Posts tagged with: DVR

Arrow – Another Tortured Hero

Posted at Oct 18, 2012 12:30 pm in Arrow, characters, DVR, heroes, Shannyn Schroeder

I said on Tuesday that I’d be scarce for the next couple of weeks because I’m on deadline, but I had a really, really productive day yesterday. I got my page proofs for More Than This in the mail back to Kensington and I got through the first 100 pages of revisions for book 2. Surprisingly, I still like the story. Anyway, by the time 9 o’clock rolled around last night, I was pretty spent so I went to my DVR. I had the first 2 episodes of Arrow recorded because I’m a sucker for a good superhero story, but also because my son said he wanted to watch. I was going to wait to watch it with him, I really was, but then my Twitter pal Kiersten Krum had live-Tweeted some of it and I had to watch.

I was amazed at how quickly the story sucked me in. The backstory is woven in neatly as flashbacks so you don’t get overwhelmed, but you have enough to understand what’s going on. Basically, Oliver Queen was on a boat with his dad and they crashed. Oliver was the sole survivor, who lived on an island for 5 years before being rescued. Now he’s back, and using the information his father gave him, he’s cleaning up his city, and righting his father’s wrongs.

Oliver comes from a rich family, and before the crash, he was a spoiled, irresponsible socialite. His money gives him the means to go after the bad guys and his old reputation helps keep him a seemingly unproductive member of society.

What draws me in most, as usual, is the characterization. I loved the first episode so much that I went straight into the second one. I loved watching Oliver try to balance who he was with who he is without giving anything away. He struggles with making up for his past and wanting to be someone new but he can’t afford to let anyone see because he is literally surrounded by enemies. It seems like every relationship is twisted, making Oliver the ultimate in wounded heroes.

There are a lot of fun, light moments too, as you can imagine with someone who’s been away from civilization for 5 years. Sly comments — Oliver asks, “What’s Twilight?” and his best friend answers, “You’re better off not knowing.” I laughed quite a few times in the 2 episodes. Plus, Oliver is so damn sexy. He moves like a gymnast while fighting the bad guys. His body is all muscles and scars.

I can’t wait to watch more of Oliver as Arrow. He’s complex and intriguing and so very yummy to watch. 

Did you watch Arrow? What did you think?

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Fall TV

Posted at Sep 27, 2012 1:20 pm in Arrow, Chicago Fire, DVR, Elementary, Last Resort, Made in Jersey, Revolution, Shannyn Schroeder, The Mob Doctor, TV, Vegas

I’ve been busy trying to think about my new WIP, so I’ve been collaging and creating a playlist so that I can get into writing my new shiny idea, so blogging has fallen to the wayside for a bit. But this is the time for all the new shows to hit the air and you know how I love my DVR. While I won’t try out every show, there are a lot I am willing to give a chance, especially since a bunch of shows I watched last year were canceled.

First up, The Mob Doctor. This show comes on right after one of my all-time favorites, Bones, so I had to check it out. It’s another Chicago-based show. Basically, a woman is a doctor and in order to get her brother bailed out from a problem with the mob, she agrees to indentured servitude. They call, she jumps. I’ve watched the first 2 episodes and there’s a lot to like. The feel for Chicago is right. I’m okay with the mob angle because I believe the mob is very much alive in the city. One thing that bugs me is that in those first 2 episodes, Grace leaves the hospital to “run some errands” and drives all over the city to take care of mob stuff. I’ve lived in the city. It doesn’t matter what time of day you’re driving (unless it’s 3 a.m.), there’s traffic. She zooms around and no one really questions how long she’s gone. I’m going ot keep watching because there is so much good stuff, though, like William Forsythe as the quintessential Chicago mob boss.

Next, I watched the first episode of Revolution. The second is on my DVR, but I’m saving it so my husband can watch with me. I heard nothing about this show until I heard a radio spot right before the premier. I recorded it because it seemed like something my husband would like (he’s a fan of things like Fallen Skies). The promo was something like, “What if there was no more electricity?” Basically, that’s the premise. Something happens and everything shuts down. I thought the show was going to be about the immediate aftermath, but it’s not. After the shutdown, the show skips ahead 15 years to see what life is like. It’s very dystopian, and things like that depress me, but I’ll probably continue watching because the show is good. It has a Lost kind of vibe.

