Television

[alla]

Anyone else seen the news about the next Doctor? Matt Smith. He's really young, but looks ok. There's a video interview on youtube ([ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhmWRjo7gKI"]YouTube - Extended MATT SMITH Interview - Doctor Who Confidential: The Eleventh Doctor - BBC One[/ame]) if anyone is interested. He's got big shoes to fill, and isn't as *squee* worthy as David Tennant, but bring it on. I'm sure it will be great! (Besides, it means more Doctor Who).

Oh, can someone from over in the US explain why they remake UK (And Australian, for that matter) TV shows. I got all excited that one of our stations was picking up Life on Mars only to find out that its an American remake, not the original BBC production. I was scared when I learnt that there was a US remake of Kath and Kim, too. Has anyone seen the US Kath and Kim or Life on Mars who can compare them to the originals?

[Emi]

Alla: My sister and I have been squeeing over Matt Smith. Haha... I think it also helps that the pictures that they've taken were extremely wicked awesome. Haha. I used too many adjectives. Anyway... I don't know why we remake UK sitcoms!! I saw Kath and Kim and I wasn't too thrilled about it as I thought I would have been. I haven't seen Life on Mars, I wasn't too interested in that one...

But back to Dr. Who... anyone know when the Christmas Special will be on in the United States (BBC AMERICA)??? I'm dying to see it!!

(I just wanted to use that)

[Kathy Li]

They usually show the Christmas special at the beginning of a series. So, whenever Sci-Fi Channel picks up the four specials is probably when they'll air "The Next Doctor". As I understand it, the four specials are going to air in the spring sometime on the BBC. So, after March, maybe? BBC America tends to run the episodes after Sci-Fi has. I really wish that Sci-Fi Channel would pick up Doctor Who Confidential and Heroes Unmasked, I do; I adore "making-of"s.

I've only seen Matt Smith in the Sally Lockharts (I'm betting a bunch of Whovians are rewatching these, now. Given that Philip Pullman wrote the books and Billie Piper was Sally Lockhart [they aired in the US on PBS's Masterpiece] most Who fans probably watched them at the time they came out. I'm very sad they didn't do the third and fourth books. Then, you'd have a romance between Matt Smith and Billie Piper.

[Jacq]

necro-post! *makes zombie noises*

House, anyone? It's the only "real" television show (id est - not on the Slice network *shame*) that I watch regularly, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the 100th episode. The last six or seven episodes haven't been very good until this one. Hooray.
(Also obligatory blackadder squee)

Does anybody here watch The Bing Bang Theory and/or How I Met Your Mother?

PS: I think I'm the only one that remembers Foreman had brain damage like two years ago.





PPS: It's not Lupus.

[Dragon Writer]

Poor lupus - always being blamed for what it didn't do.
I like the series, a lot. It's set to record onrus DVR. Used to watch how I met your mother, and might start again, but currently I don't - not for any particular reason, considering the fact that I liked it. Just sort of drifted away from the series.

[thebook]

I used to watch House regularly, but the last year I haven't because they changed the day it's on, and I had dance rehearsal at the same time. I've seen a couple episodes, though, and I haven't been able to get back into it. I guess I'm just not a fan of the new "cottages."
Is anyone a West Wing fan? *grand gesture towards icon* It's been off the air for 3 years now, but I think it was one of the best tv shows ever! My best friend and I have WW marathons during the summer, and we watch *ahemtryahem* whole seasons in one sitting.

[Kathy Li]

I loved The West Wing--I do the marathon thing, too. Too bad Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was never quite up to the same level--I was really hoping for more from Aaron Sorkin.

I'm getting excited because one series I've really been looking forward to is about to start up. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is going to start airing on the BBC this Sunday, and on HBO in the US on 3/29. It's based on the Alexander McCall Smith "Precious Ramotswe" books, and both the pilot and the first episode were directed by Anthony Minghella. The coolest part is that the series is set in Botswana and they're filming there on location.

The other new series that's about to start just looks so different from everything else that I'm probably going to watch it just to see what it is, and that's Kings on NBC--a retelling of David and Goliath in a modern setting. It looks astounding from the trailers, but it could be a huge flop.

Also, just out of curiousity, I tuned into Castle just 'cause it was Nathan Fillion in the starring role, and I found myself charmed against my will. I think it was the murder mystery writers' poker game where James Patterson and Stephen J. Cannell played themselves (loved it when Patterson told Cannell to cough up some of his tv money). Fun to see a writer as a detective show's hero.

[Lazy Leopard]

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is going to start airing on the BBC this Sunday, and on HBO in the US on 3/29. It's based on the Alexander McCall Smith "Precious Ramotswe" books, and both the pilot and the first episode were directed by Anthony Minghella. The coolest part is that the series is set in Botswana and they're filming there on location.

