Every summer Brad and I like to do a “summer project.” This does not mean a) fixing something around the house; b) completing a 16,000-piece jigsaw puzzle; or c) learning a new skill for two, like tandem bike riding, double-dutch twirling, or partner yoga. It means watching TV. TV on DVD. Something we’ve heard good things about but never got around to watching while it was actually on.
This summer, we’re watching Breaking Bad. Unlike summer projects of years past (Alias, Friday Night Lights, Veronica Mars), I don’t want to spend whole evenings watching episode after episode of this series, which is about a high school chemistry teacher and family man who starts cooking crystal meth after he’s diagnosed with lung cancer. It’s super intense, super realistic, super funny, super gory. The cinematography, if that’s what it’s called in television, is pretty incredible. The writing is fantastic. But every time I finish an episode I think, just a little, about never watching another one. It makes me feel kind of like Fargo does, this good-guy-bad-choices-that-turn-horribly-wrong situation that is almost too much for me to handle. Except it’s too good for me to quit.
So, that was not exactly a ringing endorsement, except I will say the show is awesome, but probably not for everybody. But there are two shows I accidentally got hooked on last year that I recommend to one and all if you’re looking for a summer project (or fall project — both shows debuted this year and I’m not sure when they’ll be out on DVD). The first one is Parenthood, an NBC show (actually a remake of a movie and previous TV series both of same name) about an extended family in Berkeley. Simple as that. It’s funny and realistic, and the writing and acting are great. The story lines are believable but surprising and — to use a word I never, ever use — touching. Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls), who plays the oldest sister, is fantastic. Peter Krause (Six Feet Under) is great as the oldest brother. And who knew Dax Shephard (um, Punk’d) could be so delightful? Not me. If you have OnDemand or similar, there should be some episodes available to watch in the NBC section.
The second one is The Good Wife. The Good Wife is a CBS show that centers around Julianna Margulies, a politician’s-wife-turned-defense-attorney who goes back to work after her husband (Chris Noth) is imprisoned following a sex scandal. To be honest, I expected this show to be completely lame, and watched one episode when nothing else was on. But it was kind of good. So I watched another one. And it was really good. And then I got hooked. And then the season ended and every Tuesday I whine to Brad that there is nothing to watch anymore. Each episode includes a court case, and then there are longer story lines, centering around the crime (or not?) that landed the politician in prison in the first place, and other assorted personal dramas. It’s smart and funny, and I could watch back-to-back episodes, if there were any new ones left.
What are you watching this summer?
