When your favorite shows go off the air, like "Friends" or "The Gilmore Girls," you dread the new series influx that occurs in the Fall season. But then a few surprise you and here are the ones that startled me right out of my knickers:
Chuck: I love watching action movies for the same reason that everybody else does: the explosions, the whirlwind love affairs, and the one-liners. Chuck was jam-packed with enough of all three to keep action-lovers tuned in every Monday night. However, it also managed to give a facelift to the old hag that is the underappreciated action genre by adding amusing supporting characters that didn’t just melt into the background but managed to keep you as interested in a missile ejection as a Black Friday evacuation.
Burn Notice: I’ve never really paid much attention to Jeffrey Donovan, but after being seduced by his charm, intelligence, and courage, he’s got me hooked. Plus, how much fun is it to watch a combination of James Bond and Jason Bourne running amok in Miami?
Heroes: Although many rabid fans were disappointed in this season’s plot and pace—as was I—there isn’t another show on TV that could quite compare. Comic book adaptations are the highest caliber of action films, molding reality and fantasy to create a world that viewers could not imagine on their own. Characters, like Mya and Monica, who were added to the story this season, were not as interesting as viewers hoped for. But with the anticipation of the next chapter, “Villains,” this season was almost worth enduring.
Samantha, who?: Christina Applegate isn’t exactly an A-list star—not even on TV. But this year she managed to amuse not only viewers but critics. And unlike most comedies that are heralded for one hilarious character in particular, like “How I Met Your Mother,” her show can boast an ensemble cast whose sardonic humor and perfect comic timing has elevated the comedic prowess of ABC shows that used to pelt us with brain-dead humor like “According to Jim.”
30 Rock: It’s hard to say who’s responsible for the hilarity that punctures every joke in this show. Tina Fey created it, Jack Donaghy lured in viewers with his dry criticism, and that country bumpkin page boy Kenneth had every one in stitches. But as the series continued, each character got in their laughs, and before you know it DVRs everywhere were pausing so that their owners could finish laughing before the next joke. Honestly, I never laughed so much in a 30-minute sitting.
Friday Night Lights: I don’t watch football. But I do watch the anguish that motherhood, teen dating, abandonment, displacement, and loss bring. The cast of this show are met with the task every week to bring tears to your eyes while bringing a smile to your face. Every character—from the teens to the adults—manages to do it and do it well. This season may have been a bit rocky—what with the implausible accidental murder cover up—but the development of Riggins and Santiago as troubled orphans and Tammy’s post-partum depression were worthy highlights.
Gossip Girl: At first, this show was a bit of a hard sell. I didn’t buy the “woe is me, I’m a sad rich kid” bit in the first episode. But after repeated viewings, I managed to cultivate an interest in the meanest characters and, surprisingly, two of the adults. This show has been greatly compared to “The O.C.,” but I never cared about that show’s adults. Rufus and Lily are actually more interesting than their kids, Dan and Serena. Their love story goes back decades and their attraction is bubbling under the surface ready to erupt. As for the villains, Chuck and Blair may be treated like test dummies for all lessons to be taught with, but they provide more entertainment and complex characteristics than anyone else on the show.
Greek: I usually just find Family Channel TV shows to be barely tolerable. But this show was actually semi-close to what college is like for geeks and pledges. It did well to balance the morality of the channel with the reality of our generation. The characters were relatable and strong enough to lure back more viewers next summer.
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