SyFy has decided to cancel Eureka, even though it originally announced it had renewed the series for a sixth season. In a statement, the SyFy Channel noted that Eureka would end its fifth season with 12 more episodes and a Christmas special, calling the 2012 episodes "some of the best we've seen."
In the same statement, SyFy called it a "business decision," but the cancellation of Eureka comes on the heels of casting news that includes Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, and the voice of Jim Parsons. Maybe there is hope that Eureka will return for a sixth season after all.
© C Harris Lynn, 2011
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
Showing posts with label eureka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eureka. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Stan Lee to Guest/Cameo on Eureka
While details remain murky, Stan Lee announced earlier (via Twitter) that he will be appearing on the SyFy original, Eureka, which was just picked-up for a fifth season. There are no details as to whom Lee will be playing, nor even how large his role will be, but seeing as how it's Eureka, we'll be there anyway.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Eureka Season 4 Premiering July 9, 2010
That's what I done said: Eureka returns to the newly-monikered SyFy next Friday, July 9th, 2010, with its season 4 opener, Founder's Day. If you act fast -- and I mean real fast -- you can catch the Eureka season 3.5 episodes on Hulu. And, if you subscribe to the new Hulu+, you can most likely catch the entire series. Those of us who use the basic Hulu (Hulu Hobos?) will probably have to wait a week or so to see the new season, but I'm pretty sure it'll be worth it.
Meanwhile, there's this:
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Meanwhile, there's this:
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
What's On?
I admit I missed the last couple episodes of Fringe, even though Eureka is replayed late nights. It is just too good a show (usually) to miss and I like seeing it twice so I actually see it to review it. Still, I wanted to see Fringe and missed it last week only because I fell asleep!
Of course, with Eureka being on mid-season hiatus, it makes room for Fringe. After that comes the rerun of last night's Heroes on G4. I missed it because, again, I fell asleep last night. I told you my sleep schedule is all wonky! I've been falling asleep in the afternoon, then am wide awake in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep until early morning. I sleep until mid-morning, then fall back to sleep in the afternoon, etc.
After that, you can catch the replay of last week's Z-Rock on IFC and HBO's Little Britain USA. Again, I managed to miss both. I am forcing myself to stay awake right this minute, but I don't know how long I'll last. I fell asleep for about 10 minutes during Keen Eddie.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Of course, with Eureka being on mid-season hiatus, it makes room for Fringe. After that comes the rerun of last night's Heroes on G4. I missed it because, again, I fell asleep last night. I told you my sleep schedule is all wonky! I've been falling asleep in the afternoon, then am wide awake in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep until early morning. I sleep until mid-morning, then fall back to sleep in the afternoon, etc.
After that, you can catch the replay of last week's Z-Rock on IFC and HBO's Little Britain USA. Again, I managed to miss both. I am forcing myself to stay awake right this minute, but I don't know how long I'll last. I fell asleep for about 10 minutes during Keen Eddie.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Eureka Mid-Season 3 Finale - A Review
How is it that Eureka has such sparkling dialogue (when it does) but has settled into such staid, moderate plotting? Well, I'll tell you:
The first season brought the entire package to the table: interesting, thought-provoking plots that bristled with brilliant characters who interacted intelligently. The last two seasons generally featured lackluster plots with moments of clever dialogue. You can tell at least some of the writers from the first season are still around because it has that same crackle when it does, but it doesn't have it as often.
A great example came last night when Zoe and Fargo were talking and Jack walked up moments after Eva: that rat-a-tat exchange of both witticisms and pure character-driven dialogue that made the show so much fun to begin with. It lay somewhere between the writing and the actors, but it requires both, and the first season was just lousy with it! That's what made Eureka the show we all love.
Let's pull-out the formula: someone creates a "gadget" (or one is discovered/triggered) which is, very literally, the (plot) device for the episode. Things happen which get Jack and Jo on the case. Alli hears about it and gets involved. The eggheads develop a solution but don't know how to practically apply it and Jack uses common sense to solve the case.
In the first season, this worked beautifully because they bothered writing according to the formula. Now they are busier developing gadgets. The writers and producers have become the eggheads, toiling constantly on developing bigger and better plot devices, but apparently, none of them know Jack. Where is the common sense guy to wrangle them in and say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah - a high-tech drone is running loose - we get it. The problem isn't 'what can the drone do' or 'how do we make it look like this really happened,' the problem is that Henry is a rocket scientist and Zane is a computer genius, but neither knows how it works!"? (Then he should take the show Bible and knock the Taco Bell right out of the head writer's mouth in mid-cynicism!)
The other weakness is the lack of Henry - or a suitable replacement.
Henry played an integral part in the first season - he was just as important as Jack and Alli, if not moreso. And though the last episode of the first season really screwed things up, I understand why it was there (nowadays, it's best to write every season as though it's your last - that's why so many shows limp through their sophomore season: no one expected them to still be around!) - now they just need to find a way to put it behind them without ret-conning it entirely. Not that that should be too hard; none of it ever really "happened" anyway. So why isn't Henry still a major component of the show?
I actually think the actor wants to be written-out and Jo's new boyfriend is being groomed to take his place. I have nothing to base this on other than my so-called "insight," but if it plays out this way, remember I told you so. As far as that goes, I would be down for that. Zane and Jack have a different chemistry, but it's just as strong. They tried using Nathan in this same fashion, but it just didn't work - mainly because they couldn't handle the love-triangle plot as well as they should have. It brought too much constant tension to the show, anyway; instead of heightening the comedy and romance, it diminished it.
