Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Team Carnival asks: what is/are my fave show/s?

I love Team Carnival's topic for this week: my favorite TV shows!

I wouldn't really call myself a couch potato, but I spend a lot of my time watching TV. When not in front of the computer, of course. Well, sometimes in front of it, yes. Three decades past, and there have been a lot of TV series that have grabbed my attention and made me sit for an hour or so in front of it. But well, I guess I only have to choose those few that had an impact on me and which reflect my personality (read: inner geekiness). So here are my top 3 fave TV shows:

Special Mention: Heroes

Okay, I know I said 3, but I had to mention this in my list because it's got so many "heroes" in one show that it rivals the number of the members of the Justice League.

The first season was pretty engaging, exploring each of the characters from Peter and his brother to Claire to Hiro to the villain Sylar. What made the story intriguing was the recurring theme: "Save the cheerleader, save the world." Not to mention that it was done in such a way one reads a comic book and would be waiting for the next issue to come out.

I guess the story suffered greatly during the Writers' Strike in the US. After recovering from the strike, they got back on their feet again, introducing new characters and killing off others. My favorite characters are Hiro and his best friend (turned hero, too) Ando. They provide much of the comedy but at the same time they are the epitome of strength, courage, and unity.

The last season has ended long ago. I'm still waiting for word when it will return. But it looks a bit hazy for the show.

3rd Place: The Big Bang Theory

Now this is a classic example of geek meets TV. The lives of two genius roommates who both work as physicists go topsy turvy when a coffee-shop waitress-slash-aspiring actress moves in next door to their apartment. Put in the mix an engineer who thinks he's God's gift to women, an astrophysicist who cannot speak to women, and loads of toys and geek stuff in between, including Klingon Boggle, and you have a comedy show that challenges your intelligence. Seriously.

Though at times it's pretty hard to understand some physics terms they spit out in the show, the idiosyncrasies of each character is what makes this show a hit for me. Somehow, I can relate to a few of their jokes, especially when it came to toys. And the script is pretty funny, you can't help but think how the actors manage to give a straight face in delivering them.

I've already got copies of episodes until Season 3. But I've stopped watching until the half of Season 2 because of...

2nd Place: Glee

If you don't know this show, you must be living under a rock.

The show that got my attention after winning an Emmy, I thought that this was just another High School Musical. But well, I was wrong. The story explores the lives of a group of losers who wanted to sing and how they are making it big in the show choir scene.

The characters can be irritable as they are lovable starting off with Rachel, the glee club's diva to Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading team's coach with a list of hellish yet wonderful lines. The songs they use are the popular ones you hear on the radio, and some that come from Broadway musicals.

The first 13 episodes were amazing and they made me want more. I just noticed that beginning episode 14, the writers seemed to have been too lax to create a cohesive story, concentrating more on themes and songs rather than the story of the glee club. But it's still okay for me.

The last episode for the first season is showing this week (I'm watching it later), and I'm excited for regionals.

EDIT: Great ending! I love how Sue and Will have a sort-of Batman-Joker relationship. One just can't live without the other.

1st Place: MacGyver

Tan-tan-tan-tan-tan-tan-tan-tan-taan! Oh man, this will show my age, but what the heck.

Aside from Mission Impossible and all other superhero shows, I think this one is the show for the geek. MacGyver is actually a secret agent working for the Phoenix Foundation who resorts to non-violent means of getting the bad guys. Non-violent meaning relying on everyday science (the character's a physics grad) and his handy-dandy Swiss Army Knife. Every episode is a new adventure for this guy who battles different enemies. The only constant in his life are his friend Pete, arch-nemesis Murdock, getting his head whacked and being transported to another place and time, girls he gets to kiss, and a glass of milk.

You want proof how this guy is a genius? He used a Hershey's bar to seal off a leak in a nuclear plant. Whoa!

And the shoelace, don't forget the shoelace.

His craftiness and the edge-of-your-seat type of episodes made me a big fan of Richard Dean Anderson (who was rumored to be a ladies' man in real life) that my sister and I stuck a poster of him in our room and I asked Santa Claus for a Swiss Army Knife that year. And then my parents told me to write Santa another letter because he can't give me that. Shucks.

So there you have it, folks. A testimony of my geekiness, er, my all-time favorite shows.

Now it makes me tempted to look for a DVD collection of old TV series. Or probably a torrent. Hahaha!

3 comments:

  1. Although I never really followed McGyver, I'll always associate the show with Swiss Army Knives. Haha! :)

    re: GLEE - I can never stand Rachel when the series started, but lately she's tolerable. I dunno, I maybe in the minority who don't like her together with Finn. She's better off alone as a character or paired with other guys except Finn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. True, there are times when Rachel can get into your nerves for being such a perfectionist and a diva. I also like her with Jesse St. James rather than Finn. But I must admit that Finn and Rachel also have chemistry... I just like Jesse with her better. :)

    ReplyDelete