My TV Series Guide # 1

I have seen my fair share of TV series and some people see me as an expert of sorts about this topic. So today, one guy asked me what good TV series is there in the action genre. Things spiraled and I ended up explaining a lot to him about not only action series but also about other genres. Then I thought why not put up everything in the blog so that someone who wants to watch something can find all the information here. So here I am, writing about the popular shows on TV and what to watch and what not to watch. It should be noted that all of the following is my personal opinion and people might (people will more likely) challenge some of my choices and views.

I have also put up the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) ratings of the various TV series so that people can see how the experts (American experts mind you, not Indian) rate these series.

PRISON BREAK (IMDB rating 8.8; my rating 9.8) Genre – action, suspense

Ask me what my favorite movie is, and I will think for some time and give one of Titanic, Schindler’s List or 12 Angry Men at random. The thing is, I like all these three movies but can’t figure out which one is a touch above the rest. So I keep going from one to the other and just end up saying which one sounds best at the moment. Ask me which my favorite series is and within a millisecond comes out the answer – Prison Break.

Prison Break can’t be defined as anything other than the GOD of all TV series. I have seen people refusing to watch Prison Break because they have heard so much about it from others who have seen it that they fear they will be hooked for days on end if they start watching. I myself had heard so much about it from my seniors that after getting my computer, it was the first thing I downloaded from DC++. I approached it with a ‘bring-it-on’ attitude and frankly, since all the series I had watched before it were of the boring DD 1 and DD Metro type, was skeptical of the accolades being showered on it. The only thing I can say now upon retrospection is - Thank God it was December and that the semester was over. We were staying back in the hostel for the Inter-NIT cricket tournament, and I forgot sleep for 2 days and nights once I started.

The one thing that is best with this series and takes it to a level higher than any other is the pace. Nowhere does the show get sluggish. Everything is at such a high pace and tempo that you feel compelled to reach out for the next episode once one is over. And it’s not only me. Invariably, you will find someone or the other who doesn’t like a particular show on television. But NO ONE I have met till date has ever told me they don’t like Prison Break.

I shudder to think how many pages I will fill if I start describing the show – so there is no point in starting. Just watch it and you will understand why.

TWO AND A HALF MEN (IMDB rating 8.7; my rating 9.4) Genre - comedy

The best comedy series on now. There has been no dull moment in eight whole seasons and the show has constantly evolved with something new every episode. The fact that it has run for eight years (and has already been renewed for the ninth and tenth seasons) is an achievement in itself. Only ‘Friends’ (in the comedy or any other genre for that matter) has run for ten seasons in recent memory.

The show is about a man who takes his divorced younger brother and nephew into his home. The elder brother is a jingle writer, bathed in success, money and good looks while his brother Alan is a failure from every angle of life. The way Charlie (the elder one) treats Alan (the younger brother) is the theme of the show. He leaves no opportunity to embarrass him although Alan deserves the treatment on most of these occasions. Their interaction with their mother and some of their housekeeper’s comments are the highlights. Alan’s son Jake is presented as a dumb kid who makes us keep laughing with his Neanderthal thought process and antics.

Although these subplots are excellent, the central theme is the best part of the show. The way Charlie keeps landing hot girls and Alan continues with his pathetic single existence (or ruins any chances with prospective girlfriends), and the comments from Charlie about alcohol consumption are the clinching part. A must watch, Two and a Half Men is on its way to become (in fact, it’s virtually there as) one of the classic comedies of all time.

DEXTER (IMDB rating 9.2; my rating 9.4) Genre – drama, suspense

Dexter is so different and brings a fresh breath to TV shows. Had anyone ever imagined liking a serial killer in a show? Dexter makes us do that. It gives us justification for murder and we find nothing wrong about such a heinous act.

The show is about a blood spatter analyst, Dexter, in the Miami Metro Police department. On the outside he is just a normal person but unknown to anyone, he kills off criminals who have been let off for committing murders (due to lack of evidence etc) or haven’t been caught by the police. And with each season, it becomes more and more difficult for him to continue his double life because of responsibilities of life. But somehow, he has never been caught and his activities are still a secret to everyone. The planning and nabbing of the criminals is the most exciting part because in many of the seasons, the bad guy has become aware of Dexter’s double life and plays a cat-and-mouse game with him.

With five excellent seasons complete and a sixth in the making, Dexter has been one of the longer running shows on TV and why not? With such a fabulous storyline and excellent portraying of Dexter by Michael C. Hall, it will be missed from TV when the curtains are drawn by the producers.

One input I have received from people about the first post in my blog was that it was too long. So I’ll stick with this much for this post and there will be more about TV series in subsequent posts.