Pop Culture Curmudgeon television » Pop Culture Curmudgeon

3 Great Canadian TV Shows and Why They Work

I am a huge fan of Canadian entertainment, but for a long time, I didn’t realize it.

Sure, I knew some of my favorite comedians were from Canada. And there was Alanis Morrisette, of course. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized Canada makes some great shows (not just U.S. shows produced in Canadian studios).

Being Erica

A young woman enters therapy, but instead of time spent on the couch talking about her dreams, she travels through time to relive the experiences that represent great turning points in her life.

Lost Girl

A succubus learns about her powers and the multitude of supernatural species of fae that inhabit the Earth. She and her human companion provide investigative services to the fae.

Rookie Blue

This is technically a co-production between the U.S. and Canada, but I included it here anyway. A group of rookie police officers learn to navigate their jobs and their relationships.

What makes these shows appealing? Three main components appeal to me.

Diversity. All of these shows include characters of different races and sexual orientations without beating you over the head with it. Bo, the main character on Lost Girl, is bisexual, and her love triangle is treated just like any other love triangle.
Tighter storytelling. I don’t know what it is about Rookie Blue, but I am sad when each episode ends. And I can’t wait until the next airs. Each episode flows into the next, with just enough of a focus on the weekly story that I can live if I miss and episode. Writers at other shows could learn a lesson.
Strong and relatable women. Erica struggles with many of the same issues and questions we women go through as we come of age. But she solves them herself, rather than being rescued by the men in her life. Her therapist is male, and he helps guide her, but ultimately, the choices and their consequences are her own. And Bo is a great kick-ass heroine of the type we expect from our urban fantasy.

So, as an American, I am a fan of the Canadian TV we see here. But I know some Canadian TV critics feel their television isn’t living up to its potential. What do you think? And will you be watching Rookie Blue when it premieres Thursday?

1 person likes this post.

Like

Unlike

Syfy’s Lost Girl a pleasant surprise

Have you been watching Lost Girl on Syfy (Mondays, 10e/9c)?

Anna Silk plays Bo on Syfy's Lost Girl.

If not, you really should, especially if you’re a fan of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars. Is it as good as either of those benchmarks? No, but it does have similar strong female leads in Bo (Anna Silk) and her sidekick, Kenzie (Ksenia Solo).

It also has a supernatural plot with side of mystery – Bo is a member of the Fae, a succubus that feeds on humans through sex, and is acting as a private investigator at Kenzie’s urging. The weekly cases are not of the let’s stop the end of the world variety, but in a way that’s a nice change from the perpetual angst of Supernatural, which has become burdened by the perpetual struggle to save the world. (Seriously, how many times have the Winchesters averted the Apocalypse?)

That’s not to say that there isn’t an overarching story line – Bo is a Fae without an allegiance to the Light or the Dark, and both sides want her to choose. She prefers to not choose either side and remains unpledged to either, which causes both consternation and dismay on both sides.

Ksenia Solo as Kenzie on Syfy's Lost Girl

Bo receives help from Dr. Lauren Lewis (Zoie Palmer), a human doctor who works for the Light, as well as Dyson (Kris Holden-Reid), a Light Fae, who is a detective for the human police, and helps ensure the Fae remain hidden. Both Dr. Lewis and Dyson try to assist Bo in dealing with her succubus nature, although in very different ways. That’s one of the things that I really like about this show, though. Bo is so sure of herself that she has no problem in using her powers on both men and women. It’s really quite refreshing.

The one big drawback is that the special effects are middling at best, distractingly bad at worst, but the characterizations make up for it. Bo and Kenzie are both confident, smart and funny, and, I have to say, I love having girls on t.v. that kick butt and take names.

In short, great characterizations, smart dialogue, and interesting backstory all make for a fun, entertaining show. It’s not available on hulu.com or syfy.com, but I do know that it is available on demand on AT&T’s U-verse.

Here‘s a much more thoughtful and in-depth review from Mo Ryan at Huffington Post TV.

Please share your thoughts on the show below!

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike

Ten reasons The Vampire Diaries is better than True Blood

We’re trying something new here at Pop Culture Curmudgeon – a joint post between our two regular contributors, Jen and Katie. As we’re sure you’ve realized by now, we’re fans of genre fare of all kinds. We’ve put together a post that you may find surprising if you’re a newcomer: 10 reasons The Vampire Diaries is better than True Blood.

