"Southland" hits its stride and finds stability on TNT

"Police officers often find themselves frustrated with the limitations of the legal system. Sometimes cops have to improvise."
After being mishandled by NBC and transferred to another network, the first season of "Southland" completely produced for cable premiered this Tuesday with a top-notch episode. If you haven't tuned in before, I don't think it's a problem jumping in now. You lose a little character development from the earlier episodes, but due to its procedural nature, there are no big ongoing storylines to be confused by.

My favorite description of the show I've read so far is by Entertainment Weekly, who called it a "procedural with the soul of a serial drama" when recommending it. The show also has a healthy dose of realism to it that you often don't get on network television. And I don't just mean that in reference to its grittiness. The scene where Lydia tells Russell about her new partner was a great example of one of the best things the show does - it takes small, everyday moments and focuses on them, as they are often the big moments in day to day life. I particularly enjoyed Ben and John trying to settle a sales dispute, the kind of mundane stuff that doesn't make headlines but does make up a good portion of street level police work.

This episode had some great writing as well, from "better live pussies than dead heroes" to "she needed a restraining order, not a hug." Another favorite of mine was from a neighborhood local being interviewed by the detectives regarding a murder, telling the detectives that "this isn't a fucking whodunit. Everyone in this neighborhood knows whodunit." The show isn't shy about the real life limitations of the legal system either, as the opening voiceover points out. When discussing the spate of murders of women, Lydia says, exasperated, that "if they were killing Muslims like this, everybody...they'd be protesting and trying to pass bills in Congress." Detectives Bryant and Moretta also struggle with the imperfections when finding out why some gangbangers walk free after gang raping a girl. Bryant asks why they were acquitted, to which Moretta explains "she was drunk."

I highly recommend "Southland," especially if you're like me and you're going through withdrawal. There seems to be a shortage of good TV right now as we're kind of in a transition period between great big TV dramas. Phenoms "Lost" and "24" ended this year and the next big thing hasn't been found yet. Meanwhile, the 2010 fall season is the weakest in recent memory for new shows. So if you need a new fix of quality TV, check into "Southland" on Tuesdays at 10 on TNT.

My failed New Year's resolution - Tvgirl vs. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

I'm not much for resolutions, but as 2009 turned into 2010, I made a pop culture resolution that I thought was a worthwhile venture. I resolved to watch all of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." After I realized that there are several crossover episodes with its spin-off "Angel," I resolved to watch that as well. People rave about these shows and frequently cite "Buffy" as one of the best TV shows of all time. I adored Joss Whedon's "Firefly" and I enjoy the horror/supernatural genre, so it seemed like a no-brainer that I would fall in love with these two shows like everyone else. Well, I'm sad to report that I failed. I could only get about four and a half seasons in until I couldn't take it anymore. I made it through some of the first season of "Angel" but dropped that because I couldn't acquire the rest of it, not because I couldn't stand it. But I dropped "Buffy" because the things I disliked about it outnumbered the things I liked about it. So just what is it that I found so insufferable about "Buffy" while everyone else adores it? (Feel free to yell at me all you want. Or explain to me why I should stick with it and what I'm missing, which would be more helpful.)

Buffy Summers
Sorry, I don't like the Slayer. I find Sarah Michelle Gellar kind of annoying in this role and I tired quickly of her. I also got tired of her "serious" acting, which basically involves talking in a soft, hurt voice. I think a lot of this dislike comes from the intense pressure I feel to think of Buffy as a badass female role model who I should worship. Yeah, she kicks ass, but she isn't very bright and has others do the brainwork for her. And I know she's a teenage girl, but she gets really moody, cocky, bratty and insensitive and I don't have the patience for it I suppose. I also have an issue with the clever dialogue coming out of her mouth (as well as Xander's, but he'll get his soon enough). On "Firefly," the dialogue was full of slang and wit but it was set in an entirely different, future setting. "Gilmore Girls" as well as "Veronica Mars," to a certain extent, had witty dialogue but the characters were very intelligent and worldly. Buffy is just a petulant kid, so the dialogue comes off more cutesy and attempting to be hip than organically clever.

Xander and Anya
Same goes for Xander regarding the dialogue. I cannot stand Xander. He's an annoying, quippy, useless person in their little group. And then he has his little romance with Anya, another annoying character. I know it's a common suspension of disbelief regarding ages of actors playing teens, but there's a scene where Anya tries to order a drink at a bar and gets turned down because of her age. It's supposed to be hilarious. I'm sorry, but she looked like she was 35. These two together really drag down the show for me. Maybe I could just fastforward through their scenes? The only time I actually like Xander is when he grows a pair and tells the hard truth about a situation or character that needs to be said. But then he goes back to being plain old "lovable" Xander.

Angel
I never knew that the whole Edward Cullen/Bella Swan thing was a complete rip-off of the Angel/Buffy romance. God, I couldn't wait for their boring relationship to end. Or at least for Angelus to come back. Angel was such a bore and a downer. Until he got his own show, that is. Once he got his own show he was a much better character. But on "Buffy" he seemed to suck the life out of every scene he was in.

The excessively quippy dialogue
Like I said earlier, I think Joss Whedon's writing on "Firefly" really worked. But the quips and the "hip" dialogue just starts to make my ears burn on this show. I don't know how Giles keeps it together around these kids. I can actually understand now why some people don't like "Gilmore Girls," although the whip-smart dialogue on that show wasn't coming out of the mouths of dopey teenagers.

