Tag Archives: 2008

June 14, 2008 · 1:13 am

(Mid) Season Finale: Battlestar Galactica – “Revelations”

“Revelations”

June 13th, 2008

Since New Caprica, Battlestar Galactica has been a series defined by the intersection of two races – of their people, their beliefs, their actions and their futures. At odds with one another from the moment the Miniseries began, humans and Cylons have slowly but surely centralized into two groups of people who are searching for a greater purpose and a greater understanding. When the Cylons occupied humanity on New Caprica, Caprica Six and the other Cylon leaders felt that they were meant to co-exist – of course, one cannot force such a peace as easily as they had hoped.

No, it takes the right moment for that to happen, which is perhaps the very definition the show’s purpose in the first half of its fourth and final season. It seems as if the search for Earth is, in fact, that point of intersection: conveniently for the series’ narrative, the human desire to discover a new home on Earth requires the discovery of the Final Cylon models, the discovery of which is the goal of the current batch of renegade Cylons. And so we have spent nine episodes bringing these two groups together, now finally reaching the point where all the pieces are in play.

We started the season with a mysteriously untouched viper and four newly found Cylons, and they return here to ask the question of everyone on each side of the conflict: are you willing to accept the intertwined fate of these two peoples, or will old wounds win the day? As the driving force behind a tense showdown with an infinite number of potential outcomes, “Revelations” proves something we knew all along: that few shows on television can have us questioning everything as easily as this one, and that no show on television can measure up because of it. Plus, after all the questions are over, we’re left facing an answer we never saw coming, and a future that waiting seven months for will be, well, a frakkin’ bitch.

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January 8, 2008 · 9:00 am

10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008 – #1 – Jericho

When it came to selecting which series would be number one on Cultural Learnings’ list of 10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008, I had to make a decision that perhaps doesn’t reflect my own personal taste. In terms of shows I’m most looking forward to watching, I can’t possibly rank anything above Lost or Battlestar Galactica, two series I can’t get enough of. However, last summer it became very clear that in covering TV it is important to not just use your own opinions to guide you, but also to recognize shows and fans who go above and beyond, and whose impact on television as a whole is sure to be one of the biggest stories of the year. As a result, here is the number one selection.

A year ago, I had written off Jericho. After losing interest shortly before the series went on hiatus in the fall, I was barely paying attention when the series returned in February only to struggle against tough competition. As its fanbase eroded, and as CBS left it off of its fall schedule, I was amongst those who rationalized its demise – it was never a strong demo performer, CBS can fill the slot with CSI Reruns and get better ratings, and the show never really set the world on fire anyways. And now, half a year later, I believe that Jericho is the most intriguing series to be airing in 2008.

The Nuts for Jericho campaign which emerged last summer was at first charming, and then interesting, and then mindblowing. It transitioned from a small-scale fan initiative to something that has changed the way viewers interact with networks. On one hand, I think that some fan groups have the wrong idea – it isn’t that Jericho fans sent food that made them successful, so the recent Journeyman campaign featuring Rice-A-Roni isn’t quite as effective. It was that the nuts which made their way to CBS headquarters were both intrinsically linked to the series and part of an outpouring of support which was spontaneous and powerful.

While there will be further fan campaigns, there will never be one as surprising and effective as the one to save this CBS drama – fans who had been discounted by the network turned out in large numbers and mobilized in record time. Whether the fans were posting on the CBS Message Boards or starting their own blogs (Such as Jericho Monster, Jericho Junction or Jericho on CBS), ordinary people from across America and across the world were uniting behind a show that they loved. The result was perhaps the greatest comeback story in the last decade of television, and a story that captivated the attention of bloggers everywhere, particularly here at Cultural Learnings.

But if 2007 was the year in which Jericho rose from the ashes, it is in 2008 that it must prove itself. While the show earned a shortened second season of seven episodes thanks to the efforts of fans, the series must rely on those fans to turn out when the show returns to CBS at 10pm on February 12th. While a fantastic story unfolded last year, it is now time to see whether midnight will strike before this Cinderella story can continue. Will Jericho’s return be a final hurrah before the show leaves the airwaves for good, or will this comeback stretch on into 2009 and beyond? Well, it’s kind of hard to tell at this point.

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January 7, 2008 · 2:52 pm

10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008 – #2 – Lost

After an unfortunate delay to a rather unexpected deluge of new programming and a return to university, it’s time to return to Cultural Learnings’ 10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008. In terms of shows we’ve already spent time with, it was officially announced today that Dexter will air its first season in a heavily edited for on Sunday Nights at 10pm on CBS starting on February 17th. Should be interesting to see how the ratings for the series turn out, but not quite as interesting as today’s entry into the list.

It has been over seven months since the last episode of Lost aired, and it will be eight by the time the show’s fourth season premiere hits ABC. When the show returned from an extended hiatus in February 2007, having suffered from an intriguing if a bit lackadaisical opening salvo, it hit new ratings lows and seemed to be fading from its role as “the” show. Hating Lost became a fad of sorts, and it seemed like there was nothing that Lindelof and Cuse could do in order to revive the series in the eyes of some fans.

The backlash wasn’t surprising, nor was the decline in ratings and popularity which has hit Heroes this season. The reality is that these series become successful quickly, but over time viewers not attuned to genre television slowly bleed away for more casual fare. What Lost maintained, then, were those viewers willing to accept questions over answers, character over action, and a slow build as opposed to a barrage of development.

