Layla's Dark and Foreboding Weblog

The Idiot Box. The Boob Tube. The Decline of Society.

Call it what you will, TV isn't going away. Despite a period of anti-TV fervor that I half-heartedly embraced, I have come to love my TV for all of it's flaws and imperfections. Well, maybe not so much the TV, but the TV's bestest friend in the whole wide world, Tivo.

Oh, Tivo, how I do love you.

With a DVR, the world of TV isn't for the middle-American lazybones couch potato any longer. There is no longer a need to be bound by schedules, TV Guides, reruns. Just as the country finally figured out how to program their VCR's, we have been set free of the binds of the networks. And with this newfound freedom, I have come to love TV. For the mere fact that I never, ever have to watch Two and a Half Men or American Idol.

So, I'd like to throw out some of my favorite programs. Shows that broke the rules of regular television. Some are no longer on the air, in which case you can rent them on DVD.

1. Heroes. Oh my god, this show is great. Not everyone will love it. If you hate superheroes, comic books, and intelligence, you may not. Basic plot, from Wiki: Heroes is an American drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. The series tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they woke with incredible abilities" such as telepathy, time travel and flight. These people soon realize they have a role in preventing a catastrophe and saving mankind.

2. Veronica Mars. As with many shows that feature young stars, Veronica Mars got labeled as a teen drama, along with The O.C., Everwood, One Tree Hill, etc. It's not. Yes, the leading lady is a young, hot, blonde heroine, but she is also extremely witty, clever, smart and capable. The dialogue is precious, the timing is dead-on. Wiki's description: Veronica Mars is a critically acclaimed American teen drama/mystery-neo-noir series which premiered on UPN on September 22, 2004, airing its first two seasons on the network before changing to The CW Television Network on October 3, 2006. The show stars Kristen Bell as the title character— a student, progressing from high school to college during the series — who moonlights as a private investigator under the wing of her detective father. Said to be a little bit Buffy and a little bit Bogart, the show balances murder mystery, high school and college drama, and social commentary with considerable sarcasm and offbeat humor.

3. Lost. If you aren't watching this show, do so now. If you don't know what it's about, push that rock from where you've been living under aside, and rent the first 2 seasons. Do it.

4. 24. Kiefer. Oh, how we thought you would be banished to the B-movie realm. You fooled us, you devil. We love you, we love Jack Bauer. Rent the first few seasons before January, so you can start up again with the rest of us! If you've ever liked any spy/espionage movie, try these out. Even if you don't like the genre, you'll love falling off your seat at the end of each one. This show is better than most movies out there, each and every episode. Here's the plot: Each season covers the events of a 24 hour period in the life of federal agent Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland) as he tries to prevent one or more domestic terrorist attacks, set largely in Los Angeles. The show also follows Jack's colleagues at the Counter Terrorist Unit, largely referenced as "CTU", Los Angeles office, as well as the actions of the terrorists or in some cases, actions of the conspirators, a civilian family and typically an important political figure such as a senator or president.

5. The Closer. Well-written with a great pace and fantastic dialogue. I discovered this show well into its second season. It's really good stuff. Plot: The Closer is an American television police drama series. The show, which focuses upon the character of Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick), is shown on Turner Network Television. Since its inception, the show has chronicled the cases of Johnson, who comes from Atlanta to Los Angeles to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases (Priority Homicide division). Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rub her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogators eventually wins over even her toughest critics.

6. Weeds. Whenever I watch this show, there is a moment of "I can't believe I love Kevin Nealon". I've always hated him. But, he really makes this show that much better. I often have other moments of "I can't believe they just did that!" Another late discovery for me. Plot: The fictional Los Angeles, California suburb of Agrestic (an English word meaning "characteristic of the fields or country") is home to Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), whose husband Judah has recently, and suddenly, died. Nancy begins dealing marijuana to locals of her suburb in order to support her household while maintaining an upper-middle-class lifestyle. As depicted in the series, Agrestic has a public school system where Nancy's children Silas (Hunter Parrish) and Shane (Alexander Gould) attend. Botwin befriends the manic, image-obsessed Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) president of the Agrestic PTA. Heylia James (Tonye Patano), assisted by her nephew Conrad (Romany Malco), supplies Nancy with marijuana. Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk), brother of Nancy's late husband, and family's black sheep, moves into the Botwin household. During the second season, Nancy begins to grow her own marijuana with the assistance of Conrad and several other Agrestic residents including her brother-in-law Andy and the Town Councilman Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon). Meanwhile, she also has a dangerous relationship with a DEA agent named Peter Scottson which ends badly, especially for him.