I have the first episode of Vegas recorded, but I haven’t watched yet. One of my favorite actors, Jason O’Mara, is in it, but a friend told me that the pilot didn’t have nearly enough of him. So, I guess we’ll see.

Some other shows that haven’t aired that I’m looking forward to are: Arrow, Chicago Fire, Last Resort, and Made in Jersey.

But the show I’m most looking forward to is Elementary. I love a modern day Sherlock Holmes. I am absolutely in love with the new BBC series. Unfortunately, a season of that Holmes consists of 3 episodes a year (yes, they are 90-minute episodes, but still not enough). And I just saw on Twitter yesterday that new episodes aren’t going to air until the end of 2013. So while people are complaining about Elementary because it’s set in New York and Lucy Liu plays Watson, I’m going to give it a shot. While I never imagined Watson as a woman, I think Liu can be the perfect straight man to Holmes’ craziness.

What new show are you most looking forward to this season?

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Summer TV Hits and Misses

Posted at Sep 20, 2012 11:09 am in Common Law, Dallas, DVR, Longmire, Major Crimes, Perception, Shannyn Schroeder, Sullivan & Son, The Newsroom, TV

Summer is officially over and Fall TV has started. I figured now would be a good time to take a look at my DVR and decide which shows were worth spending my time with this summer.

Hits:

These 4 shows are ones that I can’t wait for. They caught me every week. These are shows that are unlikely to sit on my DVR waiting to be watched.

Longmire:  The setting is beautiful and the characters have some great drama. Longmire lost his wife a year ago and has been out of it most of the time. His deputy has decided to run against him in the upcoming election. That deputy was also sleeping with Longmire’s daughter. Talk about a sticky situation. I like the episodes where we get to see how Longmire interacts with the Indians on the reservation. It adds an unusual flavor to the story. The only thing that seemed a little implausible is the number of murders that have occurred in Wyoming. Not that I’m complaining, really, because I love cop shows and everything that goes along with them, but in one short season, Longmire faced a number of homicides.

 Dallas: I love this show. I watched growing up and this new version is every bit as twisted and soap-opera-y as the original. Plus, the actors are quite yummy to look at. The season will pick up in January and I can’t wait. The next generation of Ewings are as messed up as the original and so much fun to watch.

The Newsroom:  I have to admit that I was a little slow to pick this up. I set the DVR to record and I watched the first episode. I liked it, especially the dialogue, but I wasn’t totally sure. The episodes continued to record, but I didn’t watch them weekly. Then, one night, when nothing else was on, I watched. And watched. And I was hooked. If you’re a fan of Aaron Sorkin, you’ll like this show. I know it’s not totally realistic in its portrayal of a newsroom, but I’m not watching TV for reality. The dialogue and banter alone are worth tuning in for, but besides that, the characters are real and f*cked up, and believable.

Common Law: This show is about 2 cops who are forced into couples counseling because one drew a gun on the other. All season, we watched these two grow as characters, but they never said what was behind the whole gun incident. Until the last episode. It was a very satisfying ending for the season because I would’ve been pissed if they left us hanging. But now I wonder how they’ll keep us engaged for a new season.

Misses:

These are shows I watched, and continue to watch, but I don’t get excited about them. Multiple episodes will sit on my DVR until there’s nothing better on TV.

Sullivan & Son: I’m not big into comedies, but I thought this one might be interesting. A lawyer son returns home and takes over the family’s bar. Since my books are set in a family-run Irish pub, I wanted to check this out. With the exception of a few good one-liners, this show was meh. 

Perception: I’ve said lots of times how I love cop shows and the FBI. This one was a no brainer for me to tune into. Chicago FBI agent seeks help from her former professor on cases. The professor’s hallucinations help him solve cases. Although it’s set in Chicago, it doesn’t feel like it. There’s an occasional mention of streets or a neighborhood, but this isn’t a true Chicago show. Every case has something to do with the brain. It makes me wonder how many brain disorders there can be that would be part of a crime. I would think they’d run out of brain issues. Really, though, this show lost me when in the first episode, the FBI agent (who looks to be about 15) was chasing a suspect and jumped off a second story fire escape. Not only did she land on the suspect, but then she promptly got up and was fine. I can only suspend so much disbelief.

