Mini-Theme Week: TV Shows

Running from this Friday to Monday we are having a special Mini Theme long-weekend, looking at TV shows.

Watching TV is something we all do on a pretty regular basis, but recently the rise of the TV box set has changed the way we view TV series. No longer do we have to wait for next week’s episode to see how the cliff-hanger resolves itself; all we need to do now is select ‘next’ on the DVD menu, and we can watch shows at our own pace.

We seem to be in the middle of a golden age of TV, whether it is the latest HBO series that has you addicted or the resurgence of classic characters like Doctor Who or Sherlock Holmes. Comedy or drama, we can access the best that America and Britain have to offer, as well as giving something back in the shape of Underbelly or Summer Heights High.

The impact of the most successful shows extends well beyond the screen, with their influence extending into music, fashion and wider culture. Over the next four days we are going to celebrate the best that TV has to offer.

Coming Up….
Sparking the idea for this theme was the 20th anniversary of seminal TV series Twin Peaks. With its intoxicating mix of soap opera and deeply disturbing drama, this show fuelled ‘water cooler’ conversations throughout its hit first series run in 1990. Glenn Dunks has written a piece on the Twin Peaks actors who appeared in the series.

TV Shows That Ended Too Soon – Trespass writers list the shows they wanted more of. While some picks are shows that were cancelled too early because their genius wasn’t recognised; other picks are shows that went out on a high, leaving us desperate for another season.

Stay tuned for…
Is TV the new cinema? Film reviewer Sean Rom‘s piece The Idiot Box looks at the rise of the DVD box set and questions whether TV shows, like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under, rival the cinematic qualities and storytelling abilities of films.

Lin Tan looks to the future and scopes out new TV shows yet to reach our shores.

Liv Hambrett will be looking at shows like The Office, Gavin and Stacey, and Cougar Town and how each has influenced her own ideas of writing for TV.

And now, here are some of our favourite TV shows of all time:

BETH WILSON

The Wire (Five Series; 2002-2008)

I almost feel jealous of people who are yet to experience the genius of The Wire’s five (very different) series, a whole world of TV excellence awaits them. Created by a journalist, David Simon and an ex-cop/ex-teacher Ed Burns, The Wire is set in Baltimore, Maryland with the narrative split between the criminals and the police, showing both at their best and worst. With some of TV’s most thoughtful and socially hard-hitting writing the show tackled issues such as drugs, poverty, education, urban renewal, corruption and public spending (to name just a few), whilst creating some of the most memorable TV characters ever.

Twin Peaks (Two Series; 1990-1991)

Who killed Laura Palmer? That was the question that drove this amazing TV show for a series and a half. Created by David Lynch (Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet) and Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) Twin Peaks was part mystery, part soap opera, part nightmare. With a massive dollop of surrealism this show looked at small town America peeling back the layers to reveal dark and disturbing secrets. While the second series failed to live up to the enthralling first series, Twin Peaks has to go down in the annuals of TV history as one of the most original and compelling shows of all time.

Spaced (Two Series; 1999-2001)

Co-creators Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) and Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead) wrote and starred in this superb British comedy series, which followed the lives of two twentysomething flatmates Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Hynes). Directed by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs The World) the show beautifully and hilariously played with pop culture, referencing sci-fi, horror and Woody Allen films, video games and graphic novels, as well as having a great music soundtrack. With its brilliant cast (my favourite being conceptual artist Brian- played by Mark Topp) Spaced is a show I can (and have) watched over and over again, forever amused by its slightly off-beat humour.

LIV HAMBRETT

Cougar Town (Two series; 2009-Present)

I, like the rest of the TV watching world, balked at the title as a terrible attempt at cashing in on the alleged social phenomenon that was older women dating younger men. But, one night, with no books to read and all my regular programs up to date, I checked it out. And didn’t stop. Created by Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel – the pair behind Scrubs – it’s a fascinating study in the growth of a television series as the cast develops their natural chemistry and the writers take risks. From around the middle of Season 1, Cougar Town just takes off. It’s wonderfully idiosyncratic with a set of characters flawed enough to identify with. Plus, by the second season, it knew its title was shocking and acknowledges it in every episode with a comment like ‘unfortunately called’ featuring in the opening credits.

Community (Two series; 2009-Present)

My friend introduced this one to me only recently and it’s now sitting snugly on the slate of regulars. Community centres around a group of students who have returned to community college for their own personal reasons. The main character, Jeff Winger, has been forced to return after it was discovered his Law degree came from Colombia, not Columbia. It took some time to truly warm up through the first season, but about halfway through, it really hits its straps. Created by Dan Harmon and starring Joel McHale and Chevy Chase, it’s a pacy, smart and often borderline inappropriate – but cleverly so – and that’s what makes it so funny.

Midsomer Murders (13 series; 1997-Present)

A family classic that was always ritually enjoyed on a Sunday evening with a glass of wine, Midsomer Murders always managed to come up with the most complicated plotlines that were almost impossible to pick up if you got up to refresh your wine glass or get a piece of cheese. Most often with tongue firmly in cheek, Midsomers was often quite dark, in only the way the British can be. The county of Midsomer must also have had the highest rate of homicides in the world …

LIN TAN

Absolutely Fabulous (Five series; 1992-2004)

Ab Fab, written by Jennifer Saunders, needs no introduction accept a gentle reminder that it is, in fact, one of the best British comedies ever made! Back in the ‘90s when it was first released, people didn’t often see chain-smoking, alcoholic, substance-abusing women unashamedly teetering around London. It’s safe to say the show was controversial for its time, but it also parodied the fame and trend-obsessed with a cunning irreverence that spoke volumes of the pitfalls of the materialistic lifestyle. With its blend of slapstick comedy, witty one-liners, and over the top gesticulations, Ab Fab is simply hilarious sweetie darling, and one you can watch over and over and still crack-up laughing.

Smallville (10 series; 2001-Present)

There are a series of questions fans of Smallville (though I have yet to meet one) have probably asked since its inception: “When will Clark finally get together with Lana?” “When will he learn to fly?” “Will he ever don the red knickers and finally stand for truth, justice and the American way?” I am unashamed of my little obsession with Superman (comics and films included), and this show, in its 10^th and final season, is a fascinating look at Clark Kent’s life before he became the greatest superhero of all time (it’s true). Christopher Reeves (allegedly) once gave Tom Welling (who plays Clark Kent in Smallville) some advice on his role: “You are not Superman yet,” which in a nutshell, is what makes this series amazing.

The O.C. (Four series; 2003-2007)

As hard as it is to admit, I love The O.C. for all its nonsensical teenage drama, hero complexes, marriage cross-pollinations, and outlandish backstabbing. It was one of the first shows that rode of the early wave of the TV series phenomena, and though I only caught on to it a few years after its debut, I recall spending/wasting an entire weekend watching an embarrassing three seasons, one after another. Despite wanting Mischa Barton’s character, Marissa Cooper to bugger off for the better part of post-season one, I was genuinely sad when they eventually killed her off – go figure! There’s rarely a TV show that sparks as much sentimental nostalgia that this TV show gold!