The stupid people of Sunnydale
Another element that really tests by ability to suspend disbelief. Any "Buffy" fan is aware of this infamous plot issue, so I won't bother explaining it, but the people of Sunnydale are absolute morons. Sure, they had that scene at the dance or prom or whatever honoring Buffy as Class Protector, but it didn't seem like enough. I guess Sunnydale has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the supernatural. They don't even bother to do a half-assed mass amnesia like "Smallville" always did. The death rate must not faze anyone either. It's like "Murder, She Wrote," where half the town is evil and the other half ends up as dead victims of the evil ones.

Those scheming, nefarious villains
I got really sick of having a new Bond-esque demon plotting the world's destruction in a cave somewhere underneath Sunnydale. Every new villain was going to bring about the end of the world. But when every villain claims to be high stakes, it makes the threats less tangible every time. I grant "Buffy" a little wiggle room with the cheesy villains because it was produced on the WB during the 90s. But I felt like I was watching the supernatural version of "24," where Jack Bauer kills the Big Bad, only to be told "you think this stops here? You have no idea who you're dealing with. Wait until you meet my boss. He's even badder! This isn't over!"

The logic of the Slayer mythos
So there's only one Slayer for the entire world? There really isn't any evil in the rest of the world? Or maybe evil just goes unchecked everywhere outside of Sunnydale? But of course Sunnydale has the Hellmouth, so it does have more evil. Who picks the Slayer? The Powers that Be? Is there any rhyme or reason to it? Why can there only be one? There's a whole lot of evil out there and the deck is really stacked against the side of good if we only get one chosen fighter. All the other cities dealing with vampires just get to suffer I guess.

That empty library
This is another infamous sticking point among fans, but in the high school years, why is no one ever in that damn library? I know it wouldn't work if it was a highly trafficked area, but it's not exactly a secure meeting location. Maybe that's why Sunnydale students are so dumb. They never go to to the library to study, and even if they did, all the books would be about ancient texts and evil creatures.

Why didn't Buffy and Willow just room together in college to begin with?
The fourth season sends the gang off to college and hilarity ensures when Buffy and Willow must deal with horrible roommates. Why didn't they just room together? Maybe because then they couldn't have the contrived storyline about Buffy's evil roommate?

Now that everyone hates me, I will list some things I do like about "Buffy." Because there are some things that I enjoy about this show.

The Initiative
I dropped the show about halfway through the fourth season so I never got the resolution to the whole Adam thing, but I liked that this was the season where "Buffy" fully embraced its campiness. It was like, "screw it, there's a secret government facility under the college! Just go with it!" The whole thing was so ridiculous I couldn't help but love it.

Computer nerds were still, well, nerds
Because it's a show from the 90s, no one knows how to use a computer but the one nerdy friend. This amused me to no end.

Giles
I love Giles. He's smart, experienced, and can actually fight when he needs to. The addition of Wesley served to make Giles look cooler by comparison, but I loved him before that.

Cordelia
I was kind of pissed when she left the show. She was a spoiled teen but at least she was honest and spoke her mind. She wasn't a complete cliche either like I expected. She's the beautiful popular girl but she also does well in school. She seemed like a much more realistic character to me as she was a young girl craving attention and popularity despite being strong and smart. Buffy just comes across as a petulant child to me. Cordelia was destined for greatness. I haven't seen much of "Angel," but her presence on that show can only mean good things.

Spike
I know he's a fan favorite and I can see why. His character absolutely embraces the camp of it all and seems like the only one actually having any fun. He adds that much-needed element because I honestly think the show isn't that fun without him. I should watch the rest of "Buffy" just to see him get more screentime. I much rather see him and Buffy throw down than Buffy and Angel.

So I've listed my main complaints and the few things that kept me with the show that long. I failed at my resolution. But for 2011, I think I'll renew it. Partly just to be able to say that I've seen the entire series. Partly to see if it gets any better. I kept waiting for it to take off and it finally caught on with me in the fourth season, but it didn't hook me strong enough. By the time I got to another episode with Danny Strong's character, I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the series again. I had better things to do anyway. But I want to see if any other season hooks me. I still haven't gotten to Evil Willow or "Once More, With Feeling" or "The Body," so maybe the great episodes come later. I certainly hope so. I started to get the feeling that this show is a lot like "Supernatural" or "Chuck," where it's a good show that is criminally overlooked and underrated so the rabid fan base talks it up so much that it gets a spot in TV history. I love these two shows but I think their greatness can be exaggerated by over-zealous fans, leading newcomers to think "well, this show is good, but nothing life changing." I think this is what's happening with me and "Buffy." It's fine, despite the 90s cheesiness, but not the extraordinary experience I've heard about. It's hard for a show to live up to the kind of hype "Buffy" gets. I wonder how much of the hype is due to nostalgia and how much is due to actual quality. Because I don't think the show is overrated crap, but I think the passing time and fond memories have helped lift it in the public consciousness.

I'm also going to try and pick up "Angel" again. I really liked it, despite the cruel decision to kill off Doyle so soon and sub in Wesley. The only reason I haven't watched "Angel" is because I can't manage to obtain it to watch it. But I like the darker, more serious tone and I love crossover episodes between shows, so I'll try to find it.

Maybe I'll fall in love with "Buffy," but I've been sitting through it for four seasons and I keep on waiting for it to grab me and become the iconic show I've been promised. Or maybe I'll still be bored with it and just watch "Firefly" for the billionth time instead.(Let the flogging commence)

My Favorite Things of 2010

I've read around a thousand lists of "Best movies of the year," "Worst movies of the year," "Biggest breakout stars of the year," etc. I didn't want to do a cliche one like that, so instead I'll do a super creative list of things that made me happy this year. Enjoy, and feel free to yell at me for anything I missed. It's been a long year, after all, and I know I didn't remember everything.

