I can't believe you haven't seen... TV edition

Confession time. I’m only now, for the first time, watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’ve borrowed the DVD’s from my friend Kylie, who has been in love with the show for as long as I’ve known her. I’m really enjoying it, but have a feeling I might have appreciated Buffy more when it was first on TV, in its original context, spoiler-free and fresh. As proud as I am that I “liked Arrested Development before Fox canned it”, I’ve also been a johnny-come-lately fan of many classics:

Deadwood

Completely missed it. I blame Australian television programmers. Not my fault.

Fringe

I’m not too late, Fringe hasn’t been cancelled, but I’m only now getting on board. I love its X-Files-style mythology that is thus far not too confusing. And that last scene of S1? Wow.

Breaking Bad

Watched 3 seasons in 2 weeks. Where do I collect my award? Bring on Season 4! I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for so long… ahem.

The Wire

I don’t feel too bad about this one. Everyone missed it the first time around. Society's fault.

Over to you, readers! What shows are you (maybe shamefully) just discovering for the first time?

Not quite prime time: The return of Team Coco

It's a big week for Australian television. And no, it's not Eddie and his IQ Test or the over-hyped Packed to the Rafters funeral (Did someone actually die in real life? No? Then move on people and stop putting it on the front page of the paper). No I'm talking about one of the funniest people on the planet finally back where he belongs - on the air. YAY!! Conan O'Brien is back on TV. And the best part - Channel Nine is doing Australia a favour and playing his talk show on free-to-air channel Gem Tuesdays to Fridays at 11:30pm.

For those not aware of the late night talk show war in January this year, Conan had taken over the famed Tonight Show only for the bigwigs at NBC to try a ratings shuffle and push Conan back a timeslot and reinstate former host Jay Leno in his stead. Conan refused and one of the funniest weeks of talk show history ensued. Instead of the latest political gaffes or Tiger Woods sex jokes, the target was late night itself with potshots at NBC and Leno. Those hilarious news peeps in Taiwan succinctly summed up the situation thusly.

Luckily for us all, Conan was able to get his own show on basic cable channel TBS and it debuted this week in the US and is being fast-tracked to Australian shores on Gem (god bless digital TV).

I've been a big fan of Conan's for years, having been lucky enough to have awesome parents with pay television so I could watch his Late Night talk show on the Comedy Channel. And a few years ago I managed to score tickets to be an audience member for Late Night with Conan O'Brien when I visited New York with fellow everythingpopulariswrong.net blogger Amy. I don't think either of us have ever laughed as hard as we did watching the intro package of all of Conan's best-ofs as we waited in the audience for the show to start taping. He's such a random, gangly ridiculous nerd - and I love it!

Talk shows or variety shows can be a tricky format. So much relies on the host being able to engage the audience, engage the guests, and just generally be hilarious whilst doing so. Australian attempts always seem too eager. Rove always tried hard, often hitting the mark, but more often than not the format felt forced and there was an awkwardness that was obvious to the audience. And don't even get me started on the mess that is Daryl Somers and Hey Hey! Out of the predominant American shows Leno panders to the audience too much and Letterman always seems above it all, treating his guests and the audience with a thinly veiled sheen of contempt.

For me, Conan has always hit the mark. Yeah, there are off nights and off guests, but when you run a show 5 nights a week, that's pretty good odds. For example his first show started off strong (with a hilarious intro package of Conan playing up his move from NBC complete with a cameo from Don Draper himself and a very apt reference to The Godfather), but unengaging guests Seth Rogan and Lea Michele were probably not the best to be starting out with. Luckily Jack White was there in all his awesome glory to rock out with Conan and his band to round out the show. All in all, I'm excited to see Conan back on TV and I'm looking forward to more of his kooky hilarity.

Here are some of my favourite Conan clips from the past:

1)  Conan goes apple-picking with Mr T

2)  Triumph the Insult Comic Dog goes to the premiere of Attack of the Clones

3)  Conan hosts the 2006 Emmys

4)  Conan has fun riffing with various guests

And one of the funniest things I've ever seen on television

5)  Conan goes behind-the-scenes with an 1860s re-enactment baseball team.

Top 7 TV Opening Credits

Every TV show has opening credits – some are flashy, some are entertaining and most are downright boring. Watching the new Aussie comedy/drama Offspring the other week (which I am enjoying by the way), I was struck by how much I didn’t like their opening credit sequence. As a cutesy bubble-pop song plays, the main actors jerkily spin in a myriad of poses as if they are characters seen through a viewfinder. The whole thing just seemed a bit too twee. To me, a good opening credit sequence is one that does more than just slap-bang a few clips of the show together with a current pop music fave – it’s a gilded invitation to join the show’s universe. It’s one where no matter how many episodes I watch in a row while DVD marathoning the show – I will always watch the opening credits.

