The Idiot Box

I haven't had a good week, as some of you may already know. But I'm not going to talk about it, it just gets way too depressing. I am going to put it behind me and focus on straightening out things and living my life the way I always do. So I'm done about that.

That being said, let me talk about something else: television. I used to have a great deal of love for TV, until I discovered the internet haha. But ever since 2007 started, I found out that TV is now worthwhile going back to once more. In between WWE wrestling and some good reality shows like The Amazing Race and American Idol (yes Mike, I know you hate Idol), some really good dramas have come back to the screen. Let me tell you what I'm currently following in my offline time.

1. Heroes
This show is currently gaining a tremendous following over in the States. It's about a group of individuals around the world who suddenly discover that they have special abilities. A cheerleader finds herself being able to heal from any injury. A young man keeps dreaming that he can fly. A Japanese man discovers he can stop time and even teleport himself from place to place. A comicbook artist is horrified to discover his paintings are predictions of things that have yet to happen. A single mother realises her reflection in the mirror is alive. And under all this, a young Indian geneticist travels to New York to investigate his father's mysterious death, which may be connected to all these special people.

2. Kidnapped
This show is similar to Lost and 24, where a single plot thread connects it from start to finish. A wealthy couple's teenage son is kidnapped. Enter a man named Knapp, who specialises in retrieving kidnap victims for a fee, and off the record. He tries to keep off the FBI's radar, but the couple's reputation attracts the Feds somehow, and now Knapp has to work with his former boss Latimer King to track the boy and bring him home. However, the kidnappers are well-prepared and smarter than they realised, and a complex cat-and-mouse game ensues.

3. E.R.
This show began in 1994, and has since run for 13 seasons till now, something which I had just discovered prior to writing this. I had always loved this medical drama, but was unable to follow it after local stations stopped playing it beyond season 6. Now thankfully a cable TV station has picked it up and started airing it last month, back from season 1 again. This drama takes place within the Chicago County Hospital, and follows the lives of 4 doctors, an upcoming student doctor and a nurse who struggle with their pressuring career of saving lives on a daily basis. Unlike Grey's Anatomy (which I am also watching), the problems encountered by the characters are more realistic, such as peer competition, tough bosses, financial burdens and family obligations. I am glad to be able to watch this again.

4. Law & Order
This is said to be one of the longest running shows on American TV. The season currently being played is rather old, but the compelling cases presented still makes it worthwhile. It shows the process taken to solve a crime, from the police who investigate to the lawyers who prosecute the guilty. Best of all, the cast do it without getting into too much personal melodrama. Another old favourite I'm glad to watch again.

5. 24
The title refers to the happenings in a full day of Counter Terrorist Agent Jack Bauer, as he tries desperately to stop a major threat to the USA. Each episode represents an hour of the day in question. Kiefer Sutherland plays Jack with great realism, as he often has to break rules and juggle all kinds of problems in order to save the day. The current season I'm watching is the 4th, which is rather slow since the US is playing the sixth one right now.

I am still waiting for the new seasons of Lost, House, CSI New York and Supernatural to come on air, but till then I'll settle for these. And the new season of Deadwood is coming soon this month, I'll be looking forward to that too.

I wonder if you guys watch TV, and if you do, what do you watch?