Major Crimes: I watch this show because it’s comfortable. I always watched The Closer and this show has all of the same characters (minus Brenda). Sometimes I even get to see Fritz, and he was my favorite part of The Closer. I’m not sure exactly what keeps me from being a total fan of the show. It’s not bad. It has the same kinds of crimes. I think maybe part of my problem is that the division is now more focused on making deals with criminals to get them into jail instead of getting a full confession (Brenda’s specialty). Maybe I’m just done with this show and the characters and it’s time to move on. I’m not sure. Like I said, it still records, but I don’t rush to watch.

What was your favorite new show this summer?

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The Good Ol’ Days of TV

Posted at Aug 9, 2012 8:30 am in Brady Bunch, classic TV, Cosby Show, DVR, Full House, Happy Days, kids, Shannyn Schroeder, TV

I think I might’ve mentioned before that might kids (especially the girls) have a fondness for old TV shows. I’m too lazy to actually look through blog posts, but Shorty fell in love with Full House a few years ago and I bought her the entire series on DVD for her birthday that year. They gobbled up every episode of The Cosby Show on Netflix. Recently, the discovered The Brady Bunch on TV and have the DVR set to record every episode. 

Recently our DVD player died, and while at Best Buy, I checked out the TV shows on DVD. I was looking for I Dream of Jeannie because Trouble really likes it, but it hasn’t been playing on TV for a long time now. Unfortunately, I had no luck in finding it, but I did find Happy Days. I bought the first season, because hey, for ten bucks, my kids get some wholesome entertainment and I’m not stuck watching some of the really stupid shows they make for kids these days. (How I long for shows like Wizards of Waverly Place.)

Anyway, I got home and let the girls have the DVDs. About ten minutes into the first episode, I started to question whether this was a good idea. The episode was all about Potsie fixing Richie up with a girl who had “a reputation.” Then they proceeded to discuss the best way to remove a bra (complete with demonstration – it was on a radiator). My girls didn’t question the whole “reputation” thing, but they certainly understood what was up with the bra. They laughed and thought it was funny, but all I could think was: I thought Happy Days was supposed to be a clean, sanitized show?

I was younger than Shorty when I watched Happy Days. I grew up watching it, but I don’t remember this. In another show, Richie and Potsie are going to a Marine’s bachelor party because they’re sure there’s going to be a stripper there. They get drunk on beer (they’re both still in high school) and there is a dancer who pops out of a cake, but she doesn’t strip. In yet another episode, they get fake IDs so they can sneak into a strip club to see a woman who supposedly “takes it all off.” Again, nothing actually happens, but the idea is there.

I went to search reviews of Happy Days and everything says the same: it’s a feel-good, clean show. I haven’t stopped the kids from watching because even with these instances (and there were more), it still is cleaner than some shows out there. I do pay attention to what my kids watch and there are a lot that aren’t allowed on our TV, but I have mixed emotions about this. I only bought the first season, and I’m not sure if I’d buy other seasons. Maybe I’ll wait and see what happens in other episodes. 

What are your favorite classic TV shows? Have they held up to your memories of them?

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Summer Must-Watch — The Newsroom

Posted at Jul 12, 2012 11:48 am in Aaron Sorkin, characters, DVR, Shannyn Schroeder, The Newsroom, TV

I’m going to start off by saying that I’ve never been much of a news watcher. In fact, I pretty much avoided watching the news altogether. The news is depressing. Plus, when you’re watching the local 10 o’clock news, so many times you wonder how something can qualify as news (Katie and Tom, anyone?)

Anyway, that all changed a few years ago when I started looking for a work-from-home job. I was hired by an education company as a writer, and the position evolved into an editorial one. My current job is to read the news, choose headlines and assign them to my writers. My writers then create on-line assignments for students based on the article I’ve sent. My job requires that I read the news everyday Sunday through Thursday. I have to look at how different sources handle the same material and choose the one I think will work best for students. 