[SPOILERS]
Why do they keep getting rid of good characters?
I missed several episodes and will watch them online one of these days, so I don't know what happened to Nathan yet, but he was a great foil for Carter! And the psychologist: just because she was involved in the Artifact storyline (which is "over" - no denouement, no explanations, no long-term effects - just done) does not mean that she has to be entirely written out of the series. She was a great foil for Allison. Now Eva!
I am so tired of the modern "arc" crap! The problem is that modern TV (and comics) writers create these "arcs" out of whole cloth, then destroy any and everything that had to do with them as a "conclusion." The Artifact arc and the psychologist are great examples:
She was a fixture in the community and we learned she had been working clandestinely the entire time. There was not even one clue as to her true nature in that entire time? Aren't these the smartest people on the planet!? And when she went "bad," she suddenly had no redeeming qualities - she went from being some sort of plant to a full-on murderess in the span of maybe 3-4 episodes!
Put simply, most of the writers working in serialized fiction these days cannot handle continuity... or characterization, or dialogue, or...
I said it. That's why they have to work in the limited "arc" format. Sure, it is also for packaging (so a single season DVD works as a stand-alone story, so title-runs can be repackaged as trade paperbacks, etc.), but if that is the only reason, then why is there hardly ever any continuity associated with concluded arcs? When is the last time the psychologist was even mentioned - or, for that matter, the Artifact!? Nathan spent his life trying to figure it out and Allison nearly lost her son to it, so... what? "Out of sight, out of mind"?
Eureka needs to commit: either it is a sci-fi dramedy - in which case the writers need to have the show Bible open at literally every meeting - or it is an episodic pastry (a "puff"-piece), in which case none of it matters anyway. Right now, it's hard to tell what actually "counts" and what doesn't.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
The first season brought the entire package to the table: interesting, thought-provoking plots that bristled with brilliant characters who interacted intelligently. The last two seasons generally featured lackluster plots with moments of clever dialogue. You can tell at least some of the writers from the first season are still around because it has that same crackle when it does, but it doesn't have it as often.
A great example came last night when Zoe and Fargo were talking and Jack walked up moments after Eva: that rat-a-tat exchange of both witticisms and pure character-driven dialogue that made the show so much fun to begin with. It lay somewhere between the writing and the actors, but it requires both, and the first season was just lousy with it! That's what made Eureka the show we all love.
Let's pull-out the formula: someone creates a "gadget" (or one is discovered/triggered) which is, very literally, the (plot) device for the episode. Things happen which get Jack and Jo on the case. Alli hears about it and gets involved. The eggheads develop a solution but don't know how to practically apply it and Jack uses common sense to solve the case.
In the first season, this worked beautifully because they bothered writing according to the formula. Now they are busier developing gadgets. The writers and producers have become the eggheads, toiling constantly on developing bigger and better plot devices, but apparently, none of them know Jack. Where is the common sense guy to wrangle them in and say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah - a high-tech drone is running loose - we get it. The problem isn't 'what can the drone do' or 'how do we make it look like this really happened,' the problem is that Henry is a rocket scientist and Zane is a computer genius, but neither knows how it works!"? (Then he should take the show Bible and knock the Taco Bell right out of the head writer's mouth in mid-cynicism!)
The other weakness is the lack of Henry - or a suitable replacement.
Henry played an integral part in the first season - he was just as important as Jack and Alli, if not moreso. And though the last episode of the first season really screwed things up, I understand why it was there (nowadays, it's best to write every season as though it's your last - that's why so many shows limp through their sophomore season: no one expected them to still be around!) - now they just need to find a way to put it behind them without ret-conning it entirely. Not that that should be too hard; none of it ever really "happened" anyway. So why isn't Henry still a major component of the show?
I actually think the actor wants to be written-out and Jo's new boyfriend is being groomed to take his place. I have nothing to base this on other than my so-called "insight," but if it plays out this way, remember I told you so. As far as that goes, I would be down for that. Zane and Jack have a different chemistry, but it's just as strong. They tried using Nathan in this same fashion, but it just didn't work - mainly because they couldn't handle the love-triangle plot as well as they should have. It brought too much constant tension to the show, anyway; instead of heightening the comedy and romance, it diminished it.
[SPOILERS]
Why do they keep getting rid of good characters?
I missed several episodes and will watch them online one of these days, so I don't know what happened to Nathan yet, but he was a great foil for Carter! And the psychologist: just because she was involved in the Artifact storyline (which is "over" - no denouement, no explanations, no long-term effects - just done) does not mean that she has to be entirely written out of the series. She was a great foil for Allison. Now Eva!
I am so tired of the modern "arc" crap! The problem is that modern TV (and comics) writers create these "arcs" out of whole cloth, then destroy any and everything that had to do with them as a "conclusion." The Artifact arc and the psychologist are great examples:
She was a fixture in the community and we learned she had been working clandestinely the entire time. There was not even one clue as to her true nature in that entire time? Aren't these the smartest people on the planet!? And when she went "bad," she suddenly had no redeeming qualities - she went from being some sort of plant to a full-on murderess in the span of maybe 3-4 episodes!
Put simply, most of the writers working in serialized fiction these days cannot handle continuity... or characterization, or dialogue, or...
