Spotlight: FX Network

November 14, 2011
These days, some of people’s favorite shows tend to be on smaller, special channels that are only available through certain programming networks. For example, some of the most popular shows on television currently are on FX Networks, which are not always available on basic cable. If you have not been exposed to these shows, or are interested in them as additions to your television schedule, you may want to check out http://www.tvbydirect.com for details on how to gain access. In the meantime, here is a brief rundown of some of the most popular shows on FX.

• It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has gained a rather massive following over the years as a somewhat unorthodox TV comedy. The show follows a group of five individuals called “The Gang” as they essentially hatch plots with and against each other in the interest of personal gain. What makes the show especially unique, however, is that each of the five characters is notably immoral, and while they are in some sense friends with one another, there is no real sense of loyalty or unity between them. They are simply an unsuccessful group of malicious schemers – but this makes for much hilarity in the eyes of the show’s fans.

• The League debuted on FX in 2009, and, improbably, is an entire show that revolves around a group of six friends and their fantasy football league. Fantasy football seems to grow in popularity every year, so the idea of a group of friends’ fantasy competition taking over their everyday lives is one that is both entertaining and surprisingly realistic for fans. The show also enjoys occasional guest stars from the real world of the NFL.

• Louie is another very unique show on FX that is essentially the brainchild of popular stand-up comedian Louis C.K. The show follows a semi-fictional comedian and newly divorced father of two girls. The show is based heavily on Louis C.K.’s actual life, and features much of his stand-up within its choppy, vignette-style plotlines. Overall, Louie has garnered a good deal of critical acclaim and fan support in its brief history so far.

These are just three of the many shows on FX that are worth looking into. If you have no experience with this network, then you should be prepared to expect very high quality programming with a number of addictive shows. There is also a good deal of variety on FX, meaning that whether you are looking for a drama or a comedy, there will likely be something for you to enjoy.

Spotlight: Ranking All the ER Regulars

May 06, 2011
I decided to switch the Spotlight formula up a little and do a ranking of the series regulars on one of the most successful primetime dramas of all time. This might become a recurring feature on the site if there’s interest.

1. John Carter: There’s really no doubt that Carter deserves the number one slot. Carter was a regular for eleven seasons and guest starred in two other ones. From medical student to attending, Carter was the one character that the audience really got to watch grow up. Carter also arguably saved the show, as he became the main character following Anthony Edward’s departure after season eight. Other characters picked up the slack later on but Carter was really the glue that held the show together in his later seasons. Just look at how bad season twelve was. The finale was great because of how many regulars came back, but quite frankly it wouldn’t have been good at all had it not been for Carter.

2. Mark Greene: The argument can be made for ranking Greene number one as he was the lead character during the show’s prime years (certainly ratings wise and possible creatively as well). Greene was one of the more levelheaded, stable characters on the show. His death also ranks as possible the saddest moment of the entire show. If your eyes didn’t swell up as Greene was telling his daughter Rachel to be generous with her life, you probably weren’t a real fan of ER. Also, Greene’s flashback episode in the final season gave the show a sense of completeness that few long running shows ever achieve.

3. Abby Lockhart: While Abby could be considered as a replacement character for Carol Hathaway, she surpassed her predecessor in terms of importance to the show. Abby was definitely one of the most frustrating characters on the show but that’s part of the reason why we loved her. Her final episode ranks second behind Greene’s in my book and it left a void in the show that we hadn’t seen since Carter’s exit.

4. Luka Kovac: I suppose Luka and Abby are somewhat interchangeable since they were so intertwined. Kovac may not have connected with the audience in the same way that Abby did but he put the show on his back following Carter’s departure. Kovac saved seasons twelve and thirteen from being complete failures. He didn’t get quite the exit that Abby did but that was somewhat fitting for the brooding Croatian.

5. Peter Benton: I might get some slack for this one. Benton may not have ever been the lead but he was one of the most important characters during his time at County General. From his HIV storyline with Boulet to his custody struggles over his deaf son, the audience was always emotionally connected to Benton. The final season would not have been complete without him as his relationship with Carter was one of the most powerful bonds on the show. Benton was a powerful character and the show lost something when he was written off in season eight.