"Inception" gives us a 2 for 1 gift
I thought I'd put the obvious one up front. We got a thrilling, summer popcorn movie combined with a thoughtful, mind-bending film rolled into one amazing time at the movies (or three, depending on how many times you saw it. I couldn't get enough!) "Inception" is one of my new favorite movies of all time. No other director can make blockbuster movies that are incredibly popular, incredibly smart, and incredibly original like Christopher Nolan.

The continual rise of AMC
I'm slowly falling in love with this channel. From top-notch original programming like "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" to quality movies that aren't just whatever they could get the rights to and throw on the air, they live up to their slogan of "story matters here." I don't think "The Walking Dead" lived up to its fantastic premise, but AMC deserves all due credit for making an effort to have all-around quality programming.

BBC's "Sherlock"
From "Doctor Who" writer Steven Moffat, "Sherlock" had a lot of the charm and energy of Moffat's "Doctor Who" contributions. A modern updating of the Sherlock Holmes stories could have easily been a disgrace to Sherlock's history, but it turned out to be an extremely entertaining and smartly produced TV series. It's easily one of the best things I've watched this year and I can't wait for more episodes.

"Southland" lives
NBC couldn't hold on to it, but TNT knew better and kept this great cop drama on the air, even renewing it for another season to air soon. I don't like procedurals, but I do love lawyer and cop dramas when they're more sophisticated and realistic than the hundreds of "CSI"s and "Law & Order"s out there.

"Cougar Town" keeps getting better and better
I'm really hoping I won't be saying this still next year as it pains me to admit, but "Modern Family" seems to have peaked in its first year. But "Cougar Town" worked out its kinks, ditched the off-putting premise, and became a terrific sitcom that has the same silly yet smart comedy that show creator Bill Lawrence put in "Scrubs."

"Fringe" crosses over to the Other Side
I've raved about this show all over my blog, so I won't bother to reiterate my praise, even if it does completely deserve it. After all the highly advertised 'next big things' in SciFi that sputtered and died, it's nice to have one show around that nails the big narrative scope and intimate character development that all those other ones promised but couldn't deliver on.

Andrew Garfield
I had no idea whatsoever who this guy was when they announced him as the lead actor in the "Spiderman" reboot. I wasn't excited already because I thought the first two movies were very good. But after seeing him in "The Social Network," I couldn't wait to see more of him. Jesse Eisenberg plays it cold and distanced, but Andrew Garfield brings the emotional weight of the film. It excited me to uncover another tidbit of why I thought he looked so darn familiar. He had a lead role in the two-part "Doctor Who" episode "Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks." He definitely has my attention now!

"Toy Story 3"
So many people of my generation were terrified that our childhood memories of the first two movies would be retroactively tarnished by an awful addition to the franchise years later. Imagine our relief when the third movie was every bit as wonderful as the first two. Who knew three animated kid's movies could be so emotionally affecting and enjoyable by young and old equally. More than a success due to nostalgia alone, this third film earned all the praise it got.

"24" ends
I loved this show for a long time but the last few seasons went really downhill and it broke my heart. The character assassination of Tony Almeida was bad enough, but Katee Sackhoff's Dana Walsh storyline put the final nail in the coffin and it became crystal clear - "24"'s time had come and gone and it was time to go.

"Ugly Betty" ends on a high note
No one really noticed when "Ugly Betty" recovered from its creative slump and got back to its first season goodness. By then, the show was canceled and was wrapping things up. But unlike other shows that march slowly toward their death with dwindling writing quality, "Ugly Betty" avoided that bitter end and proved that it deserves a fond place in our memories.

"Avatar" gets shut out at the Oscars
As the Oscar season roles around again, people are disputing the validity of nominations for ten films or for blockbuster films. But if "Avatar" can be a frontrunner, then so can "Inception" and other great movies that also happened to be wildly popular. As much as I think blockbuster movies deserve recognition when they're good, movies should win Academy Awards for having the whole package. Brilliant visuals should win technical awards. Brilliant visuals plus superb writing and acting should win Best Picture.

"Breaking Bad" winning big at the Emmys
Speaking of the whole package, "Breaking Bad" definitely has it. As much as I've wanted "Dexter" to get some love for a while and as exquisite as "Mad Men" is, "Breaking Bad" is shockingly terrific. Shockingly in that it has shocking moments, not that I expected it to be bad. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul absolutely earned those Emmy awards. Their performances are fearlessly genius and unparalleled in the television world.

"Billionaire" by Travie McCoy & Bruno Mars
I'll admit, I'm not an avid listener of Top 40 like I used to be, finding most of it to be overly autotuned and unoriginal. I don't like the state of pop music right now, I think American Idol alums only add to the generic singles, and rap/hip-hop has never been my favorite genre. (I don't say this to be an old timer at heart or a smug, arrogant hipster, I just like to be honest). But I really loved this song. So much of hip-hop that turns me off has to do with the Kanye West-type arrogance in the music. Social commentary and innovation, yes please. Giant egos going on and on about how awesomely badass and rich they are, no thank you. "Billionaire" came at a good time, when the economy was in a bad place and everyone could relate to this earnest song about the natural desire to have the freedom and joy that money can bring.

"Night Work" by the Scissor Sisters
Not nearly as popular in their native US as they should be, the Scissor Sisters released another album this year. The delightful new addition brought us more quality pop, heavily influenced by the best of disco and dance music. They also released the ridiculously upbeat song "Isn't It Strange," which got a place in the new "Shrek" movie. Still filthy, still gorgeous, I hope the Scissor Sisters keep putting out great music like they have this year.

