Action
Four Most Underrated TV Shows This Fall
by Mokibobolink on Dec.01, 2010, under Action, Comedy-drama, Drama
Hi folks! Here’s another guest post and since it includes some of my favorite tv shows this fall, I thought y’all would enjoy it too. 🙂
Four Most Underrated TV Shows This Fall
a guest post by Kyle Tesori
The popularity of some television shows is a given each fall; if it is part of the Law and Order franchise, it’s practically a guaranteed hit, and any crime scene show seems to become a darling of the viewing public. But there are plenty of other shows that have to stand on their own, and there are always a few shows that don’t get an instant audience and languish for a while before being “discovered.”
In the fall of 2010, there were a few new shows and some returning series that didn’t pick up a wide viewing audience, but remained on the network because they are excellent programs and have a loyal, but relatively small, following.
Here are my four picks for the most underrated TV shows this fall:
Rubicon (AMC)
The tag line for Rubicon, “Not every conspiracy is a theory”, is a dead giveaway that you’re in for a rollercoaster ride of confusion, tension, and suspicion. Rubicon is complex and intelligent. It assumes the audience is just as intelligent and leaves you guessing or scratching your head at each twist, but rather than going for the outlandish (think Lost), Rubicon is staying squarely in the area of what is plausible. The result is a taut thriller that moves at breakneck speed. If you’ve missed the early episodes, you need to download and watch them otherwise you’ll constantly be trying to get up to speed, instead of enjoying the ride.
Terriers (FX)
This is television that’s pitched to the “man” in all of us. Hank is a former policeman who’s a bit down and out after he botched an investigation and lost his job. Joining forces with his closest friend, Britt, they set up shop as private investigators. You’d be wrong if you thought this sounds like a re-hash of old buddy shows. It’s that same comedy-drama genre, but it’s bold, fresh and innovative.
We’ve all known someone like Hank, who seems like a lovable loser on the surface but has an iron clad code of conduct and sense of what’s really right and wrong that’s just off base enough to keep you guessing. His bad luck and working class roots hide a quiet sense of joy that’s all the more refreshing when it surfaces because it’s such a surprise. No need to feel sorry for Hank – he’s embracing life in all its darkness and still coming out with cock-eyed optimism. All of the characters are rough around the edges and a bit scruffy, but their relative levels of maturity evolve with every episode. A few doses Terriers and you’ll be wishing you had a Hank in your corner, in real life.
White Collar (USA)
Matt Bomer, as Neal Caffery, is a charming former conman who now consults with the FBI. It’s a stylishly filmed, debonair version of Hollywood caper movies with a dramatic underside. While Bomer is at his sexy best as pure eye candy, he also reveals glimpses of his character’s quieter side when he is observing the enviable marriage of his partner, Peter Burke. The real pay-off, however, is the wonderful camaraderie between Burke and Neal, who have become friends despite equal doses of suspicion and rivalry as they solve complex cases. Let’s face it, it’s refreshing to watch a show where the FBI is capable yet fallible. The human element and small, comedic gems in the dialogue set White Collar’s foundation as an entertaining and compelling television program. When it returns this January, be sure you tune in.
Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Sons of Anarchy is going into its third season because of a small, devoted audience that keeps coming back to this biker drama. On the surface, it’s about the criminal enterprises and many confrontations of a gang of bikers, but it’s what lies beneath has the power to astound. The central theme is more about the emotional ties of family, in whatever form you find it, than about the rules and regulations of the biker lifestyle.
Katie Seagal is a revelation as Gemma, the wife of gang leader, Clay Morrow, played with dark hubris by Ron Perlman. She’s a brooding mother hen to the entire gang while revealing she may be the most brutal member of Samcro (the legal name for the gang’s many business enterprises). This show is filled with surprising moments, as you follow the gang from midnight raids on enemy territory, to warm family reunions, to board meetings to discuss Samcro’s next business enterprise. These aren’t anybody’s cast-offs; the Sons of Anarchy are the new, American mobsters and just as concerned with loyalty and what’s right within the family as any Corleone could hope.
Do you agree with my picks? If not, what do you think were the most underrated TV shows this season?
About the Author
Kyle Tesori is a freelance writer for Direct Sat TV . Direct Sat TV is an authorized retailer of Direct TV. Named the 2007 Direct TV dealer of the year, Direct Sat TV continues to provide excellent customer service by providing customers with the best offers available and helping them chose the perfect system for their needs.
More from The Positively Positive…
The Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 4 “Vatos”
The Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 5 “Wildfire”
Movie Review – The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest
Movie Review – When In Rome
TV Episode Recap/Review – Burn Notice “Blind Spot”
by Mokibobolink on Aug.20, 2010, under Action, Crime, Drama, Spy, Television
In this episode of Burn Notice, called “Blind Spot” everyone is, as usual, working on different cases. First off Fiona comes to the aid of a grieving woman who had her entire life saving snatch from her by a sleazy womanizer. It’s a job tailor made for Sam, so he helps her to get the sleazebag back. Every plan they have blows up in their face until finally they resort to drugging him (twice) to make him black out and think that he’s killed the woman whose money he stole. Then Michael steps in as a “dirty cop” and claims he can make it all go away, which he does (since it never happened in the first place) and gives the money to the client.
TV Episode Recap/Review – Rizzoli & Isles “I Kissed a Girl”
by Mokibobolink on Aug.17, 2010, under Action, Crime, Drama, Television
I’ve always had a thing for buddy cop shows, buddy movies, etc. Two guys who are opposites, fighting cantankerously but always having each other’s backs when push comes to shove. It’s a formula that has worked over and over again and now I’ve found a new love for a different kind of buddy – the girl buddies.
TV Episode Review/Recap – Burn Notice: Center of the Storm
by Mokibobolink on Aug.07, 2010, under Action, Crime, Drama, Spy, Television
Having ridden out a hurricane or two in Miami, this week’s episode of Burn Notice, called “Center of the Storm” was somewhat familiar. Putting plywood up on windows, evacuating to higher ground, cleaning up afterwards, yep I’ve been there and done that.
Then again, Michael and his friends did have a smidge more to worry about than I did in my last hurricane. First of all, now that they’ve got Simon’s bible (which they are sure is a code cipher), Michael wants to meet with the man himself. While he’s trying to arrange that, he’s still keeping the secret from Jesse that this whole business is what got him burned, oh and he gets kidnapped.
TV Episode Recap/Review – Dark Blue “Urban Garden” and “Liar’s Poker”
by Mokibobolink on Aug.05, 2010, under Action, Crime, Drama, Television
Ah, once again it’s time to thank my DVR for allowing me the chance to see a show that I never got to watch last summer. Dark Blue suffered due to just too many good shows on tv, but this year I decided to check it out.
Boy am I glad I did.