Dirty Little Secret

So, here’s my dirty little secret that many of you may not know: I am addicted to television. I have several shows that I have set to record weekly, most of which are mindless, purposeless and not very good at storytelling. But I like stories and TV has them in tidy little 60-minute packages. It fits into my life, and, well, I’m willing to settle.

The writer’s strike really put a damper on things this spring. Just as shows were getting started, bam! we’re back to reruns. And then, in several of my favorite crime dramas they cleared the decks of my favorite characters. In CSI Warrick is gone – I loved the complexity they gave his character. In CSI: Miami, the medical examiner, Alexx, left the show. I loved how she loved her dead bodies. And lastly, in Law & Order: Special Victims, they inferred the leaving of Casey (the lawyer), Lake (the detective), and Iced T’s character, Tutualla (the detective). Can this all be related to the writer’s strike? One has to assume the two are somehow related. And then there is the end of Battlestar Galactica, one of THE BEST shows on television. I am sad to see it go, and sorry that they took the tack they did on Earth. If you follow the show, you’ll know what I’m talking about. There are still a few episodes left for the show to redeem itself.

So it’s no surprise that I am delighted to finally have the start of the summer series at hand. I am a big fan of The Closer. I love to go around imitating Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson. I think the characters on the show are super and I especially love how Brenda is a smart, fast-talking dame who always gets her man. And I’ll be giving Saving Grace another shot this summer too. I love Holly Hunter’s inhibitions. And the premise of the show is promising. I just don’t think they took the spiritual angle far enough last season. I’m hoping for a bit more daring in that department this time around.

I’ve been looking for something to fill my crime-drama yen. I’ve seen all the Law & Order episodes, ditto with the spin-offs Special Victims and Criminal Intent (the joy of the DVR). I’ve also tapped out CSI (I’m working on the CSI: Miami series). I’ve even seen all the Without a Trace Episodes. Of course we record the new episodes, but like I said, I’m addicted. I’ve tried Cold Case and it’s just not satisfying. Love to hear your recommendations.