I said it. That's why they have to work in the limited "arc" format. Sure, it is also for packaging (so a single season DVD works as a stand-alone story, so title-runs can be repackaged as trade paperbacks, etc.), but if that is the only reason, then why is there hardly ever any continuity associated with concluded arcs? When is the last time the psychologist was even mentioned - or, for that matter, the Artifact!? Nathan spent his life trying to figure it out and Allison nearly lost her son to it, so... what? "Out of sight, out of mind"?
Eureka needs to commit: either it is a sci-fi dramedy - in which case the writers need to have the show Bible open at literally every meeting - or it is an episodic pastry (a "puff"-piece), in which case none of it matters anyway. Right now, it's hard to tell what actually "counts" and what doesn't.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Morning
Yes, I am getting a late start this morning, but I really needed the rest. I am still congested, but even though I got a lot of posts out yesterday, I basically took it easy. I went to bed right after the late-play of Eureka and the cats kept waking me up, so I didn't get to sleep straight-through, but I did get some sleep. I feel a little better - at least my throat is not hurting - but I am all foggy.
Speaking of which, Fringe is really good. I said that about the premiere and I only caught the last half of it last night (I fell asleep waiting for it to come on and forced myself to stay up and watch what I hadn't missed), but what I saw of it was great. I just hate that it's on opposite Eureka - of course, Eureka is almost over for the mid-season, so there's that.
Last night's Eureka was great, too! I've talked about their formula before, but all shows have a formula and that is not necessarily bad. Actually, most all mainstream entertainment has a formula for every good reason - it works for the format, it's what the audience expects, and so forth; it actually helps tell the story more than it hinders it. Eureka has their formula down so pat that they are to the point where they can play with it, packing more story into each episode with overarching storylines, enriched character development, and so on. Last night's episode was a brilliant example of this.
Unfortunately, I missed a number of this season's shows due to the Olympics and had no idea a marathon was on a week or so back until a friend told me she'd watched several episodes on my recommendation. And with Fringe playing opposite, I don't know when I'll get a chance to see them in sequence. But I'll be watching for it.
Even ABC got in on the sci-fi vibe last night, with a 2-hour Primetime special on UFOs. I caught the last half of it as well. Like the other, big Primetime specials on UFOs, it basically brought nothing new to the table... save one thing, which I'll dicsuss over to The OddBlog at some point today.
On that note, I will be here all day (pending my health), but hits are way below average this week, for no reason I can fathom, so I'm going to spend my time on other projects. I'll bring you whatever comes through and so forth, but seeing as how basically no one's here... well? I have a lot of plates spinning, so I need to make sure they stay in the air.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Speaking of which, Fringe is really good. I said that about the premiere and I only caught the last half of it last night (I fell asleep waiting for it to come on and forced myself to stay up and watch what I hadn't missed), but what I saw of it was great. I just hate that it's on opposite Eureka - of course, Eureka is almost over for the mid-season, so there's that.
Last night's Eureka was great, too! I've talked about their formula before, but all shows have a formula and that is not necessarily bad. Actually, most all mainstream entertainment has a formula for every good reason - it works for the format, it's what the audience expects, and so forth; it actually helps tell the story more than it hinders it. Eureka has their formula down so pat that they are to the point where they can play with it, packing more story into each episode with overarching storylines, enriched character development, and so on. Last night's episode was a brilliant example of this.
Unfortunately, I missed a number of this season's shows due to the Olympics and had no idea a marathon was on a week or so back until a friend told me she'd watched several episodes on my recommendation. And with Fringe playing opposite, I don't know when I'll get a chance to see them in sequence. But I'll be watching for it.
Even ABC got in on the sci-fi vibe last night, with a 2-hour Primetime special on UFOs. I caught the last half of it as well. Like the other, big Primetime specials on UFOs, it basically brought nothing new to the table... save one thing, which I'll dicsuss over to The OddBlog at some point today.
On that note, I will be here all day (pending my health), but hits are way below average this week, for no reason I can fathom, so I'm going to spend my time on other projects. I'll bring you whatever comes through and so forth, but seeing as how basically no one's here... well? I have a lot of plates spinning, so I need to make sure they stay in the air.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Eureka Season 3 Premiere - A Review
You may have been wondering where this was. Truth is, I watched it both times Tuesday night (following the marathon) and took notes, but with everything else going on, I simply forgot to write it!
So here we go:
SPOILERS ALERT!
Taking a cinematic cue from... the cinema, season 3 of Sci-Fi's Eureka opens with a wide, constant-motion shot that was nicely blocked and cinematically choreographed. While regular viewers are sure to cringe at what amounts to information dumps from basically every major character, it's an effective way to initiate new viewers and catch them up on the ongoing storylines. And there are plenty of those in Eureka. I prefer a smoother narrative, but this would not have served well at engaging new viewers.
While narratively weak, this blatant exposition did serve the debut well, tying-up loose ends quickly and allowing the show to focus on the one-shot plot for the opener. And it was a pretty good one. Written by series creator, Jaime Paglia, it reestablished the first season's general playfulness, while including all the interpersonal conflicts and sci-fi aspects that overshadowed the second season.
I'm no fan of the whole "arc" movement which has caught-on so heavily in comicdom these days, but it came from television. And since Eureka is making its way into comics this year and holding steadily on the Sci-Fi Channel, I figure this is as good a time as any to voice my opinion on the matter:
There are two types of stories: plot-driven and character-driven. The best blend them seamlessly, with plots driving the characters to develop and characters' reactions to plots changing the direction of the story. "Arcs" are plots - plain and simple. IMO, plots should serve as the starting (and sometimes central) point to a story, not the story itself. But it has become de rigeur to rely on these "arcs" too much in today's scripting - in both fields - and the word going in to season three was that "The Artifact" arc was finished and new arcs would be starting.