These are a few of my favourites:

Mad Men

An awesome homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Mad Men’s opening credits are almost dreamlike – the slow, languid pace of the businessman falling surrounded by skyscrapers with reflections of period advertising posters and billboards.  We can all relate to those dreams of falling which are meant to express our suppressed anxieties, our feelings of being out of control and overwhelmed.  This is what Mad Men is all about – that loss of control and identity – and in a decade where everything about the world was changing.   Plus they can’t go wrong with a final image of dreamy Jon Hamm’s shoulders casually slung across the back of a couch can they!

True Blood

Definitely the best set of credits for a currently running program; True Blood’s have even been nominated for an Emmy.  Created by Digital Kitchen, the production studio also responsible for the awesome credits for Six Feet Under and Dexter, True Blood’s opening sequence is steeped in Deep South imagery and plays around with the contradictory ideas of innocence and menace that go hand in hand with the themes of the show.  The whole thing really just leaves you with a feeling that things just ain’t right – sex, violence, horror, life, and death all wrapped into one.  And those maggots!  Shudder!

TV shows that rocked my world: Deadwood

Al and Bullock get serious at the Gem

I’m fairly certain that if it wasn’t for a subscription TV channel, I would have never given Deadwood past its first episode. In fact, I think it’s fairly safe to say that there’s never been anything quite like Deadwood.

Created by David Milch and running just 3 seasons (from 2004 – 2006), Deadwood is set in the 1870s in South Dakota, before (and after) the area’s annexation by the Dakota Territory. It shows the town’s growth from camp to town, covering broad themes like law and order, government and politics, business, and power. A huge ensemble cast breathes life into the grime and grit of the camp, with Timothy Olyphant’s Sherriff Seth Bullock and Ian McShane’s saloon owner Al Swearengen leading a charge of wonderful performances by terrific character actors. Deadwood is populated by true historical figures, including Bullock and Swearengen, Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, Charlie Utter, and George Hearst. The historical truth of these characters is served up by Milch with a healthy dose of artistic license. And here is where Deadwood’s genius lies.

Sol and Trixie

 I had the chance to see Deadwood, all three seasons, back to back on Australian pay TV channel Showcase. Deadwood was on each weeknight at 7.30, and when the advertisements came to my attention, I was reminded it was one of those shows I’d always “meant” to see. You know the ones, we all have them, but late-night TV scheduling, or the  failure of commercial networks to air the great HBO shows at all, conspire against us. The advent of TV-on-DVD has certainly helped with series’ many of us would have otherwise missed out on. Deadwood on each weeknight was as good as a DVD for me! So I settled in for the first episode… and couldn’t understand a word they were saying. These people were speaking in some bizarre bastardisation of Shakespeare, with sentences and words inverting and swirling in on themselves, making a kind of peculiar poetry from phrases sometimes so vulgar I couldn’t believe my ears. The cursing and swearing was confronting (despite my knowledge of Deadwood’s reputation for foul language), but in the setting, made a sort of perfect sense as part of the lawlessness of the show. I’ve since read that Milch intended for his cast to use the curse words of the time, but they seemed to our modern ears to be more blasphemous than anything, and so the decision was made to give the words their full modern impact. And thus, C-bombs and F-bombs scatter the script like raindrops. And so it wasn’t the language in that sense that confused me. The show was going to take some getting used to, and I vowed to keep at it. Boy, am I glad I did.

The men of Deadwood

Deadwood fast became my favourite TV show. It is ugly, grimy, and offensive. The depth and smell of the place almost reeks from the screen. The characters are, with a few exceptions, deceitful, selfish, anarchistic, and so very human. The storyline is compelling and sometimes shocking. Death, mud, gunshots, scheming, drinking, and whoring are relentless. Deadwood has perhaps 40 speaking characters, and only about 5 of them are women. Two of those women are prostitutes. The acting is, almost without exception, first-rate. Milch has trusted his actors to deliver his precious and wholly original script, a script that often brought me to tears. The trick, I learnt after that first episode, is to watch with subtitles. To truly appreciate and love Deadwood is to truly appreciate and love language. For as gritty and foul as that language may be, it is also poetry in motion. The machinations of the script have been written like a sort of concerto. No television program, before or since, has had such an impact on me. I bought the DVDs, and have watched them countless times since. I’ve memorised sections of script and my favourite quotes, like I’d do with Tennyson or Dickinson.

Jane and Charlie. Probably thinking
about Joanie.

