Grid Effect

Good God is television going to blow nuts over the course of the next month or so. In these trying economic times, If I were you, I’d consider canceling my cable instead of my Netflix account for December. With The Shield, Entourage, It’s Always Sunny, Mad Men, and South Park all off the air, we can’t imagine what you’d be watching that isn’t either on NBC or Survivor. Schmucks.

Obviously, this is our idea of a respectable segue into a links post. We have to guilt you into accepting our apathy, you see.

Alright, well if you want to know what your mid-season options are on the broadcast networks, here’s what you have on ABC. One of them is a remake of a short-lived sitcom that start Jeremy Piven in the 90’s, the others are too poorly titled for me to delve into further detail on. Sure, people say don’t judge a book by its cover, but we don’t subscribe to that. It’s far too enjoyable to judge anything and everything upon site/recommendation.

Here’s a preview clip for all you Lost fanatics. We haven’t watched an episode since the first season, but as far as we can remember, wasn’t the series set on an island? And doesn’t the title suggest as much? I guess when you get picked up for a fifth fucking season, you can only have a group of people who inexplicably survived a plane crash battle mystical creatures and pirates on a supposedly desolate and uninhabited island before it just starts to seem passe. I’ll shut up now.

Man, we must dislike Lost more than we thought if she doesn't compel us to tune in.

According to Dennis Leary at one of his book signings, the upcoming season of Rescue Me will have the firehouse addressing 9/11 conspiracy theories. In typical Rescue Me fashion, I imagine either Probie (Mike) or Sean will consider them to be legitimate, and he will be mocked mercilessly for it. Personally, I think their comedic material at this point in the series is better than their dramatic, so this is the preferable way to handle it.

Aimee Teegarden, who plays Julie Taylor on FNL and despite being over 18 I still feel creepy about finding her attractive, is going to play a 45 year old woman named Rhonda on the upcoming season of 90210. I’m just kidding, the character is actually in high school. But her name is really Rhonda. They might as well have gone the full mile with the antiquated name and went with Rita. Of course, what’s on dozens and dozens of people’s minds is, what does this suggest about the future of FNL? Well, if you want my uninformed opinion, it probably implies that the series is about to be canceled. And who would’ve thunk it? Usually when they split a series’ audience in half for two different airings on basic television and satellite, sending the non-satellite masses to the internet to download pirated episodes, why I thought that plan would certainly ensure the long term success of an already struggling series.

Speaking of series’ on the internet, Funny or Die will begin streaming the season two premiere for Flight Of The Conchords on December 17th. Yet another reason to cancel your cable for the current month.

Want to know more about the extras on The Sopranos box set before making the extravagant purchase? Then look no further. Here HBO has put some well timed snippets of the features on youtube. Scroll over to the related videos section to see more. How haven’t I ordered this yet?

Steve Buscemi is campaigning for a part in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming HBO series, Empire. Not to mention it will be penned by Terrence Winter (at least the pilot). Oh my God, I hope I’m inaudible when I bust in my pants so that my coworkers don’t send me to HR. Just look at this. It’s the greatest living filmmaker, teaming with the best writer from what’s widely regarded as the best series in the history of television, and one of the more respected actors in Hollywood actively seeking out a part, which he may or may not get. I can’t really make a case for not recommending this when it hits the airwaves in ten years. I really can’t.

And finally, this article ponders the notion of “great” television series becoming too widespread and the seemingly diluting ratings for each of them. I can attest to this. As much as I hype many series’ on this website, I will readily admit their are others that I never watched for varying reasons that probably hold court with some of the lesser dramas we follow here at Grid Effect.

The issue I take with the column is, he uses the three obvious options for television as art form in The Sopranos, The Wire and Mad Men, and suggests that their will soon be another series greeted with just as much hyperbole and fanaticism as those three were, and includes others in his argument like Lost and Damages and The Shield. Now, I’m willing to recognize that television is as great as its ever been. In fact, I never really watched TV until The Sopranos debuted in 1999. But I think lumping every critically acclaimed show into one group is disingenuous.

For one, what I’ve seen of Lost (and it is admittedly limited), I would hardly qualify that series as high art or ambitious beyond anything execpt drawing a large audience. With The Shield and Damages, I will reluctantly state that I am clearly on the wrong half of the FX ship. I went with Nip Tuck and Rescue Me as my FX original dramas of choice, and while the first two seasons of Rescue Me and the first season of Nip Tuck offered a lot in the way of quality narrative, intricate character study and social commentary, I barely like either series anymore (particularly Nip Tuck). But the fact that I haven’t heard any critics recommend either The Shield or Damages, at least not with the same fervor that the aforementioned three kings of television get mentioned, I am confident in saying that they’re not in the same league. Or at least not for any objective observer. I plan on watching The Shield in its entirety at some point in the coming years and I’m sure I will regret being so late to the party, but lack of time and interest have carried the day for the series’ run.

Back tomorrow with probably more of the same.