"Kick-Ass" says 'yes' to violence and swearing
Is it base of me to say that I enjoyed the hell out of this movie? Is it immature of me to admit that I loved all the graphic violence? I don't care what anyone says, I had a great time watching this one and wish it had done better so we would get a sequel. It also got Mika to release another single specifically for this movie, so all things considered, this movie made me very happy this year.

Ben Affleck keeps directing
It looks like "Gone Baby Gone" was just the beginning. I don't care if Affleck ever acts again, but I can't wait to see what he does next behind the camera.

Mark Pellegrino scores some high-profile roles
Alright, Lucifer on "Supernatural" is definitely not a high-profile role. He was probably recognized mostly for his work as the abusive Paul Bennett on "Dexter." But he also got the role as the mysterious Jacob on "Lost." I may not have liked the direction "Lost" took towards the end, but Pellegrino was game to fill in the convoluted blanks in the story.

The pervasive use of "Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor)"
And I thought I'd put the bizarrely specific one last. I love this simple yet moving piece of music by composer John Murphy. It's showing up all over the place now, from episodes of "V" and "The Walking Dead" to the climax of "Kick-Ass" (which also used Murphy's "In the House, in a Heartbeat" from "28 Days Later.") I even heard it in a trailer for some Javier Bardem movie. It's quickly becoming the new go-to piece of music, much like the oft-used "Lux Aerterna" from "Requiem for a Dream."

Why has this Fall TV season been so lackluster?

At first, I thought it was just my busier life this year that caused me to watch much less television lately. But then the other articles started up, asking why there are no break-out hits this year. It made me stop and think about this season and realize that it wasn't just me - there really aren't any big hits this year.
It's been a while, but it's been a long time since there was not a single new show I was excited about. I decided to drop "The Event" this week, "Nikita" never grabbed me, "Undercovers" just felt unnecessary with "Chuck" still around, "No Ordinary Family" sounded like a perfectly ordinary family drama, and I couldn't even bring myself to watch more procedurals. You want to know what my big, new obsession is this fall? "Six Feet Under." I recently acquired the DVDs and have been making my way through that show, effectively extinguishing any desire for a new show actually on the fall schedule. But I've turned to old cable shows because I just can't see beyond the flood of more and more procedurals. At some point, the American viewing public has to get sick of cops and lawyers, right? I'm fine if cops and lawyers are done well (like in "Southland") or with some interesting premise that hooks you ("Life on Mars" or "Eli Stone"), but the majority of shows out there are just run-of-the-mill, boring procedural shows. And I suppose a lot of the new fall shows are okay, but they aren't anything to get excited about. I remember how thrilling "Heroes" was in those early days, or how "Pushing Daisies" transported you into a fantasy world unlike any other, or how riveting "24" was every week, and I still get glimpses of the heartwarming enjoyable hour "Grey's Anatomy" used to be and still can be.

It's like "Lost" just left a huge void in quality TV and everyone is afraid to try anything big again. Although if they do try something big, they will be inevitably compared to "Lost," whether they intended to copy it or not. "Lost" was just such a big sensation among all demographics that I think TV is taking some time to collectively catch its breath. Also, as my new "Six Feet Under" love has noted, it's just easier to find quality television shows on cable networks. Cable networks still have freedoms that basic channels don't so they end up taking more risks, producing fewer shows but concentrating on making those few shows stellar. It's why a lot of good TV comes out of the UK - their seasons are short and they end the shows after only a few seasons. It may not be as satisfying in the short term, but in the long term, you realize that's why it was able to maintain its quality. Who knows, maybe a show like "Firefly" wouldn't have gone down in TV history as one of the greatest shows of all time if it had had more than one season to screw things up. Sure, there are some shows that can last a long time at a great level. "Supernatural" has had ups and downs, but I think it's one of the most consistently well written and acted shows on television now. But the lesson here is that the basic networks rarely take chances on something big, and more often than not, it doesn't pay off anyway.

So that's why I'm not blogging as much about TV as I wish I was. Long-term loves have been my focus as some shows, like "Fringe", have finally become great while others have always been great. It's also about that time when shows five or more seasons in experience a revitalization of creativity. But nothing new this fall has captured my attention, and that's really a shame because I'm not too hard to please when it comes to TV. I guess we'll all just hold on until next fall and hope someone, anyone, takes a gamble and brings us something great. It doesn't have to be the next "Lost." Just the next show that doesn't rehash the same formula we've seen a million times.

My Top 10: TV Heroes

It's been a while since I last did a Top Ten list, and everyone loves lists, so I figured I'd focus on the best of the best on TV. We all love a good hero and we know the basic short list for All Time Heroes (Batman, Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, etc.). The list of movie heroes is long, varied, well-worn territory, so I'd like to salute my favorite lesser-known TV heroes and heroines. I'm defining a hero through the use of a hypothetical scenario. If the there was some sort of doomsday scenario and the world was in jeopardy, who would I want if I could pick a team of ten people to help avert disaster? Okay, not all of them are heroes in the epic, world-saving sense, but I would want every one of them on my side when I'm in a bad spot. And I'm admitting right now that I am clumping together some related people when they are absolutely necessary as a team. What can I say? My list, my rules.

10. Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of "Buffy." I find it to be one of the most overrated shows out there. One of the reasons I have a hard time watching it is because of the fact that I don't like any of the characters. Any except Giles, that is (and Spike). I've only gotten four seasons into the show so my love of Giles is based solely on them, but from what I've seen he's the only person on that show who can get anything done. Buffy can kick ass but she's not very bright, Xander's a useless dork, Willow's smart but weak, Anya is a bitchy third wheel, and Angel was a moody miserable stalker who didn't become interesting until he got his own show. Giles, on the other hand, is brilliant and can kick ass if he needs to. The introduction of Wesley improved his image, but I liked him from the beginning. If the world was in jeopardy from supernatural forces, Giles would figure out what was behind it and how to stop it.

9. Malcolm Reynolds (Nathon Fillion) from "Firefly"

This spot would go to River Tam, but she got to be awesome in basically only one episode in "Firefly." "Serenity" is where she shined and if this was a movie heroes list she'd definitely place. But Mal is the hero of "Firefly" that I would want around when the shit hits the fan or any scary monsters are around going "grrr, argh." Okay, he wasn't exactly a hero in the strictest sense of the word, but he was a damn good leader of his little outfit and he did the right thing when making tough decisions.

8. Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) from "Veronica Mars"

Some of my heroes aren't action stars, but they still fit my definition of hero. Anytime someone has screwed you over, Veronica is able to get to the bottom of it - and look great doing it. But more than just super sexy eye candy, she's clever and she knows how to work her appearance to her advantage. While someone like Giles could solve problems with his book smarts, Veronica would fill out the team with her street smarts. She's the kind of girl who could get a criminal to confess without him even realizing it. She's kind of ninja-like in that way.

7. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) from "Burn Notice"

He's sort of the male version of Veronica, but with much more experience in the professional world of espionage. He's also got that whole MacGyver thing going on which would totally help in my hypothetical doomsday scenario. He also has an ability unlike anyone else on this list to assume false identities for his jobs and that earns him a spot on this list.

6. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) from "Lie to Me"
He's a human lie detector. What more is there to say? Lightman keeps a strong commitment to finding the truth and looking at a situation rationally. Sure, Dr. House can declare that "everybody lies," but Lightman can tell you who specifically is doing the lying and what about. He backs up his natural skill with years of scientific experience and study, so you can trust him to save the day when your ass is on the line. His expertise with interrogation would stop us from needing a Jack Bauer character to come along and torture an answer out of someone.

5. Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) from "Fringe"

I've raved about Olivia for some time now, so of course she earns a top spot on this list. She's another take-charge lady with nerves of steel who can travel through universes just to help someone she cares about. She can face the strangest of the strange with a level head and still serve justice. I absolutely love her and would have to enlist her in my team of fictional superheroes. (Super referring to their awesomeness, not their comic book based powers.)

4. Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) from "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"

This might seem strange to put her so high on the list, as she wasn't my personal female hero like Olivia, but she had a lot more to deal with than Olivia did. In a world full of deadly machines, she was truly the unstoppable force to be reckoned with. She combined top-notch combat skills with fierce maternal instincts and I'm sure even the FOX execs who cancelled her show would agree that she would be ideal to have by your side when the world is in peril.

3. The Winchester clan (Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins) from "Supernatural"

This is the start of "my list, my rules" because I am counting the next two as package deals. Sam and Dean Winchester with the help of Castiel are quite the team. Sure, they started the apocalypse, but they also managed to stop it, sort of. The self-sacrificing goes beyond what they do for each other and extends to what they sacrifice to help other people. When Dean lives a Twilight Zone version of his life if he wasn't a hunter, he cannot accept a life where others died because he wasn't around to rescue them. Sam agrees that their lifestyle "is unfair, and it hurts like hell, but it's worth it." Castiel rebels against the corrupt establishment in Heaven to try and save the Earth and gives up everything he had to do it. It's a shame the Heaven in the "Supernatural" universe is in such disarray because if anyone deserves it, it's these three heroes.

2. The Torchwood team (Naoko Mori, Gareth David-Lloyd, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, John Barrowman) from "Torchwood"

Talk about more self-sacrifice in the line of duty. Three out of the original five team members died and Captain Jack Harkness had to sacrifice his grandson to stop a horrifying alien threat. Jack is a dashing hero who can't even die which makes him an incomparable hero. He's smarter and much more responsible than he seems and he picks loyal team members. An immortal ex-Time Agent, a cop, a doctor, a computer genius, and the tea boy who was so much more made one powerful group of heroes. Which is why it's that much more painful that the show insists on killing them off! (Oh, and you're pretty much ensured crisis sex with this horny bunch).

1. The Doctor (David Tennant or Christopher Eccleston) from "Doctor Who"

This is no shocker. The Doctor saves the universe every season and does it without firing a gun or throwing a punch. He'll take care of those damn Daleks every time they come back, he'll stop the Cybermen whenever they reappear, and he'll even burn his own planet out of existence to stop a threatening race bent on genocide. River Song put it best, when she commented that "now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days when the wind stands fair and the Doctor comes to call, everybody lives."

"Nikita" - pretty people fighting and a whole lot of familiar faces.

It's always fun around this time to see where actors end up. Each season you get shows that are inundated with familiar faces who aren't famous enough to land their own vehicles but not insignificant enough to drop into obscurity. "The Event" was practically its own drinking game of "hey, it's that guy" moments. Likewise, "Nikita" employs plenty of faces who bounce around TV that you'll recognize if you watch a lot.

