Thoughts on Television

Whenever I have trouble coming up with an idea for a blog post, I tend to turn to television.  Today is no exception.  So, I just thought I would touch base on a few of the series that I watch regularly.

NCIS:  We'll start here since I watched it last night.  I'm not sure how long this series will go on, but it isn't letting up.  Once in awhile the writers will throw in an episode that is less than stellar, but that's the exception rather than the rule.  Who would have thought that a former college quarterback would end up as one of the most popular actors on television?  The stories are still good, and the interactions work, although I think Palmer's character isn't working as well as it could.  I, for one, liked Marina Sirtis as the new head of Israeli intelligence.  I'm looking forward to the final two episodes of the season.  Then I'll look forward to the 11th(!) season.

NCIS:LA:  This series started slowly, but once they added Deeks, the show took off.  It's very different than NCIS, but different in a good way.  The characters make it work more than the stories, but it's still a very good show.  I also can't help but admit that I'm a Hetty fan.  How can such a tiny woman intimidate grown men?  I don't know, but I buy it.

CASTLE:  Wow.  This show keeps going and getting better.  Now that Castle and Beckett are together, I want them kept together.  The writers took an impossible task and made it work.  I also love that Chief Gates knew about their relationship all along.  The show just humanized the character in one line, and that worked, too.  If there is an actor out there that can convey more by just his facial expressions than Nathan Fillion, I challenge you to name one.

DOCTOR WHO:  The second half of season 7 has been a bit uneven.  I had high hopes for the new companion, Clara, but the episodes haven't worked so far, in my humble opinion.  The one episode that did work well was Hide, which was creepy and a whole lot of fun.  I just think that the "monsters in love" part at the end could have been eliminated.  I'm curious how the mystery of Clara will work out, and I'm definitely looking forward to the finale and the 50th anniversary episode, but I have to say that this half of the season has been disappointing.

OTHER SHOWS:
Call the Midwife:  My wife has discovered this show, which is a BBC series based in the East End of London in the 1950s.  Graphic images of birth in the most horrendous of conditions, but this series works as well.  It's just hard to watch sometimes.

Life on Mars (UK):  I'm watching this series again, and it still works.  Even though I've seen it before, I still like it.  A lot.  John Simm has become one of my favorite actors.

Sherlock:  Want.  New.  Episodes.  NOW!!

TV-Related:
IMDB:  I don't know how I ever lived without this app, but if you love tv or movies, it is a required item on your smart phone.  How often have you said, "Where do I know that actor from?"  You can find out.  Easily.