7. The Shield. Police corruption at its best. We love to hate Vic Mackey. We hate to love Vic Mackey. This show will break your heart, but in a good way. Rent 'em. Plot: The Shield is about an experimental police division set up in the fictional Farmington district ("the Farm") of Los Angeles, using a converted church ("the Barn") as their police station, and featuring a strike team of corrupt detectives. Although Michael Chiklis has top billing with his portrayal of Strike Team leader Vic Mackey, the show has an ensemble cast that will normally run a number of separate story lines through each episode. Detective Vic Mackey is the leader of the Strike Team, a four-man anti-gang unit based on the LAPD's real-life Rampart Division CRASH unit (Rampart was seriously considered as the series name). The Strike Team uses a variety of illegal and unethical methods to maintain peace on the streets, while maintaining their own profits through illegal drug protection schemes and robbery. The Strike Team isn't above planting drugs on and coercing confessions out of gang members. Attempts to give the team a fifth member have frequently led to near-catastrophe for the group.

8. Rescue Me. A show, starring the amazing Denis Leary, about a crew of firefighters in NY post 9/11. It's a dark, dark comedy, with a dramatic arc that will take your breath away. Plot: Rescue Me is a critically praised American television drama and dark comedy that premiered on the FX Network in 2004. It is produced by the Cloudland Company, Apostle, DreamWorks Television and Sony Pictures Television. Rescue Me focuses mainly on the professional and personal lives of New York City firefighters after the trauma of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The show stars Denis Leary, who plays the role of New York City firefighter, Tommy Gavin, a character whose life is full of torment and chaos.

Tommy has to struggle with the loss of his cousin, and best friend, Jimmy Keefe, who died on September 11th, 2001 and frequently visits Tommy in visions. In the pilot episode, Tommy and his wife have already separated and Tommy moved across the street. He is ill-tempered, hypocritical, manipulative, and a relapsed alcoholic. Although he is painted as a horrible human being, his character is redeemed through his incredible career as a firefighter. He has also realized how much he has contributed to the breakup of his family and constantly struggles to reconcile with them. He loves his kids very much and desires to get back together with his wife; however, despite slowly making steps toward his redemption, tragedy always seems to be right around the corner.

9. Freaks & Geeks. This show was stupidly canceled after one season. It's got a devout cult following, and was royally screwed by the lame network shuffling it around too much. It starred Linda Cardellini, who is now on ER, James Franco, who was in Spider Man, Seth Rogan from the 40 Year Old Virgin...just an awesome cast. Plot: The show centered on a teenage girl, Lindsay Weir (played by Linda Cardellini), and her brother, Sam (John Francis Daley), both attending McKinley High School during the 1980-1981 school year in the town of Chippewa, Michigan. (The town likely got its name from Chippewa Valley High School located in Clinton Charter Township, Michigan. Paul Feig graduated from the school in 1980.)

Their friends, respectively, constituted the freaks — Daniel Desario, Ken Miller, Nick Andopolis, Kim Kelly — and geeks — Neal Schweiber and Bill Haverchuck — of the title. Parents Harold and Jean Weir were featured and Millie Kentner, Lindsay's geeky, highly religious former best friend, was a recurring character.

The show's starting point was Lindsay's transition from her life as an academically proficient student, star mathlete, and proper young girl, with Millie as her like-minded best friend, to an Army-jacket-wearing teenager who hangs out with troubled slackers. Her relationships with her new friends, and the friction they cause with her parents and with her own self-image, form one central strand of the show; the other follows Sam and his group of geeky friends as they navigate a very different part of the social universe.

10. Alias. Best spy show ever. Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, the chameleon-like ass-kicking agent in this series was one of the best developed characters in TV history. Created by JJ Abrams (Lost, MI:3), and including an amazing supporting cast like Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, Lena Olin, this show was my favorite for years. The second to last season, and the last season sort of sucked, but that is only by the standards that Abrams had set for himself. Plot: Alias was an American "Spy-fi" television series created by J. J. Abrams that aired on ABC from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006. It starred Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow, a CIA agent, who was usually seen wearing a colorful new disguise while undercover in some part of the world.

A major plotline of the series was the search for and recovery of artifacts created by Milo Rambaldi, a fictional Leonardo da Vinci-like inventor and Nostradamus-like prophet from the Renaissance period. This plot and some technologies used in the series pushed Alias into the genre of science fiction.

So, there's my top-ten. These are on Tivo, and ready to go. But that's not all. There are some honorable mentions, things that are certainly worth checking out:

House
Deadwood
The Wire
Gilmore Girls
Buffy the Vampire Slayer*
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Scrubs
Sports Night*
Greys Anatomy
Arrested Development*

*No longer on the air, but definitely worth renting!

If you have a favorite show that you think shouldn't be missed, let us know. I know there are some die-hard Battlestar Galactica fans out there. I'm sure I'll catch it, one day.

I'm off to watch some tube.