I never watched the original "La Femme Nikita" or the movie so I'm not going to even try to compare the two. This modern update stands on its own so you really don't need to know the franchise's past. Maggie Q plays the titular Nikita who is forced into being an assassin by the mysterious Division and goes rogue after they kill her boyfriend. Another plotline involves young new "recruit" Alex who is being introduced to life at Division. She's more than just the audience surrogate, luckily, as lots of exposition comes from Nikita herself. The cast is pretty good so far, certainly better than you'd expect from the average CW show. I still love Maggie Q and she has the chops to back up her ass-kicking ways. Her acting is nothing brilliant, but it's not awful either. It was also nice to see Aaron Stanford, even if he is relegated to the obligatory computer nerd role as Birkhoff. I constantly need to remind myself lately that I'm one of, like, 12 people who actually saw (and loved) ABC's "Traveler" so I'll just say his best-known work is his role as Pyro in the "X-Men" movies. I'm glad he got to be a bit of a badass, although I hope his entire role on the show isn't to sit behind computers and track people. Melinda Clarke of "CSI" and "The OC" fame plays a leader in Division and seems like a good fit for the show. It took me forever to remember where I knew Xander Berkeley, who plays Division leader Percy, from - as George Mason on "24."

The only actor I had a problem with was Shane West as Michael, the Division operative tasked with dealing with the Nikita situation. I think he was really miscast in this role, partly because he seems too young for it. West is 32, but I just don't think he looks mature enough for the part. There can't be too much of an age difference, I suppose, if they want to make a history between Michael and Nikita, but he just doesn't command the authority that his character requires. He plays assholes well, but a little facial scruff and a rough voice don't a gritty performance make.

My one problem out of the way, I have to say I enjoyed this show. Granted, my expectations weren't high because it's on the CW and it's a remake of an old show, but then again "Supernatural" is on the CW and "Battlestar Galactica" was a remake of an old show. It's just nice to be pleasantly surprised, especially after watching the bland "The Event" last night. The dialogue isn't a huge step up, especially with the cringeworthy "this is war" line from Percy, but the narrative is solid so far. I thought it was an good pilot that was a nice mix of action and set-up. I didn't actually see the big twist coming, that the new recruit Alex is actually going undercover in Division for Nikita. I was expecting Birkhoff to somehow become her mole on the inside after she captured him and voiced her ideas about taking down Division. But it's nice to have Alex as the mole since they'll underestimate the new girl. I'd like to know more about her history, especially after they threw in that random thing about her Ukrainian past. I also think they cast her well as she actually looks like a young kid acting tough.

I enjoyed the action, but I hope they get a little more creative with it. I'd love to see them do what "Chuck" does where they add flavor and character to their fight scenes, using different environments, objects, and styles to create unique action sequences. Maggie Q can certainly handle it. I'm not going to take the show to task for not being fun enough though since they're going for a more serious tone and I'm okay with that. As long as they have riveting stories and characters to go with it, and I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt there.

I still need to catch up on the second episode before the third airs on Thursday, but it looks like this will be an entertaining romp this season. It may be too dark or serious for some people, or not dark and serious enough, but this is the CW, not TNT or USA. I still highly recommend it.

"The Event" - It's the next 'Lost'!

I had to title it that because you know it's what they wanted to market it as, but after the abysmal failures of "The Nine" and "Flashforward," they didn't want to go that far. But the "Lost" vibe is what it's going for, and it's no surprise that it's no "Lost."
Take the crazy crisis situations, minority President and Jack Bauer tactics of "24," add in elements of the first, second, and fourth "Die Hard" movies, multiply it by "Lost" with all its vague mysteries, throw in a little "Independence Day" action hero and "need to know" dialogue, add a whole lot of "Flashforward"'s ambitions, and "Flashforward"'s, "The Nine"'s and "The 4400"'s emphasis on a big occurrence, and you've got NBC's "The Event." I was struggling to find something, anything, that was original or at least a fresh spin on tried and true elements of the mystery/SciFi genres, but I don't recall finding any. So many elements just felt lifted from other projects with recognized, recently free actors thrown in. The dialogue was nothing special and downright irritating in the scenes with the politicians, where they talked in broad, noble rhetoric without any real arguments on the situation they were discussing. No one character had any distinct personality which made it hard to care about any of them in particular. "Lost"'s main strength was their characters and I give them all due respect for creating realistic, distinctive, multi-dimensional, morally ambiguous characters.


I'm suspecting I've become jaded after being let down by "Heroes," "Flashforward," and "Lost." Again and again, I've learned that the payoff is hardly worth the investment so you have to be content with the journey. The problem is when you get shows like this that so emphasize the mystery primarily, (it's called "The Event" after all. And no matter what fans say, "Lost" was unique and lit up the fanbase because of its mysteries) you have to hope they have a good plan for the mystery and they aren't just stringing you along.

"Flashforward," "Lost," and it looks like "The Event" as well all had the same problem for me. I feel like they were terrified of outright embracing their SciFi side. Executives still think SciFi could never be mainstream, so I get this feeling that these shows skirt SciFi, insisting on bizarre mysteries to draw in viewers but not going deep enough into the SciFi realm to give satisfying payoff to their mysteries. Everything stays in this vague middle-ground where they try to please everyone.

Regarding the event itself, I hate the whole "too soon to reference real-life terrorism in pop culture" argument, but it still bothers me a little to see a hijacked plane getting flown into a building in a fictional setting. It wasn't fun watching Clark Kent burn down twin towers on "Smallville" and it wasn't fun watching a plane plummeting to the ground on "The Event." I guess using planes gives you an automatic, built-in anxiety about the situation due to real-life plane crashes/hijackings and fictional ones. Still, when you name a show "The Event," I expect a little something bigger than a strange occurrence during a plane hijacking. This just felt like an old episode of "The Twilight Zone." So did they go through a wormhole? Was is some weird, man-made technology like on "Flashforward?" Were they transported through time like in "The Twilight Zone" or "The 4400?" Is everyone on the plane dead and now in purgatory, getting prepped for their journey to heaven? (I couldn't resist.) Did they just get transported somewhere else on Earth? That seems unlikely since the plane still would have crashed, just somewhere else. All in all, I'm not so sure I care. Maybe they'll do something interesting with the concept, but I'm not holding out hope.

