The etiquette of thinking

My quick take on television.

The Great Stuff:

The Office really is the best show on television. Period. It’s funny. It’s compelling. It’s “real.” As everyone knows, I could say good things about it all day. So to mix things up, I’m going to make a large criticism: No new episodes until the Fall.

The Sopranos is almost over – as of right now, there are only nine episodes remaining – and it’s as interesting and important as ever. I’m always amazed by the show’s ability to balance a huge cast and still make the stories compelling every week. The Lost writers and producers need to pay closer attention to the Sopranos.

The Good Stuff:

I like My Name Is Earl. The characters. The positive attitude of the show. Still, I don’t know that it will ever be a great show. (Granted, that just means that it might not change the world, like an Arrested Development, but I’d guess it will have a long run in primetime and a longer run in syndication.)

Big Love is fascinating. And remarkably “on” when it comes to its Salt Lake verisimilitude. It did take a few episodes to get going, but the performances by the cast are awesome.

On The Line:

How I Met Your Mother is too sentimental, like I worried it could be. And the more interesting minor characters are still taking a back seat to the bland major characters. But there is still something compelling about it. Although I can’t say what.

The Ugly:

Two and a Half Men suddenly tried having its main characters act like grown-ups. I don’t like it this way. So I stopped watching in January.

The Fugly:

Kolchak. I don’t know when this show died. But I know for me it was about week three. Once Stuart Townsend had shown how much he sucks. And once the show had shown how it was never ever going to be even remotely fun or entertaining.

Over The Hill:

The Simpsons had a pretty good season overall. The Ricky Gervais episode was brilliant. And there were a few bright moments otherwise. It’s hard though. The show has been on for so long and the characters are so iconic that there isn’t much you can do to rock the boat. And yet, it can still make me laugh.

I don’t watch The Family Guy anymore.

Other Thoughts:

I’ve watched more Grey’s Anatomy than I'd care to in my lifetime. And I think it’s only going to get worse in the future.

I hope The Office DVD comes out soon.

My office at work is always cold. I keep a coat around (even in the summer) because it’s that uncomfortable.