The only real "arcs" I recognized here were the engagement of Stark and Alison and the Fixer's mysterious role in GD and Eureka, in general. To contrast and make my point, we have watched Carter and Zoe's relationship develop while continuing along the same line for almost three years now (her stubbornness and natural, teenage rebellion against his attempts at traditional fatherhood, after being absent for much of her childhood). It's a powerful, relatable dynamic and one that has continued to transition smoothly throughout the run of the series. Instead of forcing storylines to open and close in "arcs," they are much better handled in this fashion, though it does not facilitate drawing-in new viewers because of the amount of history involved. (Of course, the recaps that begin each show help.)
Eureka is the perfect, tailor-made, story concept as far as a show goes - one of the best in years, and far and away the best the Sci-Fi Channel has ever even come close to. It has vibrant characters who drive plots and these plots drive the characters to react, developing the entire milieu along the way. The second season became muddled in all of the ongoing storylines and development, often placing the humorous and science fiction aspects on the backburner in what appeared to be an attempt at making it more palatable to the mainstream. The third season opener, even with its embarrassing (though well-orchestrated) expository opening sequence, brought Eureka back to where it should have been all along.
Now, rerun the first season already, Sci-Fi!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
So here we go:
SPOILERS ALERT!
Taking a cinematic cue from... the cinema, season 3 of Sci-Fi's Eureka opens with a wide, constant-motion shot that was nicely blocked and cinematically choreographed. While regular viewers are sure to cringe at what amounts to information dumps from basically every major character, it's an effective way to initiate new viewers and catch them up on the ongoing storylines. And there are plenty of those in Eureka. I prefer a smoother narrative, but this would not have served well at engaging new viewers.
While narratively weak, this blatant exposition did serve the debut well, tying-up loose ends quickly and allowing the show to focus on the one-shot plot for the opener. And it was a pretty good one. Written by series creator, Jaime Paglia, it reestablished the first season's general playfulness, while including all the interpersonal conflicts and sci-fi aspects that overshadowed the second season.
I'm no fan of the whole "arc" movement which has caught-on so heavily in comicdom these days, but it came from television. And since Eureka is making its way into comics this year and holding steadily on the Sci-Fi Channel, I figure this is as good a time as any to voice my opinion on the matter:
There are two types of stories: plot-driven and character-driven. The best blend them seamlessly, with plots driving the characters to develop and characters' reactions to plots changing the direction of the story. "Arcs" are plots - plain and simple. IMO, plots should serve as the starting (and sometimes central) point to a story, not the story itself. But it has become de rigeur to rely on these "arcs" too much in today's scripting - in both fields - and the word going in to season three was that "The Artifact" arc was finished and new arcs would be starting.
The only real "arcs" I recognized here were the engagement of Stark and Alison and the Fixer's mysterious role in GD and Eureka, in general. To contrast and make my point, we have watched Carter and Zoe's relationship develop while continuing along the same line for almost three years now (her stubbornness and natural, teenage rebellion against his attempts at traditional fatherhood, after being absent for much of her childhood). It's a powerful, relatable dynamic and one that has continued to transition smoothly throughout the run of the series. Instead of forcing storylines to open and close in "arcs," they are much better handled in this fashion, though it does not facilitate drawing-in new viewers because of the amount of history involved. (Of course, the recaps that begin each show help.)
Eureka is the perfect, tailor-made, story concept as far as a show goes - one of the best in years, and far and away the best the Sci-Fi Channel has ever even come close to. It has vibrant characters who drive plots and these plots drive the characters to react, developing the entire milieu along the way. The second season became muddled in all of the ongoing storylines and development, often placing the humorous and science fiction aspects on the backburner in what appeared to be an attempt at making it more palatable to the mainstream. The third season opener, even with its embarrassing (though well-orchestrated) expository opening sequence, brought Eureka back to where it should have been all along.
Now, rerun the first season already, Sci-Fi!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
TV: Burn Notice, Eureka, G4's Comic-Con Coverage
Did anyone else watch G4's Live Comic-Con Coverage? It's pretty good. Seems like they've gotten the formula all worked-out - not that last year's coverage was bad, it just seems like they worked out the kinks. If they aren't already replaying it, they will before the night is completely through and probably again tomorrow before that day's coverage begins. On Saturday, they're showing a Heroes Season 2 marathon. Which you can safely skip.
Burn Notice rocked tonight, as usual. I was hard on the season premiere, but it really took a turn from the regular hi-jinks of the first season and I was scared it was going to do that second-season fizzle, like the aforementioned Heroes and Eureka. Speaking of which, the latter returns this Tuesday! I just pray the third season is better than the second and at least as good as the first.
Now I am watching Clerks II for about the fifth time in the last month. Great flick. Still not sure if it's as good as the first, but having seen Clerks again since I've seen the sequel, I will admit it had its place. I always knew it wasn't some great, classic movie - it was a good movie and all, but definitely a product of its time - but it is definitely a classic, for a lot of reasons.
The only problem I have with the sequel is... as weird as it sounds, Kevin Smith got better.
Hear me out, now: the biggest failing of the original were the soliloquies - every character dumped entire chapters whenever they spoke. But that was also its very strength - it was easy to get caught-up and eventually lost in the content of what they were saying, so much so that you could overlook how fake it sounded. While Clerks II still has that snappy banter and verboten subject matter (as well as the necessary nerdery), the dialogue and interplay is much smoother... and it really changes the entire tone of the whole thing.
