Buzzmakers and Heartbreakers

As this TV-season comes to an end, I once again conclude I can hardly find new shows keeping my interest these days. No new Friday Night Lights to immediately grab my interest. No new The Big Bang Theory to make me laugh. No new Fringe to blow my mind. I'm not keeping too close tabs on pilots making buzz, but I can make lists about leading roles that would insure me grabbing hold of the first episode no matter the premise presented. I'll avoid those already doing airing shows with secure jobs for the involved, and I'll focus on actors and actresses with at least a past heavily influenced by TV rather than movies. Inspiring this lists is Amanda Peet's new show Bent, as ever since Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip I've been longing to see her do TV again.

Female

1. Eliza Dushku

She wouldn't have sprung to mind last year at this time, but after getting acquainted through the wonderful world of Whedon she's now a guarantee for my interest. Her Echo of Dollhouse and Faith of the Buffyverse, including both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, are the main sources of interest.There's just too much about her to do guest appearances at shows like The Big Bang Theory, White Collar and The League.

2. Amber Tamblyn

Her past from Joan of Arcadia and The Unusuals make me a sure target audience for whatever she decides to try on the silver screen.

3. Adrianne Palicki

Tyra Collette at Friday Night Lights, Wonder Woman in a pilot that didn't get picked up and all around assurance of my interest.

4. Maria Bello

After being busy in the world of movies, Maria returned to TV for the US remake of Prime Suspect. No wonder it got cancelled, but seeing her in TV again was great. I still remember her days at Mr. & Mrs. Smith fondly.

5. Yvonne Strahovski

Chuck has closed down the spy-life, and her Sarah Walker sure spiked my interest. Anything rolling out the red carpet for her return to my screen is sure to capture my attention.

6. Sophia Myles

Her stints at Moonlight and Spooks are more than enough to assure my interest, even if no-one else have ever heard of her.

7. Traylor Howard

Monk has closed down set a couple of years ago, and it's about time she gets back on the horse. Also a familiar face from her youth on Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place along with superstars Nathan Fillion and Ryan Reynolds.

8. Stacey Farber

From youngster at Degrassi: The Next Generation, I followed her to ended 18 to Life, so I've pretty much proved I'll follow everywhere.

9. Shiri Appleby

From the time back at Roswell, I'm still looking to pick up more. That's probably why I'll tune in when Dating Rules from My future Self airs soon.

10. Jessy Schram

So she's never held a leading role, bur her performances in Veronica Mars, Life and feature film  Unstoppable are more than enough for me to still hope she soon will.

Honorary. Amanda Bynes

If anybody lures her out of her early retirement to do comedy or at least something with a lot of wit, I'd love it. She would easily top my list if she didn't retire.

The in-ones:

A lot of the talent out there is obviously occupied with shows, and here are a few of the many actresses I'd follow if they jumped ship; Anna Torv (Fringe), Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory), Bethany Joy Galeotti (One Tree Hill), Poppy Montgomery (Unforgettable...a possible upcoming cancel), A.J. Cock (Criminal Minds), Amy Jo Johnson (Flashpoint), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Emily Rose (Haven)

Male

1. Bradley Whitford

The Good Guys wasn't anything special, but Bradley had no problems making me get through all aired episodes. Looking back at his days on The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip assures my interest in anything new with him in a leading role.

2. Kyle Chandler

Looking back at his amazingly consistent performances at Friday Night Lights, there's hopefully more TV to come than just movie roles like Super 8 from this guy.

3. James Marsters

After doing  Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I'm all for giving him a leading role carrying a show.

4. Adam Baldwin

After his stints on Firefly and Chuck, I'll follow him blindly into his next project.

5. Taylor Kitsch

The guy might be busy getting his movie career off ground, but his Friday Night Lights role as Tim Riggins is still too fresh to not hope for reappearance on the silver screen.

6. Jeremy Piven

He might have caught everybody with his Ari Gold on Entourage, but I was already captured way back when he did Cupid and had such chemistry with Paula Marshall.

7. Fran Kranz

Upon his great performance as Topher Brink at Dollhouse, I hope to see more from him on TV as he's now done with his Whedon reunion in feature film Cabin in the Woods.

8. Brett Butt

Excellent in Corner Gas. Hiccups was a big letdown, but it's cancelled and he's free to take on something new.

9. Stephen Root

While it's great to have him stop by every now and again on Justified, I'd rather have him back full time like he did back in the days as Jimmy James on NewsRadio.

10. Timothy Busfield

So. Maybe Aaron Sorkin and his guys are the only ones to see his talent, but I'd give his show a chance any day.

The in-ones

A lot of the talent out there is obviously occupied with shows, and here are a few of the many actors I'd follow if they jumped ship; Nathan Fillion (Castle), Joshua Jackson & John Noble (Fringe), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Michael Weatherly (NCIS), Enrico Colantoni (Flashpoint)

There's enough examples of following actors and actresses that give me nightmares. Lets just hope none of the above listed ever turn into a show like...

