The Fall war of televisuality

The increasing competition in the television market makes the hunt for viewers all the more difficult. The result seems to be a lot of really interesting shows. The different channels are offcourse reaching out in a variety of ways. Some are very recommendable, others are just the same conventional formula one more time. But repetition is not the same as failure. It can also be very enjoyable. Lets review some of the current series:

Once again we have a few medical dramas on our hands. I have just seen BBC three's Bodies s02e01 based on the book Bodies by Jed Mercurio, and i must say it was a real cold enviroment. A real slow pased, dark and cold colored in blue and white. Some of the images/scenes where quite realistic (a close up of a child birth and its complications fex). Something rear in these kind of shows. To early to say if its got something or not, but really not too bad (too bad i didnt get to see season one). BBC Three itself introduces the show like this:

Blackly comic hospital drama series. A patient's life is put at
risk when she becomes a victim of hospital politics. Rob must
decide what comes first - his career or his morals.

He, who can resist something like that? Well, more hospital dramas has arrived. House M.D. with Hugh Laurie is back with season 02. Everyone in for some great sarcastic humor mixed with cutting edge medical jargon should check it out. Grey's anatomy is another one back with season 02. A real lightweight drama with little new elements. This is the formula turning bad even thou it's got some moments (thou very few).

We can say that all series tend to have more or less drama in it. Some more than others. Anyway drama is the mother of all stories. But seemingly the new thing is a combination of sci-fi-mystery (alla X-files), B-movie horror and a dash of the classical thriller. Invasion and Surface will for sure be the biggest hits. Both because they apparently can keep most of the monsters hidden. The clue is usually to not show an entire alien/monster, but just a small part of it so that the interest will prevail. In addition Surface has a big budget and have spent it well. Thou nothing revolutionary new i think Invasion will be the winner:

Man has searched the skies for centuries and has never come up with conclusive evidence to prove the existence of other forms of intelligent life. What if we have been looking in the wrong place? What if there were other forms of intelligent life already living among us? What if perceived natural disasters were really diversions created to conceal clandestine alien activities?

He, sounds really great to me. Check out Tv.com for more detailes on the show. The Invasion website is not really to good i'm sorry to say. But the series will be a hit for sure.
But we cannot say the same for Threshold, a very promissing serie with a real good classical plot of the earth being threatened by aliens or life from another uknown world or universe quite possible with more than three dimensions. But with a small budget and people who constantly make mistakes even in the smallest parts of the show? This cannot survive in its current form. But great fun to watch still. The british Afterlife at least have the will to live and it possible even deserves it. The show taking the paranormal route to its viewers when being about an invlounteery phsycic (they always are) which is contacted by the dead who seek guidance for being freed from this world. A sometimes scary and cold serie which is enjoyable. NBC's Medium is back with season 02, presumably nothing new. Sometimes medium is very good, but like i said in a previouse entry some are way too harsh and gory.

Then Supernatural is much better because it's looser and not so seriouse. A very promising show for fans of mysteries and unexplainable fenomenon. Ghost whisperer, another lightweighter show could also become something really good. At least it's worth checking it out. Night stalker i think is a remake of an old show from the 70's called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The new version looks very interesting with its implementation of classical horror elements. Much darker than the others, more noir, more scary and thank god something other than cops vs. criminals. Know our heros works in a newspaper. And speaking of scary; i just finished Carnivale season two today. And i must say it cannot understand if this show is stopped. It just gotta come back with at least one more season. Maybe one of the all time greatest series i have followed.

Another scary and good show (even thou i juyst have seen one episode) is Haunted (yeah, yeah, i know its old but its good i think). Lost is also back with more scary stuff with theire season 02. Need i say more?!

Along with these mystery/horror/sci-fi dramas we clearly se the development of more hardcored drama-thrillers concerned with more hardcore cases like massmurders and other bizzare bestialities. Criminal minds, the Inside (Fox has cancelled the show) and Killer instinct is way better than the designer investigators we find in the lame C.S.I series. But we also have drama-thriller with the weight put on the drama. More suspens and lesser violent behavior. First out is Prison break which is violent, but not to the magnitude of the above mentioned. A real good old formula which proves to be working. Second out is Steven Bochco's new show Over there which deals more in the line of war-drama. Sometimes too much drama (comming from a man who loves drama). Some of the episodes are really good and absolutely worth watching. E-ring, another war/agent/secret millitary ops series makes me more uncertain. But maybe it can develop into something.....

And speaking of drama; Reunion seems interesting in more than one way. The longest flashbacks since The Crow road. And each episode lasting or covering a year (e01 1986, e02 1987 etc).

Besides that; pure sci-fi is back with another season of Battlestar galactica and Stargate atlantis.

And to sum it up, pure comedy is back with yet another great season of Curb your enthusiasm. Other comdy-flicks worth checking out is Head cases, Weeds, Arrested development, kitchen confedential and Just legal just to mention a few.

I know there are some who are not mentioned, but its late and i'm tired. The historical dramas will have to wait until at least tommorrow.....

Until then - fair the well