Those viewers patient enough to let Lost move at its own pace were rewarded with the best finale of the year, a blistering two-hour spectacle of action, emotion, and a stunning flash-forward revelation which was more than worth any rough spots earlier in the season. Leading up to this finale, a series of episodes of staggering quality showcased the show’s ability to develop the Others, specifically Ben and Juliet, into well-rounded and fully realized characters. This section of episodes was perhaps its best run since the first season, and represents one of the greatest creative turnarounds in quite some time.

As a result, it’s hard not to place Lost on the top of Cultural Learnings’ 10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008. It’s ABC’s cornerstone, their only surefire midseason programming. Airing in the prime 9pm Thursdays timeslot currently dominated by Grey’s Anatomy, Lost is suddenly the biggest non-American Idol series on network television again.

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January 1, 2008 · 5:38 pm

10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008: #7-5

If 2007 saw the downfall of Heroes and The Office, it also saw the emergence of these three series as critical favourites. In different season, critics were adamant that these series would be the future of television. Now, with the fate of each up in the air considering the Writers’ Strike, let’s take a look at what to expect from some more fresh faces.

Of 2007’s drama series, only one has made this list. Ultimately, while there are a few series I enjoyed during the fall season, none have been able to supplant other series except for Pushing Daisies. Bryan Fuller’s series has managed to earn him his first full-season order, and it is perhaps one of the only series which might actually benefit from the writer’s strike. While I have remained fairly consistently entertained over the first nine episodes, I will have to admit that the long-term longevity of the series has yet to be decided.

This is on both creative and commercial sides of the coin. In terms of ratings, the series hit some road bumps during the latter portion of the fall, and the result is that the naysayers are rampant. But really, did anyone expect the series to maintain its 12+ Million viewers from the premiere? This was always going to be a divisive show, and the fact that it maintained as much of that audience as it did (Especially compared to other series like NBC’s Bionic Woman) is a success story.

However, the creative question is far more intriguing. While I’ve enjoyed the series’ laidback procedural flow, as it has allowed Chi McBride and Kristen Chenoweth to turn in some dynamite supporting turns sadly unnoticed by recent award shows, others raise concerns regarding the longevity of this atmosphere. It does have the danger of relying on quirkiness for too long, but I have faith that the emotional investment the viewer has placed in these characters is strong enough to sustain whatever format Fuller moves forward with. Plus, I am looking forward to seeing if Fuller is able to pull together a musical episode in the new year – fingers crossed.

Pushing Daisies has received a full season order, but only finished 9 (Already Aired) episodes out of 22. The show will return to production once the writers’ strike resumes. 

YouTube – “Hopelessly Devoted…” from Olive Snook

Matthew Weiner’s drama series debuted on AMC in the summer of 2007 with extremely little buzz. It was only the prodding of various critics that convinced me to give the series a shot, and what I discovered was something quite interesting. I’m on the short list of those who will in the future be forced to catch up on the entirety of The Sopranos, but Matthew Weiner proved his worth for me with Mad Men, perhaps the sharpest new drama of 2007.

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December 31, 2007 · 1:48 pm

10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008: #10-8

Cultural Learnings’ 10 Shows to (Hopefully) Watch in 2008 is a list which reflects not the best series to possibly air in the calendar year, but rather those which shall prove most interesting to watch both in terms of the show itself and the buzz surrounding it. Some shows have made this list due to curiosity, hype, or a genuine interest in their creative future. Some of these shows may not air a single new episode of television until the fall, but it’s never too early to look ahead. On with the list!

Last year, I designated an episode of Heroes (“Company Man”) as the #1 episode of television during February Sweeps, and perhaps during the entire year. Ultimately, I’d probably give that distinction to an episode from another series, but the fact remains that Heroes did some great things in the past year that should make them something to watch in 2008. Unfortunately, almost all of that goodwill has been squandered.

As a result, Heroes barely makes this list due to a sheer curiosity as to how low Tim Kring and Co. can sink this ship. If the season one finale took the wind out of its sails, the show’s “Volume Two” was a shipwreck of epic proportions. Everything that went wrong did: new characters fell flat, beloved characters were stuck in awful storylines, and there was no “Company Man” to save a sinking ship.

Before the last few episodes of Season Two, I was at least optimistic that Tim Kring’s apology would at least ensure that the series would right itself heading into Volume Three. However, what Kring sold us as an altered course was still in a fundamentally wrong direction, and an awful fall finale was enough for Heroes to become entertaining not due to its quality but due to its continue descent into mediocrity. If I’m watching in 2008, it will only be out of a morbid curiosity…and that’s kind of sad.

Heroes will not go back into production until the Writers’ Strike is resolved. Chances are it will complete its 22-episode second season with a string of 11 episodes to air in the fall of 2008.

YouTube: Heroes Volume Three Preview

I feel obligated to place one of the season’s midseason debuts on the list, but don’t view this as a token selection – Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles is perhaps one of the most interesting drama series to hit the airwaves this year. This attempt at spinning off the Terminator franchise seems a terrible idea on paper, but its execution is solid: the pilot presents a level of action and drama that at the very least appears to offer a smarter and more cohesive alternative to NBC’s fading sci-fi series.

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