Still, I really love this flick and highly suggest everyone see it twice.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Burn Notice rocked tonight, as usual. I was hard on the season premiere, but it really took a turn from the regular hi-jinks of the first season and I was scared it was going to do that second-season fizzle, like the aforementioned Heroes and Eureka. Speaking of which, the latter returns this Tuesday! I just pray the third season is better than the second and at least as good as the first.
Now I am watching Clerks II for about the fifth time in the last month. Great flick. Still not sure if it's as good as the first, but having seen Clerks again since I've seen the sequel, I will admit it had its place. I always knew it wasn't some great, classic movie - it was a good movie and all, but definitely a product of its time - but it is definitely a classic, for a lot of reasons.
The only problem I have with the sequel is... as weird as it sounds, Kevin Smith got better.
Hear me out, now: the biggest failing of the original were the soliloquies - every character dumped entire chapters whenever they spoke. But that was also its very strength - it was easy to get caught-up and eventually lost in the content of what they were saying, so much so that you could overlook how fake it sounded. While Clerks II still has that snappy banter and verboten subject matter (as well as the necessary nerdery), the dialogue and interplay is much smoother... and it really changes the entire tone of the whole thing.
Still, I really love this flick and highly suggest everyone see it twice.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Eureka Marathon
Well, shit.
Having problems with the stupid FTP again today, which means the other blogs are suffering for new content which has yet to publish, but there's nothing I can do about that except gripe.
I wanted to tell you real quick that there is a Eureka marathon on Sci-Fi until 3:00CST, so even if you missed the first few episodes, there's still time to catch the last few episodes.
Great show, loads of fun. If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet, I highly recommend it!
Having problems with the stupid FTP again today, which means the other blogs are suffering for new content which has yet to publish, but there's nothing I can do about that except gripe.
I wanted to tell you real quick that there is a Eureka marathon on Sci-Fi until 3:00CST, so even if you missed the first few episodes, there's still time to catch the last few episodes.
Great show, loads of fun. If you haven't gotten a chance to check it out yet, I highly recommend it!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sci-Fi Night
Just a quick reminder that tonight is Sci-Fi night, all night. Has been for two years running now and how cool is that?
On the schedule, Dead Like Me (coming up in... well, it should be on by the time this gets published), then a repeat of last week's Eureka - pretty darned good episode, too - and then the new one (part one of a two-parter), then later tonight comes the replay of Friday's new Flash Gordon, then a repeat of tonight's Eureka.
Then tomorrow night comes the big premiere of the new Bionic Woman over to Sci-Fi's sister station, NBC, as well as the return of Ghost Hunters!
All in all, a pretty fun night ahead and possibly an even better one tomorrow.
On the schedule, Dead Like Me (coming up in... well, it should be on by the time this gets published), then a repeat of last week's Eureka - pretty darned good episode, too - and then the new one (part one of a two-parter), then later tonight comes the replay of Friday's new Flash Gordon, then a repeat of tonight's Eureka.
Then tomorrow night comes the big premiere of the new Bionic Woman over to Sci-Fi's sister station, NBC, as well as the return of Ghost Hunters!
All in all, a pretty fun night ahead and possibly an even better one tomorrow.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Eureka, Season 2 - So Far
One of our readers, Drew, said that he hadn’t seen the last two weeks of Eureka. As you all know, we here are avid Eureka fans, and so I thought I’d go ahead and run them down for Drew and everyone else:
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS]
The last two episodes played more like fillers to me than anything and I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully, for such a solid show, this means they have a season of good, strong material and are just putting a few onesies at the top of the season so new viewers get a kind of overview of the show. By "onesies," I mean one-shot stories that have no larger, overarching consequences of any real value. Smallville is rife with them - shows where a certain situation brews, is handled summarily, and life goes on. Within the program, they manage to forward the ongoing storylines, but only by degrees. These furthering plot points are recapped at the beginning of the next show.
Last week, Fargo got trapped in a force field which kept growing and could not be shut off because once its batteries wore down, it drew energy from its environment, meaning it was sucking off Fargo’s life force. Our Hero, Jack Carter, managed to figure out the only way to stop things (with his faithful - and incredibly hot - deputy’s help, of course... Yo Jo!). This was memorable only because, even though Carter often steps up at the last minute to do what needs to be done, it is usually Henry or even Nathan who manages to “solve” things - Carter just gets stuck doing what has to be done. This is not always the case, but is the general formula.
This week, Carter got “trapped” inside a braindancing unit programmed by the turncoat psychiatrist, who was conveniently out of town. Once again, he was able to get out of the situation but only because only he was involved in it. They also decided that Chloe would stay in Eureka with her dad. This is memorable because Jack’s ex-wife has the cutest little overbite and in the TVland of perfect tits and perfect teeth, it really makes her stand out as a little cutie.
Now, with all this having been said, I do not want to give anyone the impression that Eureka is formulaic - far, far from it! But, obviously, it has its own formula; all TV shows do - they have to, because that’s how TV works. You have certain Beats you have to hit before commercial breaks and an A storyline and a B storyline and once you know how that works, you can quickly “predict” certain things about a show (such as - “they’re about to switch back to character X,” “hang on, it’s about to go to commercial,” etc.).
