Thursday, October 3, 2013

TV shows I'm watching this fall (and what we writers can learn from them)



Who else is excited about the new Agents of Shield show? I mean, the first two episodes weren't exactly mindblowing, but they were a good deal of fun, and I'm going to keep watching if only to find out what really happened to Agent Coulson. Sort of suspicious how he says "It's a magical place" every single time someone mentions Tahiti...

Lesson: Everyone flocks to familiar characters. Spin-offs can be your friend. Sometimes even little twists (like having two technical nerds instead of one) can go a long way.






I haven't seen anyone as awesome or intriguing this season as Juliet Simms, Lindsey Pavao, or Michelle Chamuel yet, but I just can't stop watching.
Lesson: Everyone is a sucker for a tragic backstory... it makes the happy endings all the more comforting.





It's embarrassing to admit I watch this. Anyway, I'm impressed that the show manages to exploit the guys just as much as the girls. And I'm rather astounded by their lack of creativity - really, do 90 percent of their shoots have to involve the models making out?
Lesson: Cheap drama sells and sells and sells, and silly saps like me keep coming back for more.






Admittedly, I haven't watched this yet, but I'm curious if it's any good - has anyone seen it?
Lesson: Old stories redone get approved faster than any original plot.


What are you watching this fall?

5 comments:

  1. I wanted to see the Agents of Shield, but I forgot to Tivo it. I'll have to fix that. My five-year-old likes The Voice. She calls it the singing show and has taken a shine to Christina Aguilera. I haven't heard of Sleepy Hollow, but now I want to check it out.

    The new show I'm interested in is CW's Reign. I know it's on CW, but it's worth trying.

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  2. I want to watch Reign too. Looks AMAZING. Also, the Tomorrow People looks cool.

    I really love Sleepy hollow, although it's WAY darker than I usually like. The main actress is amazing, and I love how she's written. It's a well written show.

    Agents of Shield look like it could be really interesting, I just hope they make it better than it is right now. Setting up a story is less interesting, and shows take time to become awesome... Although Sleepy Hollow started off really cool.

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    1. Yeah, Joss Whedon's shows in particular tend to have slow starts. I'm hoping it picks up. I'm also interested in the Tomorrow People, because I gravitate toward any show with super powers.

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  3. We're watching Agents of SHIELD, which is nice because there are really no shows we watch as a family. I'm relieved they're playing down the violence end and keeping it appropriate for family audiences!

    Reign is also on my list. I'm tinkering with a royalty-based story so I'm curious about this one. I gather they take quite a lot of liberties with actual history but I'm a sucker for a period costume piece...

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    1. I think I've been burned too many times by the CW at this point to really get interested in any of their shows (though see above about my interest in the Tomorrow People... I guess we'll see).

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