There were so many moments in the pilot that took me out of the show. As a frequent flyer who gained all her flight experience in the post 9/11 world, a lot of security issues took me out of the episode. How did Jason Ritter get a gun on the plane? I saw that he ditched some clothes or something in the bathroom after boarding the plane, but didn't notice what they were. If they were a uniform for airplane personnel, wouldn't the other airplane personnel have noticed him? And if it wasn't a uniform, then still how did he get the gun on the plane? How did that guy in the car just drive onto the tarmac? Why were there no people on the tarmac at all? I was incredibly relieved they didn't ignore the existence of Air Marshals, though, so they gained a couple points back for that.

Stray other thoughts:

• So I figure some conspiracy group took Scott Patterson aka Michael Buchanan's daughters hostage after shooting his wife, then forced him to crash the plane. That was quite an elaborate plan then since they bothered to disappear the older daughter, going so far as to take out her cell phone.


• Couldn't Jason Ritter have just asked the guard or the hotel manager to look at the security footage to show he and his girlfriend were there? The footage would probably be gone since the kidnappers went through so much trouble to make it look like they were never there, but it didn't even occur to Jason's character to try?


• "I'll explain everything once we're on the ground." You can't at least say something, like someone is hijacking the plane as the pilot? Or just something?


• I'll be honest, it took me some time to realize that the names before certain scenes were the characters' names, not the credits. I was thinking the credits were taking a long time to come up, but then I realized that I wasn't recognizing any of the names. Yes, it was a dumb moment.


• Once they're on the ground, "you can arrest me all you want." Lol.
  
  
• Why didn't ANYONE try to drive the President away from a plane rushing towards him? Where was his Secret Service detail? He was already in the car with his family, and they all just sat there.


• That whole post-drowning scene where the couples are hanging out and drinking felt exactly like the setup for a horror movie. The young lovers on vacation, the exotic locale, the mysterious strangers forcing their way into your life, the odd way they met...


• Without distinctive characters, I still have to resort to saying "hey, now we're talking with Dr Kerry Weaver, and now we're talking with Luke Danes, and now we're talking to that "Joan of Arcadia" guy, and is Zeljko Ivanek on every single damn show?"
  

I'll tune in for the next few episodes. If it's going somewhere interesting or there's actually some character development, I'll stick with it. If the dialogue and cast are still bland as all get-out and they drag out the mystery forever like it's the most fascinating question to plague mankind, I'll drop it.

"Lie to Me" - a procedural worth watching

I'm not normally one for procedurals. My kind of show is not the kind that you can drop for several seasons and then pick up again with no problem. I will watch and enjoy them from time to time, though, when I need something to sit back and enjoy without thinking. When you're working hard on something, nothing makes better background noise than an "NCIS" marathon on USA Network which, fortunately, happens pretty much every other day. Even shows I love I tend to eventually tire with if they veer too much into the procedural territory and don't have enough character development or long-term story arcs to keep me interested. A prime example of this is "House," which I loved for the first few seasons. But after they scrapped the original doctors helping House, got some boring new people, then attempted to bring back the originals to no avail, I gave up on the show. By then, you knew what would happen - a few incorrect diagnoses, the one they think is right but isn't, then the one that is after House gets one of his "a-ha!" moments. It is clear, however, that America absolutely adores procedurals. Just look at the ratings something like "NCIS" or "CSI" gets. So it irks me more than usual when I see a quality procedural like "Lie to Me" fly under the radar of the average viewer. This isn't entirely the viewers' fault, as FOX has toyed around with this show for a while, ultimately banishing the rest of its second season to the end of the regular TV season in June. In my ideal world, this would give the show a boost since it has little if any competition now.

"Lie to Me" centers around Cal Lightman, played by Tim Roth, who runs a group that aids law enforcement by using psychology. The concept is mostly why I enjoy this show, as you get tons of fun facts about deception and lies and 'microexpressions.' It sounds slightly ridiculous, but it is based on a real person and a real type of science. Lightman works with Kelli Williams' Gillian Foster, Brendan Hines' Eli Loker, and Monica Raymund's Ria Torres. Mekhi Phifer, of "ER" fame, recently joined the cast as a liasion between The Lightman Group and the FBI. We also occasionally get to see Lightman's ex-wife and his daughter, and family drama and romantic relationships are so much more fun when everyone is skilled at lying as well as detecting lies. The fun, fascinating characters matched with the unique concept make for one worthwhile procedural drama. Also, any person remotely interested in psychology should enjoy this show a lot.

The series finally came back with a new episode Monday night, which featured a guest appearance by Jason Dohring, who viewers might possibly recognize as Logan Echolls from the criminally overlooked drama "Veronica Mars." Dohring played a serial killer who Lightman encounters while giving a lecture at a university. When Dohring's character challenged Lightman's observations about Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" speech, I assumed at first that he was joining the show and I had just not heard about it yet. I thought he would be another 'natural' like Ria Torres who would butt heads with Lightman. But instead, he was a psychopath who was torturing and killing women. I think Dohring completely pulled this off. I always thought (well, at least for the last season of "Veronica Mars") that he seemed like a guy who could snap at any moment. He plays the arrogant, charming, damaged psychopath very well. Many mind games ensue and Lightman eventually gets him for his crimes after he gets himself kidnapped. That was the only moment in the episode that was a little awkward for me, when Dohring's character finally captures and waterboards Lightman. It was glossed over so quickly that it was over by the time you realized what was happening. I liked the twist of him getting captured, but it felt very rushed. Perhaps they could have cut a little from Loker and Torres' B-story about a teacher who claims to have seen a UFO. On the plus side, we did get to see yet another military character played by Glenn Morshower, the go-to guy for military roles. To "24" fans, he's best known as Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce. The first episode back was a fine return to form for the show, and I'm really looking forward to next week's episode, where it looks like Lightman's checkered past comes back to haunt him in a big (read: explosive) way.