“WHAT?!?” you ask. HBO’s True Blood is one of the most popular, talked about shows in pop culture today and it has in an impeccable pedigree. How can The Vampire Diaries, a show on the barely there CW network, compare? We’ll show you how.

In no particular order – we had too hard a time choosing! – here are our 10 reasons why The Vampire Diaries is better than True Blood. Oh, and just for kicks, see if you can pick out who authored which reason.

* Nina Dobrev. At first she seemed adequate as Elena. Then I saw her as Katherine and was wowed. She has created two completely different, fully realized characters. You can tell them apart just by expressions and mannerisms. It really is amazing.

* Unlike a certain other vampire show, the plot lines actually seem to connect the dots. (And, there aren’t any terrible Southern accents.)

* Chemistry between actors. Check out this dance sequence with Elena and Damon. They practically have sex just by looking at each other while dancing at a Cotillion-like event. It’s not just that pair either – the cast is filled with actors that have great chemistry together, as a large group and in pairs.

* Someone on the writing staff has an amazing ability to take (sometimes) borderline unlikeable characters and make them sympathetic. Witness Tyler’s transformation from jerky high school jock to semi-tragic, sometimes charming werewolf and Caroline’s change from bossy queen bee to funny, charming, amazingly supportive friend (but still bossy) queen bee.

* Ian Somerhalder. His portrayal of Damon has made him into an extremely interesting character, a sensitive bad boy with a sly sense of humor and an unpredictable dark side. And he has that eye thing… someone’s gone to the trouble of cutting them together, so enjoy.

* Pacing. Each episode of TVD seems to move forward, rather than rehashing everything ad nauseum until it all wraps up neatly in the last two episodes of the season. Filler is acceptable in a 24-episode season, but if you can’t keep a 13-episode season tight and well paced, well, I can’t help you.

* No unnecessary nudity. Now I am fine with the boobs and blood genre that is so prevalent on pay TV, but sometimes TB seems to put in plot points simply because we can see Anna Paquin’s boobs or Ryan Kwanten’s butt. (As a nod to my co-author, Joe Manganiello may remain shirtless forever.)

* A serious take on the genre. TVD is a drama; TB is camp. Enough said.

* A sense of realism. Yes, there is a certain necessary suspension of disbelief involved in both shows, unless you believe vampires and werewolves are real. Which is fine; I’m not here to judge. But TVD balances the unbelievable with a slate of characters who act in ways that are completely believable.

* Strong women. Many of the women on True Blood are capable and have supernatural powers. In fact, TB had one of my favorite characters, Nan Flanagan, a no-nonsense PR flack whose entire goal was to promote the pro-vampire agenda. But our main ladies are constantly needing rescue from the gentlemen of the show. Elena does stupid things (really, Elena, you want to go alone into the woods full of werewolf-vampire hybrids?), but she also takes care of herself when she has to.

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike

Suburgatory

I just watched the Suburgatory pilot on yahoo.com. I found it clever and amusing, with an appealing performance by Jane Levy as Tessa Altman. Tessa is smart and independent, and not afraid to be her own person, but she’s also a teenage girl with all the image issues that entails.

Tessa’s father, George (Jeremy Sisto, who will always be Elton from Clueless to me.), decides he needs to move her out of Manhattan and into suburbia after finding a box of condoms in her drawer. He’s as much a fish out of water as she is, and watching him awkwardly try to interact with an old friend, Noah Werner (Firefly’s Alan Tudyk, yay!), is funny.

On a side note, I’m willing to give anything with Allie Grant (Isabelle Hodes on Weeds) a try. I think she’s awesome.

Here’s the video, be sure and let me know what you think!

1 person likes this post.

Like

Unlike

Up All Night

One of the shows that I’ve been looking forward to (and Jen REALLY has!) this fall, is Up All Night with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. I definitely enjoyed it and think it has a lot of potential, but I also think all of the best bits were in promo clip that’s been available on youtube.com.

While I’m thrilled that Will Arnett was funny without being a Bluth, I was surprised at how prominent Maya Rudolph’s character was. I was expecting her to be in a supporting role, but it’s really more like she’s a third lead. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but your mileage with the show will definitely vary depending on how much you like her.

Here’s the first episode; have a watch and let us know what you think!

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike

Awkward. much?

Have you been watching Awkward. on MTV? (yes, it really does have punctuation!) If you’re not, you should be. It’s hilarious, heartbreaking and authentic. I’m about to pay it the highest compliment: it feels like I’m watching John Hughes make t.v. in the 2000s. And, unlike the Skins remake, the teenagers (and the situations they’re in) are immensely relatable. You can catch up on it at Hulu.com or here’s a link to the first episode.

