What I've Been Watching
Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Back when this show first aired, I was one of the biggest non-believers around. A TV show of that goofy movie? Yeah, right. Thankfully, I had friends like Stan! around to talk me into borrowing his tapes of Seasons 1-3, and I was hooked almost immediately. Since then, I've become a big Joss Whedon fan (and apparently was one of the two dozen or so Firefly fans out there). I'll admit to having mixed feelings about the series finally drawing to a close recently--on the one hand, I'm sorry to see an old favorite go, but on the other hand, the quality's really been slipping over the last few seasons, and I'd rather remember it for its high points (including top-notch episodes such as "Hush" or "Once More With Feeling" or, for that matter, most of season 3) than for the interminable morosity (is that a word? don't care) that plagued so much of seasons 6 and 7. For the record, I think the series finale was a solid finish; I only wish more of the season could have shared its pacing.
Six Feet Under (DVD). If you read my review of Sports Night (see below), you know I like Peter Krause. He's every bit as entertaining (and then some) in this HBO series about a family-run funeral home. Yes, the family's every bit as dysfunctional as you'd guess, and then some. Like other great HBO series such as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under doesn't pull its punches with character or story. The development of the younger brother's character during the opening season was particularly compelling. The first season's available on DVD, which is all I've watched so far (so avoid spoilers for later seasons, please!).
Sports Night (DVD). Aaron Sorkin's short-lived venture into the bizarre workplace antics at the "Continental Sports Channel." This gem of a show never really got a chance to succeed, in my opinion. Though the half-hour format (and execrable canned laughter that intruded on early episodes) suggested comedy, the show was as much drama as comedy, which certainly must have confused audiences. The two-year run features some great performances by Peter Krause (currently starring in HBO's Six Feet Under), Josh Charles (whom you might remember from Dead Poets Society), Joshua Malina (now a regular on West Wing), Robert Guillaume, and one of my favorite character actors, William H. Macy, in a recurring guest role. Though at times a bit fluffy, the writing shows much of the "witty banter" that makes West Wing so much fun, and tackles some topics of surprising depth and seriousness.
Stargate. I wanted to like the movie more than I did--the pacing was just too slow, as I remember--so when the TV show came along, I didn't pay much attention. But a year or so ago I watched a few episodes on the recommendation of my friend Faith Price, and later started renting the early seasons through Netflix (the greatest TV-watching invention after TiVo). Gwendolyn and I are up through Season 5, and we're really enjoying it. It has a lot of the appeal of the original Star Trek series, as the SG team visits a new planet every episode, but also has an interesting ongoing storyline that they return to from time to time a la X-Files.
West Wing. Just in time for me to feed my Aaron Sorkin habit, the Bravo network started showing West Wing reruns this past summer. There simply hasn't been a more tightly written show on TV over the last few years, and thanks to the magic of TiVo I haven't missed an episode. It was great to catch the earliest episodes (which I missed the first time around) and see how the characters and their relationships with one another develop over time. Admittedly, this probably isn't a terribly appealing show to those who don't appreciate liberal politics--it's a Democratic White House in Hollywood's fantasy-land--but frankly, I relish seeing smart characters trading smart dialogue regardless of their political leanings, rather than wasting my time in front of yet another insipid "family-fare" or "hip urban" sitcom. It's too early to tell for sure what the departure of Sorkin from the show this year will do to it--early storylines have been a bit weak--but if it's even 75% of the show it's been, it'll still be better than almost everything else out there.