6. Kerry Weaver: Weaver was hard to rank. She ranks second behind Carter in number of episodes. But nearly half her time as a regular was spent as an almost irrelevant character. Weaver’s time as Chief of Staff did little other than give the audience more reasons to hate the character. Her reemergence in seasons twelve and thirteen did more harm than good as it exposed the lack of depth in the show’s roster. But Weaver did have her moments. She was annoying most of the time but she was also a deeply caring character.

7. Greg Pratt: Pratt gets such a high ranking for his immense development over his years on the show. He never really got over his disregard for authority, but he really matured as a character. He owned up for his actions and encouraged others to do so as well. His death was the second saddest behind Greene’s and I think his departure hurt the show more than Greene’s did. No one really picked up the slack after he left.

8. Carol Hathaway: I find it weird that Julianna Margulies was the only regular actress to win an Emmy. I don’t think she was the most deserving at all. But her role on the show was very important. She was the emotional core of the shows early years. I’m glad that she wasn’t killed off in the pilot as originally intended because she provided many great moments over her six seasons on the show.

9. Robert Romano: I really couldn’t leave Rocket Romano out of the top ten. He was too good a character. He’s the real definition of a character that the audience loves to hate. He had a soft side to him though. He may have been an ass, but he wasn’t without heart. ER’s defining “jump the shark” moment may have been when the helicopter fell on Romano but that didn’t take away from his character. Characters such as Victor Clemente and Kevin Moretti exhibited Romano-like features but neither could really replicate his demeanor with any level of success. Anti-heroes are rarely as likable as Robert Romano was.

10. Neela Rasgotra: As far as lead characters go, Neela was hands down the weakest. But the bar had been set pretty high by the likes of Green, Carter, Abby, and Kovac. Neela was the last character that the show really encouraged the audience to get behind. Her love life was as tragic as it gets. I wasn’t nuts about her marriage to Gallant but it really advanced her as character. Neela deserves to be in the top ten for keeping the show going through some tough times (aka the Clemente era).

11. Elizabeth Corday: Corday’s biggest contribution to ER was the way she brought out the best in every character she interacted with. There’s no doubt that she made Benton, Greene, and Romano more interesting. She got kind of boring after Greene’s death and her departure wasn’t particularly noteworthy but Corday was an important part of ER’s prime years. She made me care about the surgical parts of the show.

12. Doug Ross: If I could only say one good thing about the Doug Ross character, it’s that he left at the perfect time. The only other potential character that can claim this is Cleo Finch. The rest either left too early or too late. That being said, I don’t mean to belittle Clooney’s value to the show. Doug was a great character who really did it all. He was often the centerpiece of the real tearjerker episodes and his relationship with nurse Carol Hathaway remains the best romance the show ever saw. I don’t think ER would’ve been the top show that it was for so long without Doug Ross.

13. Archie Morris: I never really thought that Morris would last as a main character. Bumbling idiots usually don’t. But Morris evolved over time and really played a vital role in the show’s later seasons. Morris was under a lot of pressure to take charge of the show following Pratt’s death and I think he did a pretty good job. The storyline with all his sperm donor kids was also fairly clever.

14. Susan Lewis: Lewis might be the lowest ranked of all the original cast members but she was still a very good character. While I gave Carter the credit for carrying the show after Greene’s death, Lewis also played a big role. She ultimately falls down in the rankings for never really being the star as well as have not one but two uneventful departures. Lewis was an interesting character, but she wasn’t much of an impact character.

15. Samantha Taggart: I’m really surprised that the Taggart character worked as well as she did. Brought in as a replacement “main nurse” character after Abby went back to medical school, Samantha had big shoes to fill. She did a pretty good job in standing out from her predecessors. Her storylines with her ex-husband were pretty good and she kept the show interesting in its down seasons.

