What I'm watching these days

I haven't blogged about TV in the longest time, because it just hasn't seemed so necessary now that there hasn't been much new on. But I guess I should probably catch you up on some of the new things I've found to interest me.

The second season of Torchwood has been great fun for me, although Time Warner was a little bit of a party pooper when they suddenly moved BBC America to digital cable a few weeks ago. Fortunately, Steve, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, has been taping it for me. (Have I told you lately how much I love you, Stevie?) The jury's still out on whether I'll take their bait and resubscribe to digital cable next year when season 3 comes on. (If there is a season 3. I don't think the show has been renewed yet.)

I knew right from the moment I first heard about it last spring that I would love New Amsterdam, and I do. I know that Fox didn't expect to keep it on when they cut the episode order, but that became a moot point after the writer's strike, and it's gotten decent ratings, so I hope it comes back sometime next year. I just love Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's accent! It sounds only vaguely foreign but mostly American, and that's kind of the point, isn't it?

I tried both Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle, but the latter is the only one I stayed with. I think it's because CM felt too slick and soapy, while LJ was more authentically emotional. It also had characters that were easier to relate to for me. Plus, I just really like Brooke Shields and Kim Raver! At any rate, I guess other people shared my views because CM has been cancelled while LJ has been renewed for next season already.

I've tried to watch Eli Stone, but I couldn't stick with it and quit after the second episode. Partly that was for logistical reasons. Lipstick Jungle was on at the same time, and so I had to watch Eli Stone online. It's hard for me to get around to watching something online unless I really, really love it, and the fact that I never got back to the third episode tells you something. Still, I hear that the show has gotten much better, and I don't hate it or anything. It just didn't make my cut.

I liked The Sarah Connor Chronicles more than I expected to, and during the time it was on I watched all three of the Terminator movies, which I'd never seen before, just so it would make more sense to me. It never quite felt as perfect as I wanted it to, but there were enough intriguing elements to keep me hooked, and you have to give them credit because they didn't get to finish the season the way they wanted to. Here's hoping that it's back next year and finally gets a real chance to show us what it's got.

Speaking of Sarahs, I'm just starting to watch The Sarah Jane Adventures. I like it so far, although it does seem a little more simplified than Doctor Who. But I love seeing Sarah Jane again, and it's hard to believe she could possibly be 60!

Doctor Who, of course, just started its fourth season here last night, and while it's too early to say much of anything, I love it eternally, so I'm sure I will love this season just as much!

On DVD, I've been getting all Jim Henson with Season 1 of the Muppet Show and the first volume of Sesame Street Old School. And on syndicated TV, it's been all about Angel and Buffy, neither of which I'd seen before.

So I guess that's a pretty good capsule summary of my last 6 months. New episodes of my favorite shows will be starting next week, and hopefully I'll find the time and inclination to tell you what I think!