I also don’t want anyone to think that just because these two shows weren’t up to the normal level of greatness I’ve come to expect from this show that it means the show isn’t as good as it was last season or anything else; that’s my opinion. But, further, this season is really focusing on continuing the storylines started last season and they have been paying more attention to the ongoing dramas than just going from situation to situation.
[POSSIBLE SPOILERS]
The last two episodes played more like fillers to me than anything and I was a bit disappointed. Hopefully, for such a solid show, this means they have a season of good, strong material and are just putting a few onesies at the top of the season so new viewers get a kind of overview of the show. By "onesies," I mean one-shot stories that have no larger, overarching consequences of any real value. Smallville is rife with them - shows where a certain situation brews, is handled summarily, and life goes on. Within the program, they manage to forward the ongoing storylines, but only by degrees. These furthering plot points are recapped at the beginning of the next show.
Last week, Fargo got trapped in a force field which kept growing and could not be shut off because once its batteries wore down, it drew energy from its environment, meaning it was sucking off Fargo’s life force. Our Hero, Jack Carter, managed to figure out the only way to stop things (with his faithful - and incredibly hot - deputy’s help, of course... Yo Jo!). This was memorable only because, even though Carter often steps up at the last minute to do what needs to be done, it is usually Henry or even Nathan who manages to “solve” things - Carter just gets stuck doing what has to be done. This is not always the case, but is the general formula.
This week, Carter got “trapped” inside a braindancing unit programmed by the turncoat psychiatrist, who was conveniently out of town. Once again, he was able to get out of the situation but only because only he was involved in it. They also decided that Chloe would stay in Eureka with her dad. This is memorable because Jack’s ex-wife has the cutest little overbite and in the TVland of perfect tits and perfect teeth, it really makes her stand out as a little cutie.
Now, with all this having been said, I do not want to give anyone the impression that Eureka is formulaic - far, far from it! But, obviously, it has its own formula; all TV shows do - they have to, because that’s how TV works. You have certain Beats you have to hit before commercial breaks and an A storyline and a B storyline and once you know how that works, you can quickly “predict” certain things about a show (such as - “they’re about to switch back to character X,” “hang on, it’s about to go to commercial,” etc.).
I also don’t want anyone to think that just because these two shows weren’t up to the normal level of greatness I’ve come to expect from this show that it means the show isn’t as good as it was last season or anything else; that’s my opinion. But, further, this season is really focusing on continuing the storylines started last season and they have been paying more attention to the ongoing dramas than just going from situation to situation.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
TV - Hex, Eureka, Comic-Con, Who Wants to be a Superhero?
I know you won’t believe this - I hardly could, myself - but I skipped the Hex series finale to go camping. Of course, I only did this because I checked the BBCA website and found out that they will be showing almost the entire second season in a marathon this Saturday (28th), so I needed the sun. Of course, this means I’ll likely be posting a lot this Saturday... about Hex. And crying a lot... about Hex.
Tonight is Eureka - 8 PM, CST, as usual. My perfect night of TV right now would be Dead Like Me, Eureka, and Supernatural - in that order. Still, Sci-Fi has been showing reruns of Eliza Dushku’s old FOX show, Tru Calling, which I never saw when it was running, but is actually pretty good. I would drink Eliza Dushku’s bathwater.
Just - you know - just putting that out there.
Also on Sci-Fi Channel, they’re showing a marathon of the first season of Who Wants to be a Superhero? this Thursday, right before the premiere of the new season. The entire cast will be at this year’s Comic-Con, as reported yesterday. Then it’s a new Burn Notice (on USA).
And speaking of Comic-Con, don’t forget that G4 will have full coverage of the entire event both Friday and Saturday night. I’ve tried and tried to get into G4 before, but excepting a few good specials, it’s basically the video game channel, and I don’t play video games. I don’t even think they show Arrested Development anymore. They really need to expand that whole format.
Lastly, is it not ironic that I always sing the Activia jingle as "bacteriaaaa"?
Tonight is Eureka - 8 PM, CST, as usual. My perfect night of TV right now would be Dead Like Me, Eureka, and Supernatural - in that order. Still, Sci-Fi has been showing reruns of Eliza Dushku’s old FOX show, Tru Calling, which I never saw when it was running, but is actually pretty good. I would drink Eliza Dushku’s bathwater.
Just - you know - just putting that out there.
Also on Sci-Fi Channel, they’re showing a marathon of the first season of Who Wants to be a Superhero? this Thursday, right before the premiere of the new season. The entire cast will be at this year’s Comic-Con, as reported yesterday. Then it’s a new Burn Notice (on USA).
And speaking of Comic-Con, don’t forget that G4 will have full coverage of the entire event both Friday and Saturday night. I’ve tried and tried to get into G4 before, but excepting a few good specials, it’s basically the video game channel, and I don’t play video games. I don’t even think they show Arrested Development anymore. They really need to expand that whole format.
Lastly, is it not ironic that I always sing the Activia jingle as "bacteriaaaa"?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Eureka Season 2 Premiere - A Review
[SPOILERS ALERT]
Well, tonight was the 2nd-season premiere of Sci-Fi’s hit show, Eureka. Now, this is Sci-Fi’s highest-rated show ever - and for good reason. Eureka is a damn good show - quirky, funny, sci-fi, but not too heavy in any direction. That being said, it is not unbalanced or fumbling; it blends these elements as well as any major network classic show to which it is often compared, such as Northern Exposure or Ed.
