Powers that be: Please give these shows a 2nd season

While I do enjoy the brainless crime procedural and comedy shows, my TV heart really belongs to the high concept/sci fi/fantasy genre. With the exception of Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Veronica Mars, all my all time favorites belong to this genre (Buffy, Battlestar, Lost, Fringe, X Files).

But it’s also that genre that is most difficult to get a second season. It takes time for the mythology and storytelling to kick in and sometimes the audience and networks are impatient and they want an instant hit instead of waiting for the series to get its footing. But thanks to the Syfy Channel and original programming from streaming services like Netflix, more and more great shows are being created and allowed to live. Here are some new shows and here are the ones that I hope get a second season.

BETWEEN

You’ve probably not heard of this because it is a Canadian sci fi show. Think of it as The 100 meets Under the Dome meets 28 Days Later but without zombies. In a town called Pretty Lake where everyone 22 years old and above starts dying from a mysterious virus and they get quarantined. So imagine the chaos that ensues when you get a bunch of kids running around and running the town. The storytelling is great, characterization needs a little more work, actors won’t win awards but they’re solid. The moral and ethical dilemmas make you think. There are just 6 episodes in the freshman season so it’s easy to catch up.

WAYWARD PINES

We all know that the rest of the world has given up on M Night Shyamalan after such a promising start. While he doesn’t direct this show, he is an executive producer, and this might be his redemption if it becomes a hit. It’s Twin Peaks meets Under the Dome (that show again) and a scarier Truman Show. There was a lot of secrecy involved in the shows promotion, and I had a lot of guesses as to what the town really is. But when they finally revealed it in episode 5 (there are only 6 episodes aired so far), I was nowhere near the truth. It may sound improbable at first but episode 6 explained a lot of things, and I’m officially hooked. Again, a lot of moral and ethical issues covered so it’s compelling. Oh, and Matt Dillon, enough said.

DARK MATTER

6 people wake up in a spaceship with no memory of who they are and how they get there. That’s all you need to know for now unless you want ot spoiled. Oh and a lot of space action going on, plus pretty and pretty dubious characters. Oh and that scary kid from the Silent Hill movie is all grown up with colorful hair. Just three episodes so far, and I’m willing to watch it all the way to the next season, if it gets renewed.

KILLJOYS

The other Canadian show that I’m enjoying, even though it’s just in its second episode. It’s about space bounty hunters, an almost always shirtless Luke McFarlane, a kick-ass female lead who’s sometimes subjected to the “male gaze” (my only complaint about the show so far), and the twin brother of IceMan (I’m talking about Aaron Ashmore of course). It may be too early to say that I love this show, but it has massive potential.

THE WHISPERS

I’m a bit worried about this show since its on a major network and the ratings aren’t that great, but given a chance, I think it will grow on viewers (I hope). It’s a bit creepy since it involves an “Imaginary friend” that tells kids to do awful things and possibly aliens. Oh and if you’ve missed having Milo Ventimiglia on your screen, he’s here, all grown up with a little boy and no cheerleaders to save. But of course he will always be JESS!!!

STITCHERS

It may be a little too close to iZombie (my favorite new network show) but it does have its own charms. It’s about a girl recruited by a shadow government agency that has the ability to go inside the brain of a recently deceased person and see their last memories before they hit the bucket. So yeah, iZombie but without the zombie part and with a heroine who has “temporal dysplasia” (a made up condition where you have no perception of time) and zero social skills (think Tempe Brennan but with even less empathy). Add cute nerdy guys and it’s in my wheelhouse.

 

Why I binge watched 6 episodes of Hindsight (and why you should too)

When I first heard that VH1 was going to have its first scripted series, I was like, meh, not interested. When I heard it was going to be set in the 90s, it piqued my curiosity, but then I forgot all about it. I only remembered Hindsight when I saw this list of TV shows you should be watching (but probably aren’t) and so I decided to give it a try. After “acquiring” the six existing episodes, I forgot about it again, until Saturday night when I saw the files on my netbook and I decided to give it a try.

And I ended up watching all six episodes in one go and slept at 5AM. And then I got really frustrated when I found out episode 7 is still a few days away and that the show has not been renewed yet.

The show is about a woman, who on the eve of her 2nd marriage, is suddenly transported back in time (20 years before) to the day of her 1st marriage. No explanation is given on why/how she travels back to the 90s, but that isn’t what’s important here. It’s all about second chances, regrets, do-overs, love triangles, oh, and freaking awesome 90s pop culture.

Here are some of the reasons why I fell in love with the show. Maybe you will too!

1. A lead character I actually like (and maybe love)

When TV shows are built around one lead character, I oftentimes end up hating that character or liking the supporting ones better (see Dawson’s Creek, Grey’s Anatomy, House, Scandal, etc). But Becca is someone who can theoretically be annoying, but is just such a joy to watch. From trying to decide between the two she loved/loves/will love, to always clumsily spoiling TV shows to her best friend (the only one who knows she traveled from the future), to trying to figure out what the heck to do with her life, she is always charming, funny, and very real. Oh, and also, very pretty!

2. A love triangle that is really confusing

Usually, I passionately ship 2/3 of a love triangle, but this time around, it’s really difficult to choose who to root for. Should she go with the hot Australian painter whom she married in 1995 and eventually divorced, and who you think is one-dimensional but apparently is also deep and adorable? Or should she already start a relationship with the guy she’s supposed to be marrying in the present day, but who is also her childhood friend and is an awkward geek who is all sweet and cuteness (and is with someone else in 1995)? Oh your choices Becca, your choices.

3. A hilarious best friend who is more than just a sidekick

The friendship between the more normal Becca and her free-spirited and hilarious best friend Lolly is truly one of the best things about this show. While they gab about boys of course, they can also pass the Bechdel test a lot of times. And also, apart from her connection to Becca, Lolly is also a fully realized character with her own issues and neuroses and storyline. And lastly, she’s cute and hilarious without being too precocious. Plus, there’s also a huge mystery surrounding why their friendship breaks up in the future, and I’m really dreading the reveal because these two are so great together.

4. The people you thought you’d hate actually surprise you

I will not spoil your viewing pleasure by saying which characters I’m referring to, but what I can say is that there are no caricatures or outright villains in this series. Well, for now.

5. The 90s pop culture references

“What? Chandler ends up with Monica?” “What? Patrick Dempsey becomes hot?” “What? REM break up?” The “whats?” goes on and on. You’d think you’d get tired of it eventually, but of course not. 90s nostalgia will always be a part of me.

6. The 90s music

Of course since this is a VH1 series, you can expect it to have a killer soundtrack. Mazzy Star, Collective Soul, REM, Ace of Base, Spin Doctors, Lisa Loeb, etc. I probably have not stopped listening to 90s music since this Saturday, and it’s all Hindsight’s fault. Wikipedia has a listing of all the songs played in the episodes

Sadly, this series isn’t carried by any local channels (at least not that I know of), so “acquiring” it is the only way to go.