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 Robson Green and Hermione Norris in BBC America's "Wire in the Blood" from Val McDermid's mysteries |
No 'breakout' shows, but
2002 wasn't all losses
of TheColumnists.com
Yeah, yeah I know it's 2003 and "best of"
lists for 2002 have been done to death and buried.
So, I thought I would take a different approach. A look at some
of the good shows of 2002--good, not great (well there is one
exception and it's on HBO).
In general, the TV year was so-so....no breakout hits. The TV
highlight for me was Season 4 of The Sopranos
on HBO. Sometimes uneven, the show packed a major wallop in the
season finale with Edie Falco giving a performance worthy of
an Emmy. The Sopranos was well worth the 16-month wait
for fourth season episodes. Now, we look ahead to the fifth and
final season--hopefully later this year--of the show that has
brought us all a little closer look at life in the modern Mob.
For funny, you can¹t beat Bernie
Mac. This Fox comedy about
a family, albeit a non-traditional one, won a Peabody Award last
year. And it was well-deserved. Weekly Bernie tells America how
his life has changed since he and his wife brought his nieces
and nephew to live with them. This is a show that makes me laugh.
Out loud! I can¹t think of another comedy in years that
I can say that about.
Though the show has dipped in the ratings this season in the
8 p.m. Wednesday slot opposite ABC's My Wife and Kids,
things should pick up since Bernie and his gang are moving to
a 9 p.m. Wednesday slot. If you haven¹t seen this show yet,
give it a try.
Then there's ABC's Alias. Half the time I can¹t figure
out the plot but that doesn¹t stop me from watching. Jennifer
Garner's a kick-ass CIA double agent with a Mom and Dad also
in the business. Dad's also a CIA double agent and Mom--well,
Mom worked for the other side in the Cold War. She¹s now
in CIA custody, occasionally aiding Sydney on missions--but can
we really trust her? Who knows? Who cares? Watch for the high-octane
energy and don't worry about the plot.
CBS's Tuesday night troika of JAG, The
Guardian and Judging Amy are my weekly taping musts. The military lawyers
on JAG are attractive, heroic and highly watchable. Many
of this season's plots have been up to date with daily headllines,
Afghanistan, Iran and other international hotspots.
The Guardian is a guy I am rooting for even though
I don't like him some times. Simon Baker has the title role as
Nick Fallon, a hotshot lawyer who, because of a drug problem,
escaped jail time by doing legal work as a guardian to troubled
youngsters. Nick's tough. He's out to make a buck in the high-powered
law firm he partners in with his father. But he has a vulnerable
side in dealing with some of his young clients. It doesn't show
often, but it's there. Dabney Coleman co-stars as Nick's dad,
the guy who wasn't there when Nick was growing up, but who now
is trying to forge a relationship with him. Always an entertaining
show with interesting, well-written stories.
Judging Amy. Amy Brenneman, a personal favorite
since her days on NYPD
Blue, sits on the bench
in Hartford, handling cases involving minors. Her mother, played
by Tyne Daly, is an outspoken, not by-the-book social worker
who bucks the system as often as she can. Amy had been living
in her mother's house-- her childhood home--until this season.
She moved out after a blowup with her mother and rented a rather
seedy-looking apartment. Personally I thought a judge made enough
money to have a better place to stay...but I guess plot elements
dictated where the divorced Amy and her young daughter lived.
However, all is now well since Amy bought her childhood home
from her mother and now her mother lives with her! No matter,
it's a good show with good actors and good writing.
NBC's Ed is a show whose quality isn't always reflected in
the weekly ratings. Ed's a small town guy who became a lawyer,
moved to the big city and had a job with a high-profile law firm.
He got married and life was great--or so he thought--until he
discovered his wife was having an affair. He quit his job, got
divorced, moved back to his hometown and bought a bowling alley
where he also practices law. He's also been pursuing Carol, the
girl of his dreams from high school days, who teaches at the
local high school. Their relationship, or whatever it is or might
be, is the foundation of the show. Will Ed and Carol ever make
it to the altar? Who knows?
Ed is just a nice, quiet little show where nothing big or really
bad happens. And sometimes that¹s enough.
Then there's Friends. Yes, about a year ago in this space I wrote that
Friends looked like it was on its last legs. Well, lo and
behold, the show scored its highest ratings ever for the 2001-2002
season. Great writing and great acting made it fun to be with
Friends again. Finishing the season atop the ratings and
its Emmy wins didn't hurt, either. And recently NBC announced
the show would be back for a final (really) season in 2003-2004.
Who isn't going to stick around to see if Chandler and Monica
have a baby...or if Ross and Rachel get married (again) for real?
And don¹t we all want to know what happens to Joey and Phoebe?
The only way to find out is to watch.
Since I upgraded my satellite dish package, I have found some
of the really good programs on channels new to me, notably Discovery
Civilization and History International. Excellent documentaries
ranging from the Etruscans and the Byzantne empire, to Ancient
Egypt and the rise and fall of Ancient Rome. Manna from heaven
for history buffs and for others, a look back at what made us
the way we are today.
I'm a mystery fan, and if you are, too, and have access to BBC
America, you're in luck! Hands down, this channel offers the
best mysteries on TV, the programs that used to be on PBS' Mystery! on a regular basis.
Recent goodies were A
Wire in the Blood, starring
Robson Green as a college professor and criminal profiler who
helps track down serial killers. Gritty, realistic and riveting,
this short series of two-hour movies has me wishing for more.
Ditto for Waking the Dead, about a police team working to crack
unsolved cases; and Murder
in Mind, which looks at
murder through the eyes of the murderer. Good stuff.
©2003 by Donna J.
Plesh. The photo from "Wire in the Blood" is ©2002
by BBC America.
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