New and good stuff on TV these days

That time of the year again when I talk about new television shows. What's interesting is that every year, the way I source these shows gets a little more sophisticated. At this point in time, practically all the television I watch (including Malaysian shows) comes across the Internet.

What's changed this year is that it's even easier than before to do this. It's now possible to set up your PC to automagically download shows as soon as they are available, and you can watch it at your leisure, whenever you want, (and if you're using a laptop) wherever you want. It's kind of like Astro Max except... better.

Even if you don't want to do this, you can pretty much watch everything directly off the net. The first three shows listed below have the latest episodes available on the official websites, Battlestar Galactica can be bought off iTunes (if you can get a bloomin' account with them!), and the last one has episodes on YouTube.

Let's face it, TV won't be TV anymore. It'll be anytime, anywhere via the 'net.

Anyway, what's on that's new and good these days?

• Heroes: Best US show debuting this year. In my Humble Opinion (tm), of course. If I say that it's about a disprate group of people who each discover they have special abilities and that they try to come to grips with newfound talents while saving the world... you might think, ho-hum. So what. But it's good. Great story-telling, good characters, a true ensemble piece. Each episode has seven disprate storylines to follow, and yet it doesn't confuse. Tremendously engaging. You've got to watch it to get what I mean.


• Friday Night Lights: Based on the book and the film of the same name, it focusses on a head coach of a high school American football team and his problems in trying to mould them into a team of winners. The thing is, this team is all that the town has, and everybody invests a great deal of hope and emotion in it. It's shot in a really nice shaky-cam, docu-style way, and the acting and dialogue sound completely natural and unforced. Even if you don't like American Football (I don't), it's worth a look.


• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Aaron Sorkin's back, baby, and he's still on form. The creator of the West Wing has returned to network television which so cruelly spurned him three years ago with a show about - wait for it - network television. It's based around a live comedy show, something like Saturday Night Live, except that it runs on Friday nights, and stars Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry (better here than in Friends, I reckon). Only unfortunate thing in real life, the ratings aren't so hot, and it may not be around past December.


• Battlestar Galactica: Yeah, baby. Season three is back with a bang. It starts off with the humans taking the battle to the cylons the only way they can - using hit-and-run tactics, inflicting maximum damage and carnage to high profile targets. Like terrorists. The cylons, on the other hand, impose martial law and use torture and severe punishment to try and keep order. Like certain present-day governments I can think of. Edgy and brave, this science fiction show debates present-day issues more effectively than any other drama on television. I've just watched episode 2, and my jaw is still hanging from what I saw happen in the end. (Also, Grace Park in a flight suit is... erm... nice.)


• Veronica Mars: Neptune's favourite chirpy-yet-noirish amateur detective is back for a third season, and she's still pretty chirpy and noirish, if a little more grown up. As if having your best friend murdered and then later, thinking your dad got blown up isn't enough to prematurely age most people. The creators are trying to move the show to a more adult level by placing Veronica in college, and tackling student rape as a storyline. And you know what? It kinda still works. Veronica may be Mars to you, but she Rocks for me.


• Realiti: Of course I had to mention this. I think it's the best locally produced thing on television this year. If anyone has seen better, tell me. But if you say Gol & Gincu - I don't think so. And I'm not just being biased - I wrote an episode for that too, you know.

Labels: tv