When commercials for summer TV shows started airing, I saw something for The Newsroom, but I hadn’t given it much thought. As I said, I have to read the news most days, did I really want to watch how the news was broadcast? But then I started hearing the buzz about Newsroom and the fact that Aaron Sorkin, who did The West Wing, was behind it. I decided to set my DVR and check it out.

I’ve watched the first 3 episodes and let me tell you, I knew after the first one that this would be a must-see show. The premier opened with a cable news anchor lashing out and telling an audience why America isn’t the best country in the world (low test scores, starving kids, unemployment, lack of health care, etc). He didn’t say anything we don’t know, but it was some pretty refreshing honesty. It’s the trademark lack of real honesty that keeps me from all things politics. Anyway, Will, the anchor, takes a break and when he returns, he finds that most of his staff is leaving his show and his boss has hired Will’s ex-girlfriend to be the executive producer.

So, immediately we have some personal drama of the romance kind, and Mac (the ex) wants to push the show to be real and honest. The first episode they covered the BP oil spill (it takes place in spring 2010). This drew me in because I remember covering that for my day job and its interesting to see how they made it unfold. The second episode covered Arizona’s immigration law, which I’ve been covering for the day job from then straight through until now. 

Besides my own personal connection to the headlines they choose (and I’m sure there will be so much more), the show itself offers some great characters and they’re all smart. You heard that right, even the pretty young girl who was promoted from nobody to assistant producer simply because she didn’t quit is smart. They’re not perfect and they fuck up, but it is a cast of characters who are truly intelligent. What’s not to love there?

And finally, of course, since this is Aaron Sorkin, the dialogue is phenomenal. If you’re a fan of The West Wing, you’ll be a fan of The Newsroom as well.

When looking for clips for the show, I’ve come across a lot of criticism of it. Many have said that it’s a disappointment and Sorkin has flopped. Maybe it’s because I didn’t really expect it to be true-to-life. It is HBO after all. I think most days in the newsroom are probably pretty boring, so they’ve livened it up. Sure, part of why the characters seem so smart is that Sorkin knows how the stories will play out. He’s using news from 2 years ago. Part of my hesitation to watch in the first place was that I thought it would be boring. Who wants to watch a bunch of people staring at a computer screen and scribbling notes for the anchor? That would be about as exciting as watching  stock trades on the floor of the Mercantile Exchange.

 

 

Instead, we get this (not really safe for work):

 

 

 

I prefer the made up version. Have you tried The Newsroom? What do you think?

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Canceled Favorites

Posted at May 17, 2012 8:00 am in Alcatraz, Blue Bloods, Body of Proof, Bones, canceled shows, Castle, Criminal Minds, DVR, GCB, Missing, Revenge, Shannyn Schroeder, shows I love, The Finder, TV, Unforgettable

I’ve been hearing for the last week or so about shows that are being canceled and those that are being renewed for next season, and I’m a little depressed. A bunch of shows that I decided to try (many of which I like) are being canceled.

Some of the cancellations are not surprising, like NYC 22. I’m also not that surprised that Breaking In and Bent are being canceled, although I really liked them. GCB was one of my guilty pleasures. I didn’t look forward to it every week, but when I had some extra time, I’d catch up. Some shows I won’t miss, even though I watched regularly. Unforgettable tops that list. I liked the premise of the show, but something about the main character bugs me. Maybe it’s the actress, but there have been too many times that she’s come across as an airhead. Awake is a show that I’ve watched, but I have a bunch of episodes on my DVR to catch up on. Now I’m questioning if I should bother.

There are three shows that are chopped that I will miss. Missing doesn’t surprise me. I mean, really, how long could you draw out a single kidnapping? But I watched it every week. The Finder is another show that’s a little on the weird side, but since it aired on Fridays, it gave me something to watch over the weekend. The one show that’s being canceled that I think I’ll miss the most is Alcatraz. I like everything about that show. It had unique characters with some baggage, small conflicts in the search for the weekly criminal, and the overall plot arc of how and why the 63s were in 2012.

