Nerve Endings Firing Away

We have now switched completely to watching TV shows on Netflix barring the occasional movie. This allows us not only to watch acclaimed TV shows following critical acclaim but also savor them at our leisure. We highly recommend this format if you were late to the party and missed great shows because you were busy getting your Masters or PhD and thereby couldn’t afford HBO or Showtime subscriptions. Premium cable channels are more likely to host better shows than network TV because they don’t have the same restrictions (censorship, mass appeal, etc.) as the latter; so cable shows feature more in this list although surprisingly quite a few network shows make the cut too.

We have watched nearly a dozen shows this way and are currently subscribed to couple more. I had planned on writing on each series as we concluded but I found it better to start watching another show rather than write about the previous one. Anyway, this is my attempt at briefly reviewing some shows that we’ve enjoyed:

Rome

HBO (mini-series)

This part-fictional historical drama is set in the times of Julius Caesar at the height of the Roman Empire. Although it takes liberties with historical fact and often credits two minor characters (central characters in the series) Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, with major events, the political machinations and devious nature of human character makes for great drama. Mark Anthony is not exactly the virtuous man that our history books and Lend Me Your Ears recitals make him out to be but in context, he seems much more plausible. The show not only focuses on the larger political scandals including the assassination of Caesar but also the private lives of the common man that include soldiers and traders.

Historians may find umpteen faults and tear their hair out at anomalies but it makes for excellent television. You find yourself torn between choosing an alleged benevolent dictator over squabbling senators that also allegedly assert the will of the people in one of the world’s first republic. But it is not for the faint-hearted and definitely PG-17 if not R-rated for depiction of nudity and gore. If Rome was any indication, we definitely didn’t live the simple life in days of the yore. It packs a lot in 22 episodes over 2 seasons so be prepared to be overwhelmed.

The West Wing

NBC (1999-2006)

This show must have been the solitary beacon of hope during the Bush year for liberals. Although the multi-Emmy-winning show aired last in 2006, we never watched it live. In brief, the show is based on the behind-the-scenes of the White House with Josiah Barlett (Martin Sheen) as a Democratic President supported ably by his inspired staff. If you think, this is merely another of those political shows with rhetoric and jingoistic bluster, then you are mistaken. Written by Aaron Sorkin (and Lawrence O’Donnell), the show is a quirky comedy that not only highlights the struggles of the most powerful administration in the world but also captures the essence of enormous impact their decisions have on our lives.

The realism and unique style of shooting (talk as you walk through the hallways of the White House) makes it an unique experience especially for a network show. We as viewers get close to all characters which not surprisingly are all inspired by idealism. The woman characters including the first lady are strong and not mere figureheads; other characters are the Press Secretary (and then the Chief of Staff), Deputy National Security Advisor, Congresswomen, political consultants, etc. The male characters are strong yet bumbling and quirky compared to their female counterparts.

One of the strangest coincidence of the final seasons of the show was how much it resembled the soon-to-follow Obama-McCain campaign with a nuclear disaster instead of an economic collapse. The race on the show, of course, was much closer than in reality. Although idealism is sprinkled liberally (pun intended) and there is a clear distinction between the ‘other’ devious party, the show is scripted well and keeps you engrossed. It is like the ray of sunshine in the dark reality of real-world politics. We were genuinely sad we saw the final episode.

Sports Night

ABC (1998-2000)

This little-known show that was abruptly cut short by ABC was recommended on Twitter for being Sorkin’s precursor to The West Wing. The show focuses on the behind-the-scenes (a Sorkin speciality, I guess) of a TV sports show; much like Sports Center (Sorkin attempted it again in Studio 60 on teh Sunset Strip) Sorkin specializes in feel-good TV where all his characters are extremely nice people; might sound unrealistic but it makes us feel good and probably one of the reason why most people watch TV. But all sap and no story or characters, you’ll tire of it pretty quick. Sports Night fortunately walks that fine line but only just. It is not as strong as The West Wing but it holds its own and shows you the early years of Sorkin (in fact, he ditched Sports Night after he started working on The West Wing)

The show again has couple of central characters that include the sports show’s hosts and its producer. The look behind how a television show operates, the occasional goofs, fighting off the network in face of falling ratings, the struggle to show interesting stories vs. stories that people will actually watch. We never actually are introduced to a vast majority of the people working on the show but are given insights on the geeky know-it-all new recruit, the fact-finders, and producers who actually make any television show happen. Largely a comedy, the drama elements are provided by the romantic off-n-on connections between the show’s main anchor and the producer, the two neurotic and nerdy researchers, and the second anchor’s fluctuating relationships with other women not on the show. This show first featured Sorkin’s Walk and Talk speciality that he later employed in The West Wing which is more interesting because of the rapid dialogue delivery laced with sharp humor that you’ll miss if you blink.

This show was cancelled by the network and the final episode managed to sneak in a jab to ABC – Anybody who can’t make money off of Sports Night should get out of the money-making business – which is sad because it was far better than most of the shows we see on TV today. Although we weren’t as enthusiastic about this show as we were for The West Wing, it is definitely worth a watch especially if you are a general sports fan.

More to Follow

Coming up next – Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, Freaks and Geeks, Firefly, Arrested Development, Lost, and Mad Men.