16. Ray Barnett: I toyed with the idea giving the 16 slot to Jeanie Boulet, but I picked Ray for a number of reasons. He was more of a lead character than Jeanie ever was and I think the show suffered from his departure. Season six didn’t really miss a beat after Jeanie walked out. I never really thought that the writer’s did enough with Ray. His tragic accident happened at a time where Ray was really finding his groove. His frustrating relationship with Neela was one of the highlights of a pretty bad season thirteen. He was a caring doctor who transitioned from part time rocker to full time resident and his departure did leave a big void in the show.

17. Jeanie Boulet: Jeanie was one of the most interesting characters to ever work at County General. Her HIV storyline was a defining moment of season three, and for the show as a whole. So why is she so low? She never really advanced much. Boulet overcame her disease and learned to move on with her life, but her character never really did move on. She had some moments in season four but by season five, she became a background character and then slowly faded away. I did really enjoy her guest appearance in season 14 but she had the potential to be one of the best characters on the show and nothing really became of it.

18. Michael Gallant: Gallant is a weird character. He was largely a background character during his three seasons on the show and then saw his major storyline develop after he left. His character seemed to be a bit more macho in seasons twelve and thirteen and his relationship with Neela seemed a bit forced. But Gallant won me over early when he delivered the baby in the ambulance early in season eight. He wasn’t a particularly interesting character but he was a very likable one. I wasn’t too surprised when he met his demise but I enjoyed his time on the show.

19. Tony Gates: My one real problem with Tony was that he seemed like too much of a mesh between past characters. His problems with authority mirrored too close to Ross and his custody battle over his “adopted” daughter seemed like a blend of Benton and Weaver’s past troubles. Tony had his moments but he just wasn’t that interesting of a character.

20. Jing-Mei Chen: Chen was on ER for a long time. Despite this, she never really did much. Her fights with Weaver weren’t entertaining because it was a battle of which character the audience cared about least. Her departure was also one of the most drawn out and boring exits of any character. Did Chen really have a single shining moment in her 5+ seasons on the show? Not really.

21. Cleo Finch: Talk about a wasted character. Finch might have stood a chance at becoming a better character had she been introduced while Doug Ross was still on the show. But she was his replacement and it showed. I’m glad ER mostly did away with the pediatric story lines after her departure because quite frankly they were tired after Ross and Boulet made their exits. I am somewhat sad that Cleo didn’t make an appearance in the final season but I’m glad she was mentioned. Finch played second fiddle to Benton for more or less her whole time on the show and that’s why he’s ranked five and she’s ranked twenty-one.

22. Simon Brenner: Brenner wasn’t really a bad character. He just wasn’t really a very good character either. He was Anspaugh’s nephew and her did little to escape his uncle’s shadow He was put in a position to be a real impact character as the departures of Pratt and Kovac left a opening for him as an Attending to really step up. He just never really had that impact episode.

23. Lucy Knight: Talk about an annoying character. Lucy had a great opportunity to connect with the audience in the season five episode where she and Carter went to find the father of the girl with the rare blood type. She was good in that episode but then almost immediately went back to her annoying tendencies. She didn’t work as a character and didn’t last long. Her death didn’t do much for me other than make me respect Romano more as a character.

24. Catherine Banfield: Banfield might have grown as a character had she not been introduced in the last season. For what we saw she was basically too much like Weaver except without most of the positive qualities. We saw why she was this way in the Mark Greene flashback episode but we didn’t really a change in her character. She was cold and unlikable. We knew why but so what?

25. Anna Del Amico: Really not much to say here. The character never really got going before she left. She left no lasting impact on the show whatsoever. At least Knight’s death had an impact on the character.

26. Dave Malucci: Worst regular character the show ever saw. Dave did nothing but screw up. His termination was the few times that I really liked Weaver as a character. Weaver told Malucci “in a perfect world, Dr. Malucci, I would never subject any patients to your care.” In a perfect world we would never have been subject to such an awful character. At least he wasn’t around long.

Sadly, memorable character such as Frank and Jerry weren’t series regulars so they didn’t make this list. I might do a follow up for “the best of the rest” or something like that.

So that’s it for my first ranking list on TV Hell. How’d I do? Would you guys like to see more of these? Let me know at ian@tvhell.net.

