoroughly enjoying watching them. This year's season finale was exceptional - Don Draper finally takes control of his life!

7. Friday Night Lights - I have watched two episodes of this show, but, like The Wire, it is too well recommended for me to ignore.

8. 30 Rock - uneven, but never less than hilarious. Alec Baldwin is fantastic.

9. Top Chef/Project Runway - the Bravo reality competition series that have set the standard. Unfortunately, the quality of each season is often dependent on the cast of characters/contestants competing for the prize, but they are both fun to watch.

10. Arrested Development - ended far too soon. Always funny, and with its own skewed view of the world, this show never failed to make me burst out laughing.