House of Lies

I've followed Kristen Bell into many rabbit holes since her days as Veronica Mars. This is the last one out, and so far by far the worst of those.

I didn't spend too much time researching this, so there's obviously gonna be some who didn't spring to mind. TV-land is hugely populated, and there's just not enough megabytes in my brain to keep cued in on everything. So don't shoot me just because I forgot some actor or actress who feels obvious to you... Rather just shoot me a comment about them.

Five by Five

Intro

Female characters always seems to be more interesting than male ones, and then I haven't even had to figure in the fact female ones offer me eye-candy... So. It's more than fitting I now take a look at my favorite heroines from the television studios throughout.

1. Buffy Anne Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Long before Joss Whedon had Summer Glau go all ninja on Reavers, he created the most impressively complex and nuanced character in a young high school girl called to a mission. Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy carry the weight of the world on her shoulders as the chosen one, but there's so much more to her than first meet the eye. She isn't perfect either, which makes her far more interesting than most. Buffy is the ultimate heroine.

2. Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Another high school heroine, but this one starts out by losing her best friend through murder, being raped herself and cast away as an outsider from the beginning of her story. Kristen Bell's Veronica is just another sassy and petite little girl, but with cultural references and allusions to throw around her for every situation she faces. She's equally tough and vulnerable, she hangs with criminals in more than one way, and have an itch or two to scratch herself.

3. Max (Dark Angel)

It isn't hard to believe that young Jessica Alba's Max was genetically engineered, and might I add perfectly so, but coming from test tubes, insemination and military brainwash/training she's got her work cut out for her in this post apocalyptic future of Seattle. Depending on pills to take of some problems and having to deal with a few periods of heat each year, thanks to the feline DNA in the mix, isn't even on the top of her problem list. You haven't seen family trouble until you've met a few of her so-called siblings... She kick's ass and fight like the best of heroines, but planning usually boils down to winging it. Oh, and she's really the shit riding that motorcycle of hers.

4. Echo (Dollhouse)

Yes. Another Joss Whedon creation. And Eliza Dushku's as well, as she's both the show's producer and the actress in question. Eliza was brilliant as Faith back in the Buffy-verse (and she even got the headline for this post to prove it), but here she really gets to step into the light as the shiny talent she is. Echo is evolving, too shortly as this show was axed too early, but more than enough to fall in love with the character. She gets to put on a lot of different faces. She's sexy, tough, funny, strong, motivated and all the other small things, but she's also molded from a past with darker corners and a scary potential future. Oh. The dominatrix outfit or the short skirts didn't hurt...

5. Sarah Walker (Chuck)

Hard core spy meets a nerdy shnook, and still, despite everything that follows, she manages to turn out as quite the heroine. Drawn between everything she's ever been and been trained for, and the new and softer sides influenced by Chuck; Yvonne Strahovski's Sarah is deliciously nuanced. They might have named the show after another character, but to me it's always Sarah who's the interesting one. She's sexy, skilled with everything from knives and guns to hand-to-hand combat, seductive as well as sensitive, fighting her own past and instincts, split between everything she thought was important and what she soon finds herself longing for and feeling. The Powers That Be didn't give her every opportunity to become what she could have been, and still I find her worthy of making the list.

Epilogue

Other characters that have either made an impression, are well qualified from their limited genres or are potentials for an expanded list some day down the line:

Audrey Parker (Haven), River Tam (Firefly), Sydney Anne Bristow (Alias), Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke (Revenge), Samantha Spade (Without a Trace), Olivia Dunham(s) (Fringe), Claire Bennet (Heroes), Annie Frost (Chase)

Just another Memory Lane cul-de-sac

Intro

During the past two months I've been spending my time on TV-shows, and mostly on revisiting old familiar ones. I've also finally gotten around to one of the more hyped ones I hadn't found the time for earlier, and wasn't that a pleasant surprise. I'm talking about Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and its 2nd and 3rd seasons are some of the best television I've ever seen. However. The past days I've spent rerunning the recently ended show Chuck, and then rerunning the highlights of the romantic side of that show. It reminded me of other shows I've done the same with, and I think it's time trying to nail an up-to-date list of the most important TV-shows for my personal view(ings). It leaves behind quality shows like The Wire (which still is the best TV-show I've ever seen, but it doesn't make me revisit it again and again like the shows I'm about to list). It also leaves behind shows like Friends, Party of Five and Seinfeld which I've spent a lot of time on earlier, but haven't felt like revisiting in a long time. The following shows are on the other hand the ones I still seem to return to again and again.