For any interested person, the first season is out on DVD and the rest of Season 2 is probably available online somewhere. The pilot would be best to start with, obviously, and it showcases lots of fun deception tips. My favorite thing "Lie to Me" does, which they do in the pilot, is when they show a character making some expression and then pictures of famous figures pop up with the same exact expression. It mixes psychology and history, and I just love it. There are many other great episodes to check out, which feature hostage situations (and those always make for riveting TV), poker tournaments (with deception experts, so it's not as boring as real poker tournaments), a harrowing trip to Afghanistan, plenty of psycho killers (Qu'est-ce que c'est? Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba...), undercover operations, and conspiracies. Also, the show gets extra brownie points for actually bothering to have a theme song and opening sequence. That's a dying art in television that they really need to bring back.

Hey, it's THAT guy! - Alan Dale

What with summer upon us and a small amount of actual, relevant television to talk about, I thought this would be a good time to start a new regular segment called "Hey, it's THAT guy!" One of the most annoying feelings is when you're watching a show or movie, and you see an actor that you just know you've seen a million times before. You feel like you should easily know their name by now, but nothing strikes a bell. I know more actors by name than most people, especially TV actors, but it still happens to me quite a bit and nothing is more frustrating than that tip-of-your-tongue feeling.
So, for my first segment, I decided to profile Alan Dale, who recently wrapped up a stint on "Lost" as the mysterious Charles Widmore. I was surprised to find out that he's actually from New Zealand originally, as he's an actor that ably juggles different accents. He first came to major fame for an Australian show called "Neighbours," that apparently became quite popular. Like most people, he eventually guested on "ER." Nowadays on American TV, he normally plays the role of "powerful douchebag," as seen in such roles as Charles Widmore on "Lost," Dr. Aaron Copley on "Torchwood," and Bradford Meade on "Ugly Betty." I particularly remember him from "Torchwood" as he was the powerful douchebag who shot and killed Owen Harper. He's played many roles in procedurals as well including "NCIS," "Law & Order: SVU," "Crossing Jordan," "CSI: Miami," "JAG," "The West Wing," and "The Practice." I'm ashamed to admit I don't remember him as Vice President Jim Prescott on "24," but then I remember how long ago I actually watched "24." I never watched a single episode of "The O.C.," but he was a regular on that show for a while as Caleb Nichol. He's primarily in television, although he did have a part in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." However, I think it's best if we just forget that movie ever existed.

Tis the Season - More Shows Renewed, Cancelled

It's that time again! That nervewracking time of the year as we creep closer and closer to upfronts where the networks have to announce their fall schedules and decide what stays and what goes. I'm happy to announce that I've had some luck with my bubble shows this year. I'm also happy to announce that I officially love Michael Ausiello (but that's nothing new!)

(Ausiello is keeping a great Bubble Show Scorecard here. I think his version is the best as it's the most up-to-date.)

In his column this week he filled us in on when each network has their upfront presentation:

• Monday 5/17 - NBC and FOX
• Tuesday 5/18 - ABC
• Wednesday 5/19 - CBS
• Thursday 5/20 - The CW

But, onto the good news/bad news segment! "V" was renewed, much to my delight. I think the show still has potential, unlike "Flashforward," which was just cancelled. "Flashforward" was an epic disappointment for me this year so I'm hoping "V" will make up for it by returning strong next season.

Also cancelled by ABC were "Romantically Challenged," (which I hardly remember hearing about), "Scrubs," and "Better Off Ted." I'm glad "Scrubs" is finally retiring; it really wasn't the same show, just the same title. And I'm unsure about "Better Off Ted." I heard from quite a few sources that it was good, but I never watched myself so all I can do is offer my condolences to any "Ted" fans.

"Human Target" and "Lie to Me" were both saved, despite every site talking about saving one or the other. Well, unofficially saved so far, but I'll trust Ausiello with this one and take the victory. "Human Target" seemed like a fun enough show and I checked out a few episodes, but I'm a "Lie to Me" girl all the way. Any show that teaches me how to detect lies is a winner in my book.

But the best news of all? "Chuck" was finally, officially renewed. And we didn't even need a giant Subway campaign this year, so yay for us.

This has been a crazy season: "Lost" is going away forever, "24" the television series is ending (personally, I am totally ready for some "24" movies), "Supernatural" got renewed despite its intention of ending this season (and ending the season with a very series finale-y episode), "Fringe" got renewed without too much last minute drama, "Southland" got the life it deserves on TNT, "Burn Notice" was renewed through, like, 2035, and who knows what the hell is going on with "Heroes." (I'd take another season. Even though I hate this concept, it's the perfect definition of a 'guilty pleasure' for me.) [Update: "Heroes" is dead. Finally. It's still sad remembering your glory days though.]

I'll probably post something else about the new fall pilots when we get closer to fall. There are so many right now that still have such fluid concepts and casts at this point that I don't bother to brush up on them until later. So for now, I'm going to celebrate the renewal of the shows I've been cheering for all year.