Don’t Lie to Me: are you Lost or ready for some Big Love?

I hate winter. I live in the Midwest where the skies are stained gray for winter, and we never see the sun. It doesn’t snow enough to make the landscape look like anything other than colors all leaked out of a painting, leaving ugly khakis for the grass and a darker shade of gray for tree trunks and branches. So, it isn’t surprising that all I want to do is curl up by my fireplace and watch television, hibernating until it’s safe to venture outdoors again.

This winter, I’m excited about a new show and the return of some favorites. I am also going to branch out and start watching some shows that I haven’t watched before, but am now intrigued enough to try. So, in no particular order, here are the shows that will get me (and my husband!) through those cold, cold nights.

Lie to Me. The most appealing thing about this show is Tim Roth. He never had the movie career he certainly deserved after his role in Reservoir Dogs. Playing Dr. Cal Lightman, he is a psychologist who can determine when people are lying. He is hired as a contractor for the FBI. I admit, the idea of learning more about how people lie is also appealing.

Battlestar Galactica. I am sad that this will be the final season, but dammit, I need closure! I have to find out who the final Cylon is! And what will happen to our humans and their awkward alliance with the Cylons, now that earth has turned out to be a gigantic ashtray? This reminds me that I should start watching the webisodes. Is anybody watching the webisodes yet?

Lost. I went through some inner turmoil during the third season (inner turmoil = I thought it sucked), but I’m glad I rode it out. Lost is one of the most moving shows I watch, and I can’t wait to have Jack and Kate rip out my heart some more and stomp on it. But let’s face it: Don’t we all watch because we can’t get enough of Ben???

Burn Notice. I have never seen an episode. However, during Christmas week, when my entire family had the stomach flu while we were visiting my parents AND snowed in, we watched a ton of House on USA. Long story short: We were inundated with ads for all of their upcoming shows, and I sort of fell in love with Jeffrey Donovan’s  (Michael Westen) voice. I also like the premise of the show: a spy who has been burned (put out to pasture in a really nasty way) who is trying to get his life back.

Big Love. I get HBO only when Big Love is on (primarily for financial reasons). I have family ties to Utah, so I get a particularly big kick out of the show. I bought the first season for my dad for Christmas. My aunt and uncle live in the neighborhood where the show is filmed. It’s all just delicious fodder for the delicious little tidbits of Mormon culture the show likes to toss out in every episode (though, I will point out, the polygamist characters are NOT Mormons — the Mormons would want me to tell you that). I can’t wait to see how Bill is going to be clueless, how Nicki is going to be conniving, how Margene is going to grow, and how Barb is going to save them all.

The Closer. Finally, I am always glad to see The Closer return to TNT. I’d like to point out that four of the shows I have written about are original to cable. That is a trend I’d like to see continued, especially as the networks continue to cancel decent shows. I would like them to bring back Brenda’s pyromaniac nemesis — they have great chemistry! One thing I didn’t particularly like about the show last Fall was their trend to make the show more of an ensemble affair. True, the supporting cast IS phenomenal. However, it’s Kyra Sedgwick and her portrayal of the sometimes crumbly, oft-times bitchy Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson that keeps me turning in week after week. So, let’s have fewer cuddly shows focusing on her team and get back to the gritty murders we are fond of watching her solve.

What are you looking forward to watching this winter?

Clacked by Jen Creer
on Jan 08, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT