When it comes to TV shows though, not all of them show up when typed into Letterboxd's search engine. Because of this, I'm going to share my current TV watchlist with you, as well as the show's I'm eager to start watching again. (I HATE mid-season finales, don't you?!)
What I'm currently watching:
RED DWARF
I recently became acquainted with this BBC sci-fi/sitcom after finding it on NetFlix. The show takes place on a mostly abandoned space mining vessel called the Red Dwarf. Due to a freak radiation leak, the entire crew was wiped out, except for David Lister, who was stuck "in stasis" during the crisis. Three million years later, he strolls out of stasis, only to find that his only companions are the holographic projection of his overbearing (and idiotic) boss, and the goofy A.I. that runs the ship.
The first season is a bit rough going but the writers and cast really hit their stride in seasons two and three. Eventually new characters are introduced, including the hilarious Cat (a humanoid that evolved over the eons from a cat that Lister had hidden aboard the ship) and Kryten, a servant android who gets all emotional about everything. Together they all have adventures involving time travel, alternate realities, and shape-shifting monsters that feed on emotions! It's a fun show and I've been slowly working my way through the entire series. I just completed season three and I'm eager to begin season four asap!
FACE OFF
SyFy's super cool reality show/makeup f/x competition that rounds up young makeup artists from all walks of life and age groups. Each week, they are given a tough task to pull off within three days (or sometimes only a few hours), and their work is voted on by a panel of judges, usually made up of Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill, and Patrick Tatapoulos (or sometimes Neville Page). I've missed the first three seasons (I've been catching up though), but season four has me hooked. Thus far, it looks like Anthony Kosar is going to walk away with the $100,000 prize money, and I'm cool with that. He's a really nice guy, super talented, and he def has a leg up on the other contestants, seeing as how he interned with THE Stan Winston on several films!
THE FOLLOWING
Kevin Bacon stars as former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who gained some fame (but lost favor with his employers) when he took down the infamous serial killer (and Edgar Allen Poe enthusiast) Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). Years after his harrowing ordeal that left him with a pacemaker, Ryan is called back into action when Carroll escapes from prison, forcing him to once again face the charismatic madman. But Carroll is not alone. It turns out that while he was in prison, he built himself up a pretty big cult following of people who revere him, and gladly do his twisted bidding. Can Ryan and the FBI stop Carroll's following?!
The first two episodes got me curious and I'm eager to see how the rest of season one pans out. While the story is nothing entirely new (think "Silence of the Lambs," but if Hannibal Lecter didn't eat people, had a fixation on human eyes, and was a real ladykiller in every sense of the word), but it boasts a strong cast and has thus far kept things relatively interesting (and surprisingly violent).
SUPERNATURAL
When I first heard about this show, I wrote it off immediately as some sort of horror-themed drivel aimed at teenage girls. Years later, I'm a diehard viewer of the show and eagerly await each new episode. The whole "Stop the Apocalypse" story arc that covered the first five seasons was pretty awesome, but things have faltered a bit since then. The creators went back to doing a "creature of the week" style show for season six, and though it had some cool moments, it was a total mess overall. (Way to build up a new villain, then kill her off when she finally makes her appearance.) Season seven was an improvement because a new threat against humanity arose that the Winchesters have never faced before: The Leviathans! It would seem that at this point, Sam and Dean NEED an arch-nemesis, or things get too stale.
Season eight has been a mixed bag, but has remained fairly interesting (though admittedly the latest LARPing episode left something to be desired). I'm curious to see if the boys manage to accomplish their current mission which could very well end the entire show! (Ok, maybe not the entire show, but it'd result in never seeing two of the more interesting secondary characters ever again.) Regardless of the outcome, I'm pretty certain that "Supernatural" will continue on at least one more season, and I'm cool with that.
Upcoming / returning TV programs that I'll be watching:
THE WALKING DEAD
Love it or hate it, you have to admit that it is still pretty cool that a post-apocalyptic zombie TV series exists. Season three's mid-season finale left us with a big cliffhanger: Will Darryl and Merle escape from the Governor's clutches?! Will they make it back to the prison?! Will an all out war break out between the two nearby human factions?! Guess we'll find out IN FIVE DAYS!
SOUTH PARK
There was a time in my life where I loved South Park dearly. Then I "grew up" and stopped watching for a few years, until I recently "rediscovered" it and began watching again. Pulling stuff straight from newspaper headlines, and using anything that's hot in popular culture, the show (whose episodes are written, animated, edited, and approved for broadcast all within six days) remains fresh, and pushes the envelope every time. As of my writing this, it appears that "South Park" has been approved for SEASON 17, which will start up in.... SEPTEMBER?! DAMMIT!
GAME OF THRONES
I've read all the books; I've purchased Season One on Blu-ray; I have Season Two on Pre-Order! I LOVE THIS SHOW! Season three kicks off on March 31st on HBO and will cover the first half of George R.R. Martin's "A Storm of Swords." For the uninitiated, things begin to get really bloody in Westeros as the "War of the Five Kings" rages on. Alliances will be broken, characters you love (and in some cases love to hate) will violently shuffle off this mortal coil, and it'll probably leave us all on a huge cliffhanger that will have us all shouting at our TVs!
So what movies or TV (or web) shows have you been watching lately; what's got you hooked? Comment below, or share your viewing habits with me on Twitter, or over at the Vault's Facebook page!
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