Spotlight: Breaking Bad

March 15, 2011
I decided to break away a little from the conventional Spotlight format and focus on a current show. I saw that AMC is running every episode of Breaking Bad which seems like a great way to catch up on what I feel is the best show on television.

Breaking Bad is not for the faint of heart. It’s not gross but it is a deeply emotional show about a man who goes through unbelievable struggles in order to prepare his family for the day when he’s not around any longer. Walter White is a high school chemistry teacher who resorts to making crystal meth because he has advanced lung cancer. Former student Jesse Pinkman, who has plenty of personal demons of his own, aids White in his endeavors.

Why is Breaking Bad the best show on television? It’s quite simple. No actors on TV have the chemistry (no pun intended) that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul have. Cranston has three Emmys for his work on the show and Paul just won his first. Both characters come from incredibly different backgrounds but their interaction seems so natural whether or not they would admit it. It’s truly a treat to watch.

I assume most of you visit this site because you think what I have to say is somewhat interesting. Trust me on this; Breaking Bad is a show you don’t want to miss. Few shows on TV are even half as good as Breaking Bad.

Spotlight: Huff

December 27, 2010
Huff premièred on Showtime around the same time I joined TV Hell. I had seen it a few times but I picked up the first season off of Amazon for eleven bucks awhile back. Blythe Danner won two Emmys for the show at a time where cable shows rarely won awards outside of HBO.

Huff is about a psychiatrist named Craig “Huff” Huffstodt (played by Hank Azaria) who on the surface seems fairly normal. The eccentric circle of family and friends that surround him make him seem even more normal but that all goes out the window fairly early in the pilot when a teenage patient of Huff’s kills himself in the middle of a session. Most of the first season deals with the fallout of this event as well as several intriguing subplots such as Huff’s institutionalized brother, his drug addicted best friend, and his mothers never ending feuds with his wife.

Along with Dead Like Me and to a lesser extent, Brotherhood, Huff missed the golden age of Showtime by a year or two. The show is incredibly well written and keeps you captivated for the full hour mostly by dialogue. The characters are all immensely flawed with the possible exception of Huff’s son Byrd (played by Anton Yelchin, who is a star in the making). Also as the season progresses it’s no real surprise as to why Blythe Danner won two Emmys for the show, as she is truly incredible in her role as Huff’s mother Izzy.

Huff ran for two seasons. That’s not really a lot of time to be on the air especially when you consider that cable shows have shorter seasons. I really do think that Huff might have had a better chance if it aired in 2007 instead of 2005 but it really was a great show.

Huff can be purchased on DVD (sadly only season one as of now) and occasionally airs on Showtime. Huff will not be remembered as one of the all time greats but it really was an entertaining two seasons of television and I highly recommend it.

Spotlight: Arrested Development

December 12, 2010
Arrested Development was on the inaugural edition of the What-If page but I decided to revisit it again. Arrested Development made a huge splash when it premiered on Fox back in 2003 but has slowly slipped out of sight and out mind for even the most dedicated of TV fans.

NBC was really the pioneer of the single camera comedy that lacked a laugh track in the early 2000s but Arrested Development was equally as important. The Fox laugher was innovative in every definition of the word and was really ahead of its time. Arrested Development redefined the dysfunctional family sitcom taking the format popularized by shows like The Cosby Show and Roseanne to a whole new level.

The thing you could ever really rely on with Arrested Development is that you could never really count on anything. Main characters escaped jail, lost hands due to seals, and African American puppets testified in court. If you were going to buy Arrested Development, I’d recommend buying the entire series all at once. There are three seasons but they all flow together like one big season.

Why didn’t Arrested Development last. To be fair to Fox, a network notorious for prematurely swinging the axe of cancellation, they gave it a shot. Showtime tried to add the comedy to its roster but creator Mitch Hurtwitz felt three was enough when Fox pulled the plug. AD was just ahead of its time. I think it might have lasted a little longer on NBC but this show still wasn’t meant for network television in the earlier 2000s. The show would’ve fit perfectly on ABC’s Wednesday night lineup. I don’t think there would be a Modern Family without Arrested Development. AD may not have lasted but it broken open a brave new world for other shows to follow.