I will say that I’m happy that my truly favorite shows have been renewed — Revenge, Castle, Blue Bloods, Mentalist, Criminal Minds, and Bones. I have all of the episodes of Scandal on the DVR but haven’t watched them yet. Since it too is being renewed, I think I’ll catch up. Body of Proof has also been renewed, and I’ve watched pretty regularly, but if I could trade this for Alcatraz, I would.

The list I used to double check things I heard on Twitter is here. With all of these cancellations, I certainly hope there are good shows in the works for next year, otherwise, how will I fill all of my free time?

What show are you sorry to see go?

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Summer TV

Posted at May 10, 2012 8:00 am in Covert Affairs, DVR, Franklin & Bash, Leverage, Rizzoli&Isles, romance, Shannyn Schroeder, Suits, The Closer, The Glades, True Blood, TV

I think we can all agree that I watch too much TV and the invention of the DVR has simply enabled me to watch more. But given all the vices I don’t have in my life, I think this one is acceptable. I’ve said it before — the best thing about cable TV is the seemingly never-ending supply of new episodes of something. It used to be that the TV season ran from September through May (with plenty of reruns along the way). Cable has redefined what a TV season is and I love it. Just as regular network stations are getting into reruns, favorites on cable start fresh. This summer, I have a whole bunch that I’m looking forward to.

First up, The Glades. This is another cop show. I was originally sucked into this one because the lead character, Jim Longworth, is a cop from Chicago, who moves to Florida. The cases he solves are pretty standard fare, but again, it’s the characters that draw me in. He gets involved with a nurse, who is a single mother, and still married. But her husband is in jail. Last season, the husband was released and Callie had some decisions to make. The Glades returns on June 3.

Another cop show I’m waiting for is The Closer. This is the last 6 episodes for this show. Admittedly, I mostly watch because I love Fritz. He’s too good for Brenda. The Closer will air on July 9.

Rizzoli & Isles is coming back on June 5. I’ve briefly mentioned my love for this show before, along with my girl crush on Angie Harmon.

I have 2 lawyer shows I’m looking forward to. The first is Franklin & Bash. This show feels

like Boston Legal, which is why I like it. There’s some good TV lawyering going on, but nothing too serious. The lead characters are good at what they do, but they act like kids a good portion of the time, which makes them fun to watch. Franklin & Bash returns June 5.

The other lawyer show is Suits. I love this show because the main characters are little more than conmen. Harvey is super-genius lawyer. Mike is a genius who has faked his way into a job as a lawyer (without ever attending law school or taking the bar for himself). Together they make a great team. Suits is coming back June 14.

Covert Affairs is one of my guilty pleasures. The show is not credible and Annie Walker as a CIA agent is not believable even for a moment, but it’s fun to watch. Plus I like Augie. Covert Affairs will air July 10.

Leverage is coming back July 16. You gotta love the bad guys who are the good guys. Think A-Team without blowing things up (usually).

The show I can’t wait for, however, is True Blood. It’s heading into its 5th season. Honestly, it’s a fluke I started watching. I’d heard a lot of buzz when it premiered. Then one night, I had laundry to fold and it was on, and I never looked back. I watched the entire season and then for Christmas, my husband bought me all of the Sookie Stackhouse books which are the inspiration. I like the books (at least the first 8 or so) but I love the show for entirely different reasons. It’s sexy and suspenseful and mysterious and just plain great stuff (unless blood makes you squeamish).

Here’s a little taste (no pun intended) of the vampires:

Here’s the trailer for season 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s-L2q4sWdk

What summer show are you most looking forward to?

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Revisiting House of Lies & the Anti-Hero

Posted at Apr 5, 2012 10:06 am in anti-hero, characters, DVR, House of Lies, romance, Shannyn Schroeder, TV

A few months ago, I blogged about a new show, House of Lies. I liked the premise of the show and with it being on Showtime, I knew that there would be a certain shock factor. Of course, the show delivered. If you’ve never seen it, the show follows a business management consultant and his pod (team) as they rip companies off.