Oh bother. My mother's coming over for Easter, and I really should have set about videoing those, because I just know she'll want to see them. Think I've missed the first one, though...

[seabiscuit1009]

One of my future roommates for next year (yay triples...)and I watched Castle on Monday night via text messaging, since we're on spring break. She's also my LOST buddy, so we're kind of missing our TV time right now. Anyway, we really liked Castle; we figured out that it's because Castle reminds us of a puppy for some reason. He just keeps putting his nose where it probably shouldn't be and getting in trouble...while looking ever so slightly cute. XD We've added it to the schedule of times when the TV in our room is going to need to be on next year (yes, we are planning our TV schedule right now. We are uber dorks.)

[Kathy Li]

Oh bother. My mother's coming over for Easter, and I really should have set about videoing those, because I just know she'll want to see them. Think I've missed the first one, though...

The one that aired tonight (Sat. 14 March) was a repeat of the pilot episode that originally aired Easter 2008, so no worries.

[Lazy Leopard]

The one that aired tonight (Sat. 14 March) was a repeat of the pilot episode that originally aired Easter 2008, so no worries.

I've set the video to catch the one that's airing tonight, so I guess I'll find out soon whether it's the first of the new series. Radio Times is helpfully saying 1/6, so it looks good.

[Kathy Li]

Hey, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency FINALLY started showing up here in the US on HBO. We just got the pilot episode that you guys got on the BBC back in April 2008. We should be starting up the series proper this weekend.

It also looks like we're getting a weird little "extra" season happening right now. A sort of a "after-the-midseason-season", as it were. I think a lot of production companies have been shorting a few of the series (i.e., 20 or 17 episodes instead of 22 for a series) and are trying out a bunch of tiny very-short run (6-8) series now. Castle and Lie To Me are two examples. We just got two more started up, which I find really interesting.

Kings is using the Book of Kings from the Bible as a jumping off point, and doing it all in modern dress. It starts with our hero David slaying a "Goliath" tank. There are bits that are heightened, bits that are just modern, a lot of court intrigue, gorgeous visuals, and some amazing British actors are popping out of the woodwork (Ian McShane, Brian Cox, and Eamonn Walker so far). I'm really enjoying it, if not sure I can heartily recommend it.

The other interesting one is Cupid which just started up this week. What's really funny about this show is that it's a remake of the 1998 television show. And (here's where it gets interesting) the showrunner who did the original show is doing the remake. His name is Rob Thomas, and he's the guy who did Veronica Mars. Cupid is quite different--it's about a guy who says he's Cupid and he can't go back to Mt. Olympus until he matches up 100 couples and the gods deem that each match is True Love. Naturally, he's gotten stuck in the looney bin, and a psychiatrist vouched for him to be released, only now she realized he still persists in thinking he's Cupid. (Get it? She's Psych-ie. Get it? Psyche? Never mine). It looks like fun romantic comedy fare, and since I never watched the original show, I'm up for this one.

[magicalmike]

Oh man, I have been meaning to watch castle, i hear its pretty good. Ive been addicted to dollhouse lately. I dont think josh whedon is capable of producing ANYTHING bad. Tjough i feel im about to be proven wrong....

[wizardsrreal]

ooo I love House!! My parents and I watch it everyday except Saturday because the re-runs aren't on then. For me anyway the new ones are on Monday at 7. I love to see how they figure things out and I actually learn a lot from the show.

Does anyone watch Smallville or Supernatural? I really like watching Smallville and seeing how everything is going to work out and eventually work itself out to the way things are in Superman.

Supernatural is just awsome and I just like watching it.

[Kathy Li]

I'm still watching Smallville and Supernatural. I'm liking them both, but I think that Smallville should just change its name to Metropolis and do the Superman thing already. And man, was that the lamest Zatanna ever or what? And how hard would it be to have a couple actually be romantically happy for, oh, say, more than two episodes at a time? [sheesh]. But yeah, it's fun.

Supernatural's also gotten a nice kick with the advent of the angels. For me, personally, though, I most love Supernatural when Ben Edlund is writing. He used to write a comic book called The Tick and is near and dear to my heart for writing the "Jaynestown" episode of Firefly. He does the funny so well. I was laughing so hard over "Monster Movie." I'm guessing I'm not the only one who worships the Edlund dude, since the Prophet from last week's epsiode was named "Edlund". And man, the fanfic references ("Don't they know we're brothers?!") were pretty funny.

Am I the only one watching Lie to Me? I think if you like House, you might also like Lie to Me.