1. Dawson's Creek

I've spent a lot of time with our Capeside friends, and their coming of age is probably the most important television experience thus far. Joshua Jackson's Pacey J. Witter is one of those rare characters I love to death, little Joey Potter remains the reminder of potential beautiful things to come if Tom Cruise didn't fuck things up for Katie Holmes, and Michelle Williams have finally got her career deservedly sky-rocketing in movies these days. All 6 seasons aren't exactly great, but there's a lot of heart in this show carrying it across those dry stretches. Thank you Kevin Williamson.

2. Veronica Mars

The one and only highlight of Kristen Bell's career, as it's been a very consistent disappointment ever since. Rob Thomas' creation is a gritty and allusionistic ride through high school with baggage, and Veronica Mars' life is surely never dull. Quite a few great arch-stories making it a lot better than the usual weekly-fix shows, and still we get to know our heroine a lot better than most drama shows ever let us. A Noir opening and a raped heroine presented in the pilot is gutsy, and for those it didn't scare away it became quite the cult followed ride. The third season doesn't live up to the first two, but we could still have handled a lot more from Veronica as it once again showed promise in tying in new arch stories. A shame it got cancelled.

3. Firefly

Only one season and then a feature film tying up loose ends, but it's well worth revisiting every once in a while. Joss Whedon's space cowboys are the ultimate example of TV-executives ruining a quality show. A great cast, and we'll all be Browncoats for life in memory of Captain Mal and his crew.
♬Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care, I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me♬

4. The West Wing

Who knew politic could be so entertaining? Aaron Sorkin delivered one of the best shows ever with his Bartlet administration, and Bradley Whitford's Joshua Lyman gave Pacey J. Witter a run for my money as favorite male character in lasting shows. It did go downhill after Sorkin left, but revisiting this White House Senior Staffers is rarely boring none the less.

5. Dark Angel

It's not hard to believe Jessica Alba was genetically engineered for the purpose of this show, and don't we all miss her kick-ass butt weekly taking on the life of Max? James Cameron might never again make a decent movie, but every time I return to this show I forgive his sell-outs. Another show joining 2 and 3 on the list of too early cancelled shows, and Terminal City had so much potential... And lets face it; a show that actually manages to carry out the line "Oh God, I'm in heat again", is well worth both a second and third look.

6. Friday Night Lights

High School football is rarely as important as it is in Dillon, and FNL's opening season is remarkably strong. The show got its problems with funding, writers out whining and so on, but there's a lot of greatness here as well. Kyle Chandler's Coach Taylor is everything Brad Pitt never was in Moneyball, and I'm a sucker for coming of age... Peter Berg managed a lot the 2004 feature film never could.

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Joss Whedon's show might be a recent addition to my catalog, but it sure deserves to be recognized on this list never the less as I've spent a lot of time in the Buffy-verse ever since. Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Anne Summers carry the world on her shoulders as The Chosen One, but she might be as easy to love for her shortcomings as for saving the world as we know it on a regular slayer basis. As previously mentioned; Seasons two and three are amazingly strong ones, but there's a lot of greatness both before and after. I'm quite certain this is a show that will rise on my list as time goes by.

8. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Only one season of this Aaron Sorkin creation, but with the ensemble cast including Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Sarah Paulson, Timothy Busfield, Steven Weber and so on; they won my heart without coming close to perfection. I've revisited their story over and over again, and despite their flaws it deserves this place for now.

9. Chuck

Another recent addition as this show so recently ended its airing with a fifth half-season package of 13 episodes. I've never been a big fan as I find Zachary Levi's Chuck as much of a shnook as some others do to begin with in the show, and the humor of the show rarely counts as comedy in my book. Still. Josh Schwartz' have stumbled upon creating a love story which comes very close to an idea I've had since prior to this show airing, and that along with Yvonne Strahovski and her Sarah Walker is my main reasons for repeated viewing of the show the past days. Yvonne have a lot of talent to go with her undeniably beauty, and I wish they had taken her character a couple of notches further along this ride. I also like to give the show credit for allowing some continued happiness, as most show have to keep splitting up couples to create drama. This one remembers there's other ways to go about it, just like the 10th and final entry on this list of mine.

10. One Tree Hill

Still running, but this entry is on the high school years of the first four seasons. Back then it was still flawed enough, too soapy and so on, but it had a lot going for it as well. These days it's really not worth that much anymore, and if it wasn't for my Bethany J, Galeotti awe I wouldn't care to keep up. Anyways. The first four seasons I've revisited a lot over the years, and as such I guess it deserves this final entry on my list. Mark Schwahn might have lost the important stuff as the show went on, but back in the day he made coming of age and basketball well worth a look.

Epilogue

Of course this list will be shuffled and reshuffled on yearly basis, but all these ten shows have already given me a lot of entertainment. Some of them will disappear on my next list, but they will all live on in my heart. Most of these shows will also feature in upcoming entries with other lists of importance, like Favorite Heroines, Favorite Couples, Undying Moments of Television and so on. And it will probably not take another two months for one of those to show up here... but I'm not making any promises.