Guilty Pleasures, Television

I’m not much for television in general (at least according to network schedules) and haven’t had cable in years.  Most of the time word of mouth or an interesting premise steer me toward new shows.  I try to keep up with the big ones, but it’s the little gems that I really love discovering.  Something off the beaten path with good writing, strong characters and unknowns showing off their talents.

Overlooked Gems

Not enough viewers, bad time slots or just unlucky, these shows never took off as well as they could of.

• Masters of Horror – There hasn’t been a good horror series since Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Darkside.  Sometimes they just try too hard, like Body Bags, and other times they just fall flat.  This series isn’t exactly top notch, but its heart is in the right place.  Classic horror film directors mixed in with horror film veterans, add a dash of star cameos, a pinch of plot and that’s the series in a nutshell (formula seems vaguely familiar).  Not all of them are winners. For instance,  Takashi Miike’s episode "Imprint" was over the top surreal torture porn which banned it from airing in the States.  Then you get episodes like "Chocolate" featuring Henry Thomas.  Not what one would consider standard horror fare, but if seen without expectations is an amazing tale.  "Cigarette Burns" is one that blew me away.  Udo Kier in anything is worth watching, period. Coupled with one half of the Boondock Saints and you have a twisted tale of evil in an unexpected form.  I’ve seen some of the 2nd season (George Wendt is friggin’ amazing) but haven’t finished it.  If anything, watch an episode for one of the best intros around.  *also noteworthy and in the same genre* Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital 
• Moonlight – A vampire private detective in LA.  Ok, the premise sounds like crap.  It’s also produced by the same guy who made Angel… another vampire series.  Even though it sounds like an emo WB teenie wanker series, it’s surprisingly good.  Taking a couple of episodes to find its legs, the characters end up drawing you in.  The protagonist, Mick St. John, is a relative unknown actor (in the States) with a great onscreen presence.  The development isn’t two dimensional and the use of flashbacks is well done, especially when introducing his ex-wife.  St. John’s vampire best friend is also a great character who strangely reminds me of Cameron from Ferris Beuller’s Day Off.  Not a heavy drama like Forever Knight, although the parallels are noticeable.  Only one season long (bastards cancelled it) which is a shame.  The potential for a great series was there.  *also noteworthy and in the same genre* Forever Knight – For an added bonus, check out the pilot to this series staring Rick Springfield. Yeah, I thought the same thing.

Incomplete Gems

These are shows that were ahead of their time, riveting in plot, amazing in scope, but cut short before the full story could be told.

• Twin Peaks – If you watch the first season and nothing else, it’s perfect.  Self contained, retaining its mystery and not as surreal as the second season.  If there had been a third season, the craziness from the second season would have been resolved, crafting a completely polished series.  Kyle MacLachlan is at his finest in this one.
• Carnivale – HBO has a habit of putting out amazing shows (Deadwood, Rome). Who knew a dustbowl era show about a traveling circus could be so dark, magical and epic in scale?  Clancy Brown is frightening in both presence and zealotry.  Nick Stahl shows some real depth with Clea Duvall complimenting him well.  A strange story filled with so much promise, but also cut short after its second season.  One more would have wrapped it all up.
• Kindred: The Embraced - Loosely based on the role playing game Vampire: The Masquerade this marked a return to the small screen by C. Thomas Howell.  It had some great potential with the lead male vampire (Mark Frankel) a sex symbol waiting to happen.  This series ended abruptly not because of budgetary concerns or network suits, but by the tragic death of the lead character in a motorcycle accident.

Complete Cheese

I love them for being the Velveeta filled guilty pleasures that they are.  Sometimes they have better writing than expected, but usually are churned out by C class writer hacks.  Great to watch late at night in the syndication hell they’ve been sent to.

• The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. – Bruce Campbell… need I say more?
• The Lost World – They try to legitimize the series by using Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s name in the credits, but its a sub-Hercules/Xena quality show.  The two female leads aren’t bad to look at and the red headed scientist is a hoot.  Actually, now that I think about it, there are some striking similarities between Gilligan’s Island and this show.  Two hot females, a kooky scientist making inventions out of whatever happens to be available (coconuts anyone?), all stuck in a place with little hope of escaping.  Add to that random guest star appearances by people that have no realistic way of being in the same situation and viola… Gilligan with badly rendered dinosaurs.

are there any GEMS that you’ve found and I’ve failed to mention?

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