It’s not just the beauty of the screenplay, but the fantastic performances that sell you on Deadwood. A cast of characters to break your heart. Such perfect moments from such perfect actors: Robin Weigert’s drunken and kind-hearted Calamity Jane. Brad Dourif’s Doc Cochran, doing what he can under extreme circumstances. The burgeoning relationship between John Hawkes’ Sol Star and Paula Malcomson’s Trixie. The not-so-subtle rivalry between Al’s go-to men, W. Earl Brown’s Dan Dority and Titus Welliver’s Silas Adams. The scenes between the reformed madam, Kim Dickens’ Joanie, and the compassionate Charlie Utter, played by Dayton Callie, he boyishly in love with her, she so tentatively branching out on her own. The moments as Molly Parker’s Alma Garret makes critical choices like starting her bank, for the good of the camp, only to come up against the pure evil of Gerald McRaney’s George Hearst. The pathetic worm-like moments of attempted scheming from William Sanderson’s E. B. Farnham. It’s the people that make the town, and Milch knows it.

I’m so glad I gave Deadwood a chance. Re-watching offers even more rewards, as subplots and line readings you may have missed the first time around suddenly come into focus. In the end though it’s this simple scene, featuring a pep talk the incomparable McShane's Al gives newspaperman Merrick after Merrick's been beaten, that is my favourite of all 3 Deadwood seasons. It still brings a tear to my eye. “Pain or damage don’t end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings..” Sublime. Comments below!

Masterchef: The Final Wash-up

The juggernaut that is Masterchef has come to end. I’m not gonna lie, as I write this I’m already feeling slightly depressed about my future winter evenings. What am I going to watch on TV tonight? It’s pathetic but true. Perhaps I will actually give my partner some attention now.
(Image: Channel 10)

Firstly, congrats to Adam Liaw – Masterchef for 2010. He really is a fantastic cook, and appears to be an extremely intelligent and worthy guy. In the end, after three rounds, he took out the title. He’d been ahead for most of the night anyway. BUT…

I have to admit I am a bit disappointed. While neither guy was really my favourite, (Marion, oh Marion I know you have a line of sauces – but I miss you) I was backing Callum heading into last night’s finale. I think it might have been the underdog factor. I like a good underdog.

Just a few weeks ago Callum was effing things up left, right and centre. He was loosing his cool and panicking during challenges, and he was riding on the efforts of his team mates to avoid eliminations. Props to Callum though, he scraped himself up off the kitchen floor and got on with it – and look where he is now.

Really, Adam might have won the title, the money and the book deal, but Callum got offered a job and scholarship from George. In my opinion, that’s probably just as good – if not better. Callum will be on the way to fulfill his dream of being a chef and he’ll be working several of George Colombaris’ amazing restaurants while he does it.

You have to admit, this show will be missed. As I write this now, I’m watching Channel 9’s Today Show do a segment on the finale. That’s how big this show has become. One network talking about a rival network’s show in a positive or promotional way used to be a cardinal sin of TV. Not anymore. The positivity of Masterchef’s show is infecting the whole of Television Land. What other reality show can you think of where both people in the final win an amazing career kick-start? Not to mention all the eliminated contestants who have scored other fantastic opportunities in the food industry?

And then there are the ratings. Masterchef has been kicking goals for Channel 10 all season, but last night’s average audience was just shy of 4 million viewers, the third highest ratings ever since OzTAM started counting back in 2001. It was beaten only by the 2005 Australian Open final between Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin (4.045 million) and the 2003 Rugby World Cup final (4.016 million). Read more about that here.

And so, with a tear (would it be a Masterchef post if I didn’t cry?) I farewell thee Masterchef. I will miss you, but my waistline won’t. Hopefully Junior Masterchef will kick off in a few weeks and keep me sane!

So what did you think of the finale? Did Adam deserve the win or were you backing Callum? Or did you just lament for Marion, Jimmy or Jonathan?

And…what would your signature dish be if you scored an audition for Masterchef???

Please let me know and help me keep the Masterchef buzz alive for just a few more days…

Masterchef: The Wash-up

And then there were two.

The highly anticipated ‘Grand Finale’ of Mastechef this Sunday night will be a battle of the boys, after Melbourne lawyer, and sometimes ice-queen, Clare Winton Burn made her exit last night on overcooked lamb and late served main dishes.

Apart from the fact the tag ‘grand final’ doesn’t seem to be spectacular enough to describe the final episode, the show does look like it will live up to the hype generated by the tousle over the 7.30pm time slot with the televised federal election debate, and break ratings records for Channel 10.

Although I didn’t expect the emotion of the Marion Elimination (yes, I cried in mourning for Marion), I have to admit I did feel a little sorry for Claire. She herself has admitted she doesn’t like the tearful admissions, which have plagued the show ALL season; she likes to keep her emotions to herself. But what we saw last night at the business end of the show, was a very upset Claire, lamenting how close she came to making ‘the cut’ (as Gary put it) for the grand finale. And while we’re talking emotion – I have to say (and I will be struck down for admitting this) that I might have missed Jimmy ‘The Curry King’ Seervai a little last night. None of the three remaining contestants stirred dislike or emotion the way Jimmy used to. No one caused me to scream at the TV screen – ‘but all you cook is curry!!!’

