I’ve been laid up for a couple days, just chilling out, refreshing the batteries. It gave me the opportunity to finish watching the first two seasons of Deadwood. By Christ, is TV getting better or am I getting stupider? It seems everything I take the time to watch rocks my fucking socks off.
For those that don’t know, the show could be described as a combination of your favourite western, Shakespeare and the Sopranos—but really, it’s just one in a string of successes by HBO, and just another chapter in my redefined relationship with television. Used to be I didn’t follow a single show, and now it’s my preferred format, over movies.
I suppose it’s hard to compare the two mediums fairly, as they appeal for different reasons, but TV has started adopting many of the theatrical traits, the high production value most obvious. TV also has a distinct advantage, in that the viewer is engaged on a weekly basis, allowing for a deeper familiarity, with the ability to follow events only hinted at while watching a movie.
Speaking on the subject, are there any new series I should be keeping an eye on? I like to watch the shows a season at a time, but I’d love to hear any recommendations.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend Entourage.
Also, Rome is a very kickass piece of television.
Agree with you 100%... TV is on the way up, and movies are going down the shitter. Haven’t had a chance to check out Deadwood yet myself but I highly recommend Carnivale if you haven’t seen that.
I also agree with Sean and Kevin on this one. Movies are down and television up for sure. I credit the DVD format (and torrent) for that given the accessibility for people to get into programs and follow them more easily at their own pace. I can rarely watch a program on a weekly basis, where as this way I can do it up in a night or weekend, which I prefer.
Not to mention that it seems like television, especially on specialty networks like HBO, Showtime, or FX are willing to take more chances lately. Hollywood on the other hand seems to require, or prefer to release the same old redundant drivel with the odd few gems a year. Romantic comedies for first daters, or terrible remakes don’t appeal to people like me, and I’m not as excited to fill cinema seats when I can just take a show in on my own terms without being surrounded by assholes. Back to the topic at hand however…
Ironically enough – the writer for Dead Wood originally pitched an idea for a program set in Roman times. They already had ‘Rome’ on the hook from someone else, so they suggested he do the Dead Wood era theme instead.
Excellent show, but I’ve still yet to see the second season. Cock sucker.
Here’s more info on the creator from the ultimate and my favorite nerd site – IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0586965/
If you ever have a chance to watch the extras from the DVD of the first season, you should do so. They’re quite interesting and show you how much of the show is based on actual historical events.
I would highly concur with both seasons of Entourage being fun and interesting also. Well worth checking out.
My own personal favorite lately is NIP / TUCK – which isn’t an HBO original, but airs on FX. Excellent writing. It airs on CTV here and you should be able to find those for download easily as well.
I’m also told LOST and Prison Break are excellent new shows as well.
Word.
Chris
Thanks for the suggestions guys—I’ve just started watching The Prisoner, so hopefully once I’m through that, Rome will be finished.
I was always derided for my love of the Western, so it’s nice to see the genre gain some ground through Deadwood. I’ve only seen the first two episodes and would dearly love to watch some more. In fact, after that first viewing I drew up a few Western sketches that I had brewing over the past few years.
As for the battle between TV and movies, I’ve never really had any problem or concern over it. There’s an amazing wealth of past material out there, so fiding a decent movie isn’t a challenge, if only you dig a little further back.