Got a suggestion for a spotlight or want to submit a guest spotlight? E-mail me at ian@tvhell.net

Spotlight: Dead Like Me

November 18, 2010
I tried to exclude shows that have been done in the What-If page from Spotlight but I couldn’t help it. Dead Like Me has been off the air for more than five years yet it still remains one of my favorite shows.

Dead Like Me premiered in 2003 on Showtime. Back then Showtime was hardly a household name. The only shows that Showtime was really known for were Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Stargate SG-1 (which had left for Sci-Fi by then). This wasn’t the same network that has since brought us Dexter, Weeds, and Nurse Jackie.

Dead Like Me’s premise was fairly simple. Georgia (George) Lass was an uninspired girl who one day was killed by a toilet seat that had entered Earth’s atmosphere from a disintegrating space station. Rather than go to Heaven, George was selected to become a Grim Reaper. The show follows George’s adventures with her team, lead by Mandy Patankin. George’s family also plays a large role as they try to cope with the loss of their daughter/sister.

Dead Like Me was cancelled after two years under very dubious circumstances, presumably because Showtime wanted to get out of science fiction. Dead Like Me returned last year in the form of a DVD movie with most of the cast intact, save for Mandy Patankin and Laura Harris.

I recommend Dead Like Me to basically anyone who has an interest in dramedies. Dead Like Me had the unique ability to be funny and touching at the same time. I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a new show to get into, the DVDs are pretty cheap. It also airs on SyFy though it is censored.

Spotlight: Oz

For the third edition of Spotlight I decided to take a look at a show that most of you have probably heard of but may have never watched. Oz has the distinction of being HBO’s first hour-long scripted drama. Oz also has a large cast that primarily remained in television following the shows conclusion. Cast members became regulars on Lost, Law & Order SVU & CI, Rescue Me, The Closer, Fringe, The Wire, The Sopranos, and so much more. Christopher Meloni and B.D. Wong acted in Oz and Law & Order SVU at the same time.

Oz set the standard for all HBO dramas that followed. Oz took place in the Oswold Correctional Facility (aka Oz), specifically in the Emerald City section. Prisoners who lived in Emerald City were given special leeway but of course did not always respect that. Rape and murder were abundant, making this show not suitably for children or anyone squeamish.

So why Oz? It’s rather simple if you are a big fan of television. Oz paid little attention to season premières. Main characters were killed off all the time, giving each episode a sense of importance. If you like TV, the odds of seeing someone you know on Oz are pretty great. It also laid down the foundation for every other HBO drama, which is certainly worth something. If anything else, it’s a great hour of television.

Spotlight: Homicide: Life on the Street

Welcome to the second edition of Spotlight. The show I’d like to talk about today is one that has a long storied history that continues today even thought it’s been over a decade since it left the air. Homicide: Life on the Street was the show where Law & Order: SVU’s Detective John Munch (played by Richard Belzer) made his debut. Many consider Homicide to be a precursor to The Wire as both were set in Baltimore and were based off of David Simon’s Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. John Munch even cameoed on The Wire in its final year.

Homicide aired from 1993-1999 on NBC

Homicide: Life on the Street was unlike most procedural cop shows of its day. The show was different. It was gritty and made no attempt to hide what it was, a cop show set in a crime-ridden city. The characters weren’t flashy or particularly attractive. Sometimes the cases didn’t get solved. It felt real, years before HBO began to make a mark on TV. While Homicide had an ensemble cast, Andre Braugher was the breakout star. He won an Emmy for his portrayal of Frank Pembleton and to this day I don’t think anyone has played a cop better than he did. He wasn’t really all that likable, yet Braugher owned every one of his scenes.

Fans of The Wire should check Homicide out. The two share a lot of similarities, not just a common location. It aired on NBC and not HBO, but the lack of swear words does not take away from the show. Fans of Law & Order will also like Homicide, as the two had four crossover episodes. The show had tons of celebrity guest appearances such as Robin Williams, Terry O’Quinn, and Vincent D’Onofrio as well as a good chunk of the cast of OZ (OZ creator Tom Fontana worked on Homicide). SVU fans might also like to see where Munch worked for seven years before coming to SVU. You can watch Homicide on Sleuth and it is available on DVD.

