So my beloved TV Tuesdays have come to an end for another year - well, for a few months until things start up again anyway.  I figured I'd get some of my thoughts down about what has gone by and what is to come, and besides I'm putting off doing some real work so this seems as good an excuse as any!  I've been spotting ex-BSG cast quite regularly this year too, popping up in various guises, so just for fun I'm keeping a tally - let me know if I've missed any. 

When you're done here, check out my good friend Captain Kibble's take on all things TV - funnier and with pictures! Kibblemania

24
This one hasn't quite finished in the UK yet.  It's Jack Bauer's final TV outing, and as I've never been able to watch 24 week-to-week as it's just too damn tense, I saved it all up and watched it over 4 days after the finale became available online.  Have to say it's one of my favourite seasons up there with 1 & 3; yes it's still really silly and unbelievable and they did decide to push Jack completely over the edge this time, but they did a great job with the direction.  There is a terrific shot in one of the finale 2 eps (forget which one) where they don't even bother showing you Jack fighting, they just pan across a room showing the trail of destruction and dead bodies, which just tells you everything you need to know.  And I have to say they have set it up well for a movie I think.

BSG rollcall: 2


Caprica
I was quite surprised by Caprica.  Seemed to be as far away from BSG as you could get but it turned out to be very well written and actually some of the best "real" science fiction seen on TV for a long time.  Both technically and philosophically it hit the marks and I can't wait until it comes back.


Castle
Just got better and better - Fillion and Katic make very charismatic leads, the writing is solid and it gives you exactly what you'd expect.  Yes it's very much light drama but sometimes that's all you want and it's very easy to get this mixture wrong, but it's been consistently great.  Picked up for a third season, so roll on Autumn!

BSG rollcall: 1


Chuck
Chuck was really very clunky for a good half of the season I thought - they bought in Brandon Routh (seemingly just to be able to make the "Who do you think you are? Superman?" joke) and kept him around WAY past his sell-by date.  Terrible actor.  I know Chuck is not going for serious thespian performances but even so...  Second part of the season was lifted by Yvonne Strahovsky constantly wandering around in her underwear and Sarah Lancaster getting even more gorgeous, and Julia Ling re-appearing!  Works for me!  It ended strongly, with a surprise introduction for next season.  Not sure if the new character has been cast yet, but going on Chuck's previous form of playing to the geeks I'm hoping for Mary McDonnell.

BSG rollcall: 1?


Dexter
I touched on this in a previous post so I'll be brief; brilliant show, best season yet, and the final 4 episodes were the best 4hrs or so of TV I've seen this year full stop.  Genius.


Flashforward
They cancelled it.  Damn, just as it was getting good!!!  Admittedly it probably killed itself with the first half-dozen episodes where everything was happening without any explanations and it was lumping character upon character, but after the hiatus it cam back strongly with a terrific double episode which just threw the doors wide open, and carried on from there.  I guess that the audiences didn't come back with the show.  I am so pissed off that this has been cancelled while "V" gets another season.

BSG rollcall: 1

Heroes
They cancelled it.  Thank God.
I'd sit there watching every week, wondering WHY I was watching.  The show was great until the finale of the first season which was one of the biggest let-downs in TV history.  I think I (and seemingly millions of others) kept watching in the hope that maybe, just maybe it could get back to where it was.
But no.  I think it ended in a good way, where they could close the door and let you imagine where it would go but without a massive cliffhanger.  It doesn't need any TV movies, please just let it end there.


House
Confusing season, confusing ending.  But oddly I think this may be the one season that I'll want to re-watch.


How I Met Your Mother
Running out of ideas.  Barney is really the only reason for watching this now and even he isn't the same as he was.  Maybe has one good season left in it I think.


Stargate Universe
For the love of God someone push Chloe out of an airlock.  Even stranding her on a planet only lasted 2 episodes before she came strolling back through the gate in an occurrence that is still not being explained...
Other than that it's been pretty good, and I feel that the writers have some good ideas in the wings.  I will keep watching.


The Big Bang Theory
Slightly hit and miss this year, but for the funniest show on TV that still leaves it way ahead of the pack.  Totally worth it just for the physics montage and Sheldon in the ball-pit.

BSG rollcall: 2

The Pacific
Not a patch on Band of Brothers.  Rambling, too talky, overly gory when there was actually some action, and it explained very little about the actual campaigns.


V
I'm getting the "Heroes" vibe with this one.  NOTHING happens, nothing is explained; unlike the 80s series where you knew why the aliens were here and exactly why they were a menace, all they've done so far is heal a lot of people.  I'm sure the writers were trying to convey them as being cold and emotionless but it's really not coming across.  Elizabeth Mitchell lights up the screen whenever she's on it but all the others might as well be played by shop window dummies.  It had better all kick off in a big way when it comes back or I'm off...

I've saved up some shows to fend off the summer drought, so I have still to watch "Treme" from David Simon who wrote "The Wire" and "Generation Kill"; "Breaking Bad" is now in season 3, and going on the first 2 seasons there is little to worry about, fantastic show.

And coming up?  Well, "Burn Notice" is back and has been given 3 more seasons, making 6 in total which is fantastic news.  "True Blood" is back this month, as is "Entourage", hoping for more good things from those.  Biggest thing on the horizon is of course "The Walking Dead" from AMC, who also make Breaking Bad.  More on that as it gets closer.

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