It’s an interesting, and I believe pretty true-to-life, representation of some business management consultants. When I wrote about this last time, I wasn’t sure if I would continue to watch the show because after three or four episodes, I found that I really didn’t like the main character, Marty (played by Don Cheadle). People told me to hang on, that we’d probably get to see some more redeeming qualities in Marty.

While I didn’t rush to my TV every week to watch the new episode, I didn’t delete the timer, either. When I had some extra time, I caught up on episodes. In my last post, I questioned whether Marty could be considered an anti-hero because I didn’t see any redeeming qualities in him. After watching the entire season, I can admit that the show did allow peeks into some of Marty’s vulnerabilities and there were some redeeming qualities to Marty.

He truly loves his son Roscoe, who is figuring out his sexual identity. Marty handles this well and I don’t doubt his love for his son.

Marty also appears loyal to his pod, but I do question that loyalty. By the end of the season, although I wanted to believe that Marty would stand by his team, I still felt that everything he did was to manipulate them to achieve the outcome he wanted.

Mid-way through the season, Marty supposedly fell in love. I believe he cared for April, but I’m not sure this man even understands what it means to love someone. Bottom line, he leads with his dick and his ego and does whatever he wants regardless of the consequences.

That is the sticking point for me. While I believed an anti-hero needed some redeeming qualities, Marty has taught me that it’s more than that. Even though I can see that Marty loves his son and he struggles to deal with his mother’s suicide, it’s not enough for me to want to continue to watch him. And this is why:

An anti-hero has to at least appear to be redeemable.

The anti-heroes that I can believe in have more than just redeeming qualities. There’s something about them that makes them more…human. They have some kind of moral compass, even if it’s not one that coincides with mine.

Batman doesn’t let anyone get close to him and I believe that is because he tries to protect others from getting hurt. He won’t let himself have the pleasure of a “normal” life. He’s a man on a mission, and his mission, although it feeds into something on a personal level for him, does good for society.

Dexter is much the same way. He’s a truly screwed up individual, but he lives by a code, an honorable code. He’s a good father who also happens to be a killer. Dexter does everything in his power to protect those he cares about including his son and his sister. He only kills bad guys, ones that fit the code.

For both Batman and Dexter it’s more than just having likable qualities or vulnerabilities that make them anti-heroes. They do things that don’t quite fit into the norm of what is expected for a hero, but I think that if their personal experiences had been different, if their worlds had changed early on, they could be true heroes.

This wouldn’t hold true for Marty. I can’t imagine Marty doing anything heroic because that would require him to put someone else before himself. Marty is too selfish and egotistical for that. He ruins lives around him. He has little or no regard for anyone else. I don’t believe there’s any hope for Marty.

Now that the season is over, I don’t know that I’ll watch next year. The show itself is well-written and enjoyable, but like I’ve said lots of times, for me, it’s all about character.

And I really don’t like this character.

Do you watch House of Lies? Do you enjoy watching anti-heroes?

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I Wish I’d Known

Posted at Mar 1, 2012 11:28 am in Awake, characters, Downton Abbey, DVR, GCB, Missing, Shannyn Schroeder, Tiffany White, TV

On Thursdays, I usually talk about TV and sometimes relate it to writing because, really, you can learn so much about writing from TV, both the good and the bad. I watch a lot of TV and the invention of the DVR has only aided this addiction. Shows that I wouldn’t have given a shot because of time slot now get my attention as possibilities. I still come across shows that aren’t quite my taste (House of Lies), but I’m glad I’m giving more shows a chance because you never know if you’ll miss out on something great (like Lost Girl).

There are quite a few shows that I didn’t watch from the beginning that I now wish I had. While it’s true that I still might not continue to tune in, it would’ve been nice to know for sure.

One show that I tried this season in Being Human. A werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost live together in a house, trying to feel human. It sounds great. This show is in its second season and I hadn’t heard about it before. (Thank you Tiffany White for pointing out too many things for me to watch.) I watched the first couple of episodes of this season, and while I had no problems following along with the storylines, I didn’t fall in love with it. I think part of that failure isn’t the show itself, but because I hadn’t watched season 1. I think for most shows, that first season is critical for falling in love with the characters.

