Life
In the interest of supporting the cool TV shows that deserve the support, I'll put in my vote for Life as the best new TV show I've seen this year, easily. Anyone who likes NCIS should like it because the emphasis on likeable, quirky characters is similar... but Life craps all over NCIS (though I'll always have a soft spot for it, just for the characters).
'Life' has my kind of characters -- outsiders who've been through hard times and see the world from another perspective. It doesn't hit the mark all the time, but when it does, the writing manages to be funny, poignant and philosophically intriguing, all without ever once overstepping the line and showing off. It's got the brains and style of the great literary novel, but it's still proud to show the world that at heart, it's a fun paperback thriller. That's not an easy combination to pull off.
It's not Law and Order, which is good -- 'Law and Order' was always too procedural for me, pays scant attention to its characters, and dramatically is all tip and no iceberg. 'Life', if it doesn't sound too much like the cliche, is all about the journey (and I'm sure that line made it into the show's pitch to the network execs). Charlie Crews is quite possibly the oddest major character I've seen on a prime time show. Newly out of prison, he gazes at the world with childlike wonder, plays games with things that most people don't find funny, and asks rhetorical questions no one else can answer. I love that he got a huge multi-million dollar compensation payout, and still wants to be a cop, and not just because he's searching for whoever framed him. I love that he finds mundane things so fascinating. And I love Damian Lewis's slightly amazed deadpan delivery. I think Charlie Crews might just be the least boring man on TV.
The other characters are cool too, especially his partner Dani... watch it, and see.
'Life' has my kind of characters -- outsiders who've been through hard times and see the world from another perspective. It doesn't hit the mark all the time, but when it does, the writing manages to be funny, poignant and philosophically intriguing, all without ever once overstepping the line and showing off. It's got the brains and style of the great literary novel, but it's still proud to show the world that at heart, it's a fun paperback thriller. That's not an easy combination to pull off.
It's not Law and Order, which is good -- 'Law and Order' was always too procedural for me, pays scant attention to its characters, and dramatically is all tip and no iceberg. 'Life', if it doesn't sound too much like the cliche, is all about the journey (and I'm sure that line made it into the show's pitch to the network execs). Charlie Crews is quite possibly the oddest major character I've seen on a prime time show. Newly out of prison, he gazes at the world with childlike wonder, plays games with things that most people don't find funny, and asks rhetorical questions no one else can answer. I love that he got a huge multi-million dollar compensation payout, and still wants to be a cop, and not just because he's searching for whoever framed him. I love that he finds mundane things so fascinating. And I love Damian Lewis's slightly amazed deadpan delivery. I think Charlie Crews might just be the least boring man on TV.
The other characters are cool too, especially his partner Dani... watch it, and see.
posted by Joel Shepherd at 1:15 AM
3 Comments:
Bingo. Is it just me, or is no one else raving about this show. Then again, I might be spending too much time on Sf related sites.
Hi Daniel
The impression I get is that NBC promoted the hell out of Bionic Woman, which had a great premise but was completely messed up by bad writing (if they can't get ME to like a show about bionic superbabes they must have really screwed it up), while ignoring the real quality, which is Life.
Anyhow, I read recently that NBC picked up the rest of the season for Life, so it's still going (after the writers' strike). Apparently they noticed that while it wasn't rating its socks off, ratings were growing, and the core audience were completely hooked. I have a feeling in a few years it might be finally getting the respect it deserves.
You should watch The Shield. That has great characterization and a really engaging story that sticks all the way from Season 1-7. It is a work of art.
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