This season began with a recap of the events that happened last season then picked up basically right where it left off. I was really impressed, not only that it kept that level of continuity, but also that it managed to keep the level of quality it had established the first go-round. Further, I like that it now has a strong history on which it can draw and that it does exactly that. The characters have matured and still remain true to their established personalities. In fact, the entire show seems to have somehow picked up the ball and raised its game.
As the promos promised, it’s the same show with “bigger secrets,” and many hints that what we see this week will be important sometime down the road. I know how rabid Grey’s Anatomy fans are, so I hesitate to make the comparison, but the two shows really have a lot in common and Eureka seems to be moving toward becoming that sort of program: one where the history of both the show itself, as well as the characters, comes to bear on every episode and where the humor is comedic effect to offset the larger drama going on. In the first season, it seemed to go back and forth.
I’m particularly interested to see how Henry is going to handle what he has done. I have to admit, I was really shocked by that development - shocked and saddened, actually. Henry is such a good character and I really feel bad for him after what happened to Kim and Carter’s stopping him from making the same mistake twice. But that’s pretty realistic, when you get right down to it, and definitely increases my interest in the show. I really hope Henry doesn’t flip-out and become an enemy or anything, but it seems like things are being set up to go just that way. We’ll see.
Fantastic opening that not only satisfied but actually increased my interest. I was already champing at the bit for its return, but now I’m even more anxious to see where it leads.
Quick Reminder - Eureka
Just wanted to drop you a quick line and remind you that the season premiere of Sci-Fi's Eureka comes on in about ten minutes. Of course, I will post a complete review once it is over and there will be an 11:00 replay following a repeat of Painkiller Jane later tonight, so you'll have plenty opportunities to find out what went down and see it for yourself, but this is one of the best shows on TV and if you haven't started watching it yet... why not?
Eureka starts at 8:00 PM, CST, and the replay is at 11:00 on The Sci-Fi Channel. This is the 2nd season premiere.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
General Babbling
The first day of Paris' freedom and I'm stuck watching an all-day Eureka marathon. Figures, doesn't it? Any other day of the week, there wouldn't be one damned thing worth looking at and the one day I'd really like to watch the talking haircuts bobble their wares and a real show is on!
But like I said before, I couldn't be happier that Eureka is back! Granted, it isn't technically back just yet (July 10th), but it's close and this marathon reminded me what a really great show this is. It's early yet and there are still many, many more episodes to go, so if you aren't tuned-in yet, I... why not?
I have a whole lot to get to today and I will, but I have also been on a tear over to The OddBlog, thanks to a book I am reading (a couple, actually). Just been in that frame of mind lately.
Of course, over here, we're gearing up for the summer festivities: Hex, Eureka, Who Want to be a Superhero? - it all returns in a few weeks and we'll be covering it all. In the meantime, I have a whole lot of comics and Americana stuff to get to that I've either been sitting on, waiting for developments, or just haven't gotten to yet for one reason or another. Today will be a busy day for me, but good for readers.
Eureka Marathon Tomorrow!
Actually, it's today, but I digress.
Sci-Fi is showing an all-day marathon of their fantastic original series, Eureka, starting at 8:00 AM (CST) tomorrow and going through until about 9:00 PM (CST) tomorrow night. Eureka is one of the best shows on TV and certainly the best sci-fi show in years. Further, it's Sci-Fi's highest-rated show ever, to date.
If you haven't seen it yet - well, like, why? - this is the perfect starting point to bring you up to speed before the second season premiere on July 10th. You can also find out more about it, written by yours truly, over to the other Rundown, where we used to focus on non-alternative entertainment (but now just blather at random on random topics).
Get up early, drink you a cup o coffee, and settle down in front of the tube all day tomorrow. If you aren't completely hooked by the fourth or fifth hour... give it to the 6th or 7th.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Upcoming TV Rundown
We discussed a lot of the new seasons' changes, cancellations, and shows in several posts this past month, but I've managed to keep a nice list of some good upcoming TV news to Rundown for you, so here we go. Remember to keep all body parts in the blog at all times.
Well? What did I say about the body parts? I told you that, didn't I?
- Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, Cheers) returns to TV this Fall on FOX, starring alongside Everybody Loves Raymond castmember, Patricia Heaton, who portray TV newscasters in the new sit-com.
- Britney Spears allowed herself to be filmed getting a spray tan for a new E! reality TV series that will air Monday in America.
- America's Got Talent returns Tuesday, with new host, Jerry Springer, and new judge, Sharon Osbourne.
- Greta Van Susteren interviewed Ozzy Osbourne on his new album, Black Rain, which he says was inspired by a documentary on the bombing of Hiroshima. According to Osbourne, after the bombing, black rain fell, which consisted of human remains. Not knowing this, people ran into the streets to dance in the rain, catching it on their tongues.
- Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip will run for the next five weeks. This is supposed to be the last episodes of the series, but we here are hoping someone at NBC puts down the spoon and gets off the stripper long enough to realize what a great show this is.
- Eureka starts June 10th on Sci-Fi.
- Hex starts June 2nd on BBCA.
- Who Wants to be a Superhero? returns July 25th to Sci-Fi.
- There is a Monk marathon this Memorial Day Sunday.
