To admit liking these shows, well, it kinda blows my cover. I take pride in being a big fan of action adventure and sci fi shows. The cool shows, like Battlestar and Lost and boy shows like 24 and Human Target. A procedural bores me to tears (CSI or Law & Order? Ugh). I find shows about suburban families inconsequential (Desperate Housewives or Parenthood? Stab me in the eye with a fork, please). But somehow, these two shows have won my heart, and I have my last roommate to thank for it (thanks Joanne!).
Medium: A family who lives in suburban Phoenix, the mother is a psychic who works for the DA’s office, the father is an engineer, and they have three girls, all with some psychic ability. But this is the sneaky part: the family is sweet and functional. Jake is one of the awesomest TV husbands ever created on television. Smart and caring, and supportive of all the cuckoo stuff that goes on around his psychic wife. Every week I wonder, “Where can I find a man like that?” The kids are endearing, but not sickeningly so, and Allison is mild mannered but determined in helping find all manner of murders lurking about Arizona. Plus, there’s lots and lots of gross and disgusting crime scenes to enjoy. I find the murder of the week fun to try and figure out, and the writers do a good job of using twisty turns and red herrings to keep you on your toes. But really, in the end, I just love the family dynamic and the sly smartness and wit that is conveyed to us each week.
NBC cancelled the show last year, but since CBS owned it, they took it on and have paired it with a show I’ve never seen, The Ghost Whisperer. Seems like a good pair to me, but I hear the ratings are so-so for CBS, and the show is on the bubble. Of course it is, now that I find myself a full-blown fan.
Bones: I’m gonna be honest here, I only gave this show a chance because I am a big Buffy fan, and if Angel (David Boreanaz) was on the show, maybe it was worth checking out, because he is exceedingly gorgeous. Add in a badge and a gun? I really don’t need much more than that. Hee. But like Medium, the characters won me over. Smart and funny, the lab is full of quirky characters, and the main characters, Booth and Bones, have that crazy chemistry that we all want in our TV couples, and a fun will-they-or-won’t-they vibe that so far hasn’t been drudgery. Also, lots and lots of disgusting and gory crime scenes. Totally revolting corpses and pieces. I just love that stuff. Also like Medium, the writers never really take things too seriously, which can be a very difficult task when you write about death and gore and murder all the time.
I don’t really need to pimp this show. They just aired their 100th episode on Fox, and I hear the ratings are better than ever, so YAY for me!
Some of my favorite shows on the air right now were shows I scoffed at when they started. Medium, Bones, Supernatural, Gilmore Girls, Buffy, BSG, etc. So now I do my best to try out everything that has even a sliver of interest to me. Most of the time, I am disappointed, but I always try to remember, sometimes what may seem like yet another tedious version of something you’ve seen over and over, may just turn out to be one of your favorites.