I can’t think of cop shows without thinking of Homicide. It’s an older show, but it’s still great. I can’t recommend it enough for people who are sick of episodic procedurals and want a real cop show.

Got your own Spotlight show? E-mail me at ian@tvhell.net if you’ve got one, or if you are interested in making one.

TV Hell Spotlight: Skins

I came up with the idea for TV Hell Spotlight a few months ago and I have been trying to figure out what to do with it. The initial plan was to take the What-If section and combine it with two new concepts to create the Spotlight section. That idea fell through and now Spotlight is going to be used as a features page. I have extensive experience with reviews and even though I joined this site as a way of distancing myself from reviews, that was five years ago. Spotlight’s initial debut article will be moved to this section, but I ask that you disregard it when submitting your own.

The thing that makes Spotlight unique from my other sections is that readers are invited to make their own spotlight shows. Just send in three or more paragraphs about your spotlight show to ian@tvhell.net.

Now for the legitimate start.

Skins

Each episode of Skins mainly focuses on an individual character (the episode is named after that character unless it deals with everyone). There are plenty of recurring plotlines throughout the season, which keeps things interesting.

One of the defining aspects of Skins is that the entire main cast is replaced every two seasons. While I liked the first generation cast better than the second generation, I have to say that it kept things interesting. It is truly unlike any other teen drama I have ever seen.

Why did I pick Skins for the debut spotlight show? Because since it’s a British show, there’s a good chance that a lot of you haven’t heard of it. The culture barrier isn’t really a problem aside from a few words, which are easily translatable. A lot of British shows get lost in translation because they deal a lot with the region that the show takes place in but this is not a problem for Skins.

Skins can be seen on BBC America or it can be purchased on DVD (make sure you get a region 1 copy). I watch a lot of British TV and this is one of the most original shows to come around in a long time. A movie is set to come out next year. MTV has ordered am American remake, which I’ll give a shot but I’m not too hopeful.

What’d you guys think of Spotlight? Interested in submitting your own Spotlight. E-mail me at ian@tvhell.net with any questions or comments.

TV Hell Spotlight: Shows you may have missed

I was searching for material for headlines a few days ago but I couldn’t really find enough newsworthy things to compile a new edition. It’s been over a year since I introduced a new segment to TV Hell so this is going to be a test one. I get a lot of requests for people to suggest new shows for them and since this website focuses on cancelled shows, why not look to the past? I encourage all of you to submit your own recommendations for this section as Rich and I have been looking for ways to get our readers involved for some time (we revamped the forum but you guys don’t seem to like it).

A couple of guidelines.

1. Don’t pick a show everyone’s heard of. Obscurity is encouraged.
2. Any genre and as many as you wish to do.
3. Include a decent description and why it’s good.
4. Shows can be from any era, including earlier than when the list started.
5. Reader contributions are pretty much necessary for this section to survive. I don’t really have enough time to do it all on my own (though if the hits totals continue to climb we could get some nice advertisers).

Show: Farscape

I chose it first because a really cool complete series box set was just released at a great price (60 bucks for four season, the mini-series, and legitimately good bonus features). Farscape was a show that aired for four seasons on the Sci-fi Channel that was produced by Jim Henson’s production studio. It was a quirky show about an astronaut stuck on a living spaceship with a ragtag group of fugitives. One of the best cult TV shows of the past decade and a must see for any science fiction fans.

Show: Hack

Hack was a show that aired on CBS from 2002-2004. Hack was one of CBS’ most innovative procedural crime dramas of the new millennium. The show starred David Morse and Homicide Life on the Street’s Andre Braugher. It was about a former police officer who tries to help people who the police won’t help. Hack can be seen on the Sleuth cable network and Is definitely worth checking out.

Got Your Own Spotlight Show? Send it via word document to ian@tvhell.net. Hopefully this is an idea that will catch on.

  

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