Well? What did I say about the body parts? I told you that, didn't I?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Coming Soon to the Tube o the Boob
You may have heard that [adult swim] lost Futurama to Comedy Central. The latter network has rehired all of the original cast and is producing new episodes. I'm sure the kids over to Williams Street are a little honked over that whole deal, so I'm assuming they are running a Futurama marathon for the entire Sunday block this weekend as a sort of "fare thee well" to the show, but I have no idea when Futurama is leaving the network nor when the new episodes will begin airing on Comedy Central. [as] has been rerunning Fuh-risky Dingo, which is far and away the best thing they got going aside from Venture Brothers.
Heroes is back with all-new episodes this coming Monday, as well. The promos are touting them as "the last five episodes," without the trailing, "of the season." Because Heroes is definitely coming back. I am really enjoying the whole cheerleader being adopted and finding out who her father is storyline, but other than that it's still been really slow-going. They seemed to have hit a pattern with the "Dull Episode," "Dull Episode with One Big Cliffhanger," then "Good Episode," and that just ain't gonna keep butts in the seats and someone over there ought to know that already.
I'm still holding out hope for a return of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip because that is just a great show with an unbelievable cast. On the offhand chance they bring it back, trust me: watch this show! I haven't steered you wrong yet, have I?
And don't forget that Harry Dresden over there to the Sci-Fi Channel on Sunday nights. Dresden Files has really gotten me hooked after a rather non-eventful premiere. Lifetime's Blood Ties comes on before it, so your Sunday nights can go:
- Blood Ties
- Dresden Files
- [adult swim]
It's almost summertime too, and that means the badass shows come back! Eureka, Hex, Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, Who Wants to be a Superhero?, Life on Mars, and more. Last summer was hot as hell but TV was cool and really made staying inside worthwhile.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Eureka Turkey Day Marathon
For the last few years, I've been watching my own little T-Day marathon. A creature of habit, Comedy Central (then the Sci-Fi Channel) got me used to my MST3K T-Days, and I've stuck by them fairly regularly since the show went off the air.
And, even though my collection has grown (very) slightly since last year, I am not going to be running my own Turkey Day marathon this year because Sci-Fi will be showing the first season of Eureka all Thanksgiving Day!
If you have yet to see Eureka, please trust me on this one: It rocks! It is a great show -- funny, family-oriented without being saccharine sweet, and completely science-fiction -- and it is a blast to watch. It's perfectly suited for Thanksgiving Day viewing -- something the entire family will enjoy.
And, even though my collection has grown (very) slightly since last year, I am not going to be running my own Turkey Day marathon this year because Sci-Fi will be showing the first season of Eureka all Thanksgiving Day!
If you have yet to see Eureka, please trust me on this one: It rocks! It is a great show -- funny, family-oriented without being saccharine sweet, and completely science-fiction -- and it is a blast to watch. It's perfectly suited for Thanksgiving Day viewing -- something the entire family will enjoy.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Eureka Starting Over Tonight
As the regular first season of Sci-Fi's fantastic new show, Eureka, ended last week, that means the whole season will be rerun in order until next season, starting tonight.
If you haven't checked it out yet, now is the perfect opportunity for you to get started. Eureka kicks ass. This is, by far, Sci-Fi's best series since Ghost Hunters. Speaking of which, new episodes of that start tomorrow, which works out perfectly, since there isn't shit on Wednesdays but Project Runway and I'm pretty much over that. Bravo shows all-day marathons of Runway about three times a week.
After Ghost Hunters comes the series premiere of their latest new series, Sci-Fi Investigates, which looks to be pretty good. I haven't heard much buzz on it or anything, so I'm just speaking from the promos. Still, it's so far past time someone did something like this. It's a total no-brainer: reality TV is a fad for which the 2000s will be known, but while it's here, why not do some actual reality? You can stick 10 self-involved 20-somethings in a house with nothing to do, then edit in some manufactured drama later, or you can send some experts into a haunted house or Loch Ness and, if nothing happens, still edit in some manufactured drama. Duh! I understand that self-involved 20-somethings appeals to millions of self-obsessed dummies, but the reality investigation series should have a built-in audience, as well. Or so I've always thought. And this idea fits perfectly with Sci-Fi.
I keep saying I'm going to do a season review of Eureka and finally get to Studio 60, and I will eventually. But today's my b'day, so I'm going to veg. Still, you can watch the entertainment blog for those and I'll get to them sometime this week, I promise.
If you haven't checked it out yet, now is the perfect opportunity for you to get started. Eureka kicks ass. This is, by far, Sci-Fi's best series since Ghost Hunters. Speaking of which, new episodes of that start tomorrow, which works out perfectly, since there isn't shit on Wednesdays but Project Runway and I'm pretty much over that. Bravo shows all-day marathons of Runway about three times a week.
After Ghost Hunters comes the series premiere of their latest new series, Sci-Fi Investigates, which looks to be pretty good. I haven't heard much buzz on it or anything, so I'm just speaking from the promos. Still, it's so far past time someone did something like this. It's a total no-brainer: reality TV is a fad for which the 2000s will be known, but while it's here, why not do some actual reality? You can stick 10 self-involved 20-somethings in a house with nothing to do, then edit in some manufactured drama later, or you can send some experts into a haunted house or Loch Ness and, if nothing happens, still edit in some manufactured drama. Duh! I understand that self-involved 20-somethings appeals to millions of self-obsessed dummies, but the reality investigation series should have a built-in audience, as well. Or so I've always thought. And this idea fits perfectly with Sci-Fi.
I keep saying I'm going to do a season review of Eureka and finally get to Studio 60, and I will eventually. But today's my b'day, so I'm going to veg. Still, you can watch the entertainment blog for those and I'll get to them sometime this week, I promise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)