So what’s next for Claire? No, she won’t be bringing out her own line of sauces. (Thank you Claire, the world can only handle so much sauce). She says she’s not sure if she can make a viable living out of cooking just yet, but her practicing certificate expired last month – so it seems law is not a career option at the moment. She says she still wants to eventually open her own pub/restaurant and cook Sunday lunches in people's homes. WTF? I heard Courtney mention this one too. Is it just me? Or is this a weird business goal? I get the idea of building a reputation etc etc but it sounds a bit odd to me. I guess I would pay to have my favourite Masterchef contestant cook in my kitchen, but I might be a bit embarrassed about the fact that my kitchen is the size of a linen cupboard.

The response on Twitter last night was mixed in the minutes after Claire was sent packing – some tweets were pretty harsh, probably in the wake of Claire being labelled a ‘home wrecker’ (what does that have to do with her cooking??) and an ice-queen. But most of the tweets were about Adam or Callum and who they thought should take out the title.

Perhaps the big question of the night was not, ‘did Claire deserve to go?’ But ‘did the GG actually eat something?’ I think comedian and Channel 10 personality Dave Hughes (@DHughsey) summed it perfectly when he tweeted:

Must have been a lot of pressure cooking for the Governor General. She looked like she'd been waiting 5 years for a meal.

So who is your money on – Adam or Callum??

Do you think Callum has fudged his way through or is the skilled and worldly Adam the most deserving?

When is too much TV not enough? Top 10 Most Addictive TV Shows

The question on everyone’s lips at water coolers all over the country this week has not been ‘so – who will be the next Australian Prime Minister’? But – ‘who do you think will win Masterchef’?

Am I ashamed to live in a country where a televised federal election debate gets moved around for the final of a reality TV show? Certainly not. And I actually find politics interesting, like any news junkie worth their salt does. BUT I WILL NOT BE TORN AWAY FROM MASTERCHEF.

If I had to choose, I would certainly rather watch Masterchef than watch Julia “I’m an atheist and proud of it’ Gillard and Tony “Budgies” Abbott go at it on live TV.

As it turns out – it’s win/win. I get to watch the debate first and then Masterchef. I can be a concerned citizen and TV junkie all without the guilt.

But it’s not just Masterchef I’m obsessed with. There are certain TV shows out there, that I watch or have watched religiously, to the point of obsession – and I know I am not the only one. Yes, you know who you are. What did we do with our time before TV shows came out on DVD???

My obsession started when I commuted an hour to work and my fabulous friend with impeccable taste, Amy, introduced me to HBO. It wasn’t long before I was dreaming about Tony Soprano hunting me down and wondering every day – ‘What would Carrie do in this situation??’

So here is my list of the Top Ten Most Addictive TV shows

1. True Blood – the story of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic southern waitress who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton. Add lots of blood, sex, hot vampires, werewolves and shape-shifters into the mix and you’ll be addicted in no time!

2. Six Feet Under – a dark and emotional look at a family in the funeral business struggling after the death of their less than perfect father. Human mortality is a big theme, but also family conflict and sexuality, coupled with some amazing acting.

3. The Wire – this series focuses on the city of Baltimore and the conflict within the city’s many facets; the illegal drug trade, the port system, the government, the school system and the media. Heavy stuff, but tackles some amazing socio-political themes.

4. Sex and the City – the lives and loves of four New York City gals; Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. Groundbreaking with its frank discussion about sex and love.

5. The Sopranos – the crime, cavorts and Italian traditions of the New Jersey mafia. It centres on mobster Tony Soprano and the conflict between his criminal life and family responsibilities.

6. Masterchef – amateur cooks battle it out on TV. Who would have thought it would be so addictive??

7. Big Love – a fundamentalist Mormon and his three wives live secretly as polygamists in Utah. It’s three times the family drama!

8. Lost – follows the survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island...nothing is as it seems in this series. Just when you think you have it worked out – damn it! Another twist!

9. The Tudors – the life and wives of England’s King Henry VIII. It’s a graphic look at the King and his famously lavish royal lifestyle. There’s nothing refined about the sexy and often violent story of the Tudor dynasty.

10. Dexter – focuses on Dexter, Miami police blood splatter analyst by day, serial killer by night. The show revolves around Dexter and his efforts to hide his dark, dark secret.

So, I may be weeping next Monday night when Masterchef is over and done with for another ratings period – but never fear – Farmer Wants a Wife is back soon my friends!

Which TV shows can’t you live without? Which ones make you yell at the TV screen for ‘just one more episode’? What would make your Top 10 Most Addictive? Comment away!