TV at the moment

So we've been meaning to keep up with writing about TV so this is the guilty result of such inactivity. Here, I'm just going to give you all a rundown of the current TV shows I'm watching and also anything I've just got into on DVD or download:

Heroes: I cannot understand the hype this show gets and the immense critical and commercial receptions its enjoying. This is mainstream television for sure and is both relentlessly expensive and at times, retarding in both writing and outlook. Characters appear purely for exposition sequences, yet again pissing on the audiences' intelligence. The voiceover is intensely irratating and the lack of ability to imply without explaining everything happening in a scene makes me want to rip it to shreds. Yet, week after week, I come back. I have an explanation. Concept. Heroes, like Lost and 4400, run on great concepts that, if used well, could prove truly incredible in television terms. I may feel bad everytime I watch, but hopefully, with the introduction of a few good writers and better character development, this could be the best thing on TV.

Lost: Disappointing at the moment but building up steam again. Should prove a winner in the end but needs to wake up out its lull to get things moving again. Also, very tired of Kate flip flopping between Jack and Sawyer. The writers need to understand that you can't have a strong female lead if she's just incessantly deciding which boy she likes.

The Office: The best sitcom on TV right now and so far, utterly flawless in its execution. Its finest asset remains Steve Carell, just the finest comic actor of his generation right now. But the supporting cast do such justice to every script that you cannot fail but be in hysterics at the perfectly written plotting and punchlines.

Ugly Betty: A truly awful show in some respects but blessed with a sense of fun and a heart missing from so much popular television. Deserves attention mainly though for America Ferrara's brilliant lead performance, possibly the most likeable character we have around right now.

Rescue Me: Just watching the first season of this and it is really quite good. A few moments fall flat here and there and the religious moments reak of a sentimentalism this vicious show is better than. Denis Leary is brilliant in the lead but its the entire mood of cynical, true heart that makes this such a fascinating experience. Nothing else has quite explored 9/11 with such a degree of unsentimental, human emotion and it should be applauded for that. Also, like The Sopranos, it a just fabulous title sequence that puts you perfectly in the state of mind to enjoy the show.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - What a show! I can't believe I missed this horrific, misogynistic portrayal of pure assholeness first time round. This is Seinfeld packed up with booze and spunk and its protagonist's astonishing behaviour represents the finest angry comedy on TV. Brilliant.