One show that I’ve heard nothing but great things about that I haven’t watched is Downton Abbey. The second season just aired and I know I can watch season 1 on Netflix, but because I didn’t do that before season 2 started, I feel like I’ll always be playing catch up. I’m not sure if I want to start it and continuously be behind everyone else.

It’s the time of year where networks start up some new shows as mid-season replacements. All of our favorites take breaks and new shows fill in. It’s a nice test market. Some of the new ones I’m going to try are Awake, Missing, and GCB.

Awake is about a man who is in a car accident. His mind creates two realities. In one, his wife survives, in the other, his son survives. He doesn’t know which one is real and he doesn’t care. He goes to bed with his wife alive and wakes up with his son alive. He doesn’t want to lose either, so it should be interesting to watch it unravel.

Missing stars Ashley Judd, who although she’s getting old, still looks great and takes on some awesome roles. In the show, she is a retired CIA agent who travels to Europe to track down her missing son. I love a kickass heroine and the fact that she’s a mom is even better.

GCB looks like brain candy. Nothing serious, fun fluff for relaxation. It’s about a former “Queen Bee” who returns to her hometown of Dallas after her divorce. She moves her two kids in with her mom and has to face everyone she tormented in high school.

Which shows are planning on tuning in for? Are there any you wished you’d watched and feel like you missed out on?

PS – If you want more information on any of these shows, I’m pretty sure Tiffany White has covered them in much greater depth. Check out her blog.

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The Anti-Hero and House of Lies

Posted at Jan 12, 2012 8:30 am in anti-hero, characters, Dexter, DVR, heroes, House of Lies, Leverage, Shannyn Schroeder, TV, writing

A new show started on Showtime this past Sunday. It airs right after one of my favorites, Shameless (which I posted about last week), so I decided to give it a shot. The show is called House of Lies and stars Don Cheadle as a management consultant. The show’s pace is fast and the characters are interesting, but I haven’t yet decided whether I’ll continue to watch and here’s the reason: I’m not sure I can get behind Marty (Cheadle’s character). Here’s a trailer for the show, but it is not safe for work:

For me, TV is mostly about falling for characters, so this is a sticking point. I spent some time thinking about it, which led me to decide that Marty is an anti-hero. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, I sought out what I thought would be the best definition. This comes from LearnHub:

Defining the Anti-Hero

The definition of an anti-hero can be subjective. He is usually the protagonist or a key character. Generally, an anti-hero will have the following qualities:

• it is clear that he has human frailties; he has flaws
• he is more accessible to readers because he is more “gritty”
• he is often disillusioned with society, or increasingly becomes so
• he often seeks redemption or revenge for his own satisfaction, and sometimes for the greater good of society
• unlike the classical tragic hero, he doesn’t always think about what the right, moral thing to do – he often thinks about what’s right for him
• he is often misunderstood by others in his society
• he could perhaps be called a noble criminal or a vigilante
• qualities normally belonging to villains – such as amorality, greed and violent tendencies – are tempered with more human, identifiable and even noble traits
• their noble motives are pursued by breaking the law; a.k.a. “the ends justify the means”
• increased moral complexity and rejection of traditional values

Now, I have absolutely nothing against the anti-hero. One of the best anti-heroes on TV right now is Dexter and I adore Dexter. Dexter is a serial killer who targets those who escaped punishment for their wrongdoings. He is a vigilante, but you see a softer side to him when it comes to his son and his sister. Also, he lives by a code where he needs to prove (to himself) that the criminal deserves to die.

The cast of characters from Leverage would also be considered anti-heroes. They steal. No matter how you slice it, what they do is illegal. This is mitigated by the fact that they commit crimes to help those in need. They fund their entire operation themselves, but it is with money gained from the first job they pulled together. Money from ill-gotten gains.

In looking at Marty and comparing him to the list above, I think my problem with him is that I don’t find much to like about him. I don’t see the bad qualities being tempered with good ones. I think the rest of the list suits him perfectly. I don’t see “increased moral complexity,” just amorality. And I’m not sure that’s enough to keep me tuning in.

Did you watch House of Lies? What did you think? How about anti-heroes — love ‘em or hate ‘em?

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