The start of the new television season is almost upon us! It very well may be my favorite time of year. One of the returning shows that I’m most excited about is Sons of Anarchy. It’s third season was a little rocky but had an excellent finale. The promos that have been released for season four look amazing.

Of the new shows, I’m easily most excited about Fox’s New Girl. I love LOVE Zooey D! This promo is hysterical and I laughed more during its three minutes than I sometimes do during an entire episode of other sitcoms.

Up All Night also looks hilarious. I’m so glad that both Christina Applegate and Will Arnett appear to have found a good show to be on. I think most new parents can really sympathize.

ETA: Of course, I wrote this and posted it BEFORE I saw this Community promo which is filled with all kind of awesomeness. (BTW, according to Mo Ryan of AOL’s Stay Tuned, Danny Pudi will be guesting on Chuck this season!)

What shows are you excited about?

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike

Supernatural: Season 7 and Beyond?

Have you been following the twitter feeds or live blog posts coming out of the Television Critics Association panels? According to Hitfix.com, the executives at The CW would like for Supernatural to continue not just in to season seven, but seasons to come.

I have such mixed feelings about this. I love Supernatural but have had extremely conflicting emotions and/or thoughts about the last two seasons. I acknowledge that there have been episodes that I LOVED in both season five and season six, but overall they felt like they were lacking something.

Do I really want to see a show that I feel so passionately about struggle through mediocre at best seasons long after its prime? Or do I want my beloved Winchesters on the air as long as possible, damn the quality?

I know I blogged about this at the end of season six, but this news made me think about it again. I can’t really seem to make up my mind about it. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike

TV May Not Help, But At Least It Won't Harm

A new study shows that Baby Einstein and the like probably won’t turn your babies into geniuses. But it alone won’t turn them into serial killers or morons.

Winners and Losers of the Award Season So Far

I’m still shaking my head at Mickey Rourke’s surprise win at the Golden Globes. Many commenters thought he should win, but that the HFPA would go with a safer choice. I haven’t seen The Wrestler, so I can’t really comment on his performance, but I am happy for him. His rags to riches to rags story has been compelling to follow as he made his comeback after a disastrous turn as a pro boxer.

Anyway, on to my analysis of the awards season so far.

The Winners

Cable. Mad Men remains a critical favorite, and HBO racked up impressive wins at Sunday’s Globes, with actor nods for Anna Paquin and Gabriel Byrne and an impressive showing for John Adams. In fact, the only non-cable winner in the television categories at the Globes was 30 Rock. Thank god NBC has stuck with this great comedy!
Small films. It was nice to see a return to honoring the smaller films and the risks they took. Other than The Dark Knight and Wall-E, the Globes favored a host of independent films, awarding Slumdog Millionaire the top honor.

The Losers

The people. I love small, independent films and quirky cable shows, but I know that they don’t appeal to everyone. And when the blockbusters don’t make it through the awards gauntlet, the average viewer gets turned off from the process of honoring the highest achievements in film and television.
Network television. Not all shows on cable are award-caliber masterpieces, and not all shows on network television are utter crap. But the awards shows sure make it seem that way. Friday Night Lights is an amazing show that starts its run on NBC this week, and it never gets any award love. And, Supernatural showcases a brilliant actor (Jensen Ackles), who never gets award recognition because he is on a genre show on an afterthought network. (And what happened with the People’s Choice Awards? Heroes? Really?)

I can’t wait to see how the rest of the award season progresses.

What have been your disappointments so far? Your pleasant surprises? Will you now rush to see Slumdog Millionaire?

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike

Is the 10:00 Hour Dead?

Yesterday, NBC head Jeff Zucker announced restructuring aimed at saving the ailing network. He also suggested that NBC may cut its primetime hours to further cut costs.

I actually think shaving the 10:00 hour would be okay. I almost never watch any of the 10:00 shows on any network all the way through. I watch Dirty Sexy Money the next day or so on the computer. Sometimes I catch part of Brothers & Sisters while I’m falling asleep Sunday nights. But, other than that, I don’t even know what comes on at 10:00 on most networks on any given night. The CW and Fox already go to local news and syndicated sitcoms during that hour.

What do you think? Would anything be lost if the networks all cut the 10:00 programming and focused on putting better shows in the slots they have left?

Be the first to like.

Like

Unlike