every season there are the slaughtered tv shows, the ones who didn't make it. cut off quickly in one fell swoop of the cancelling axe, left bloody and gasping. others are allowed to finish out their seasons but with no one watching, like ageing starlets who still recite their lines to empty bedroom, remembering the theatres they used to fill.
i have a tendency to love those shows, at least some of them.
pushing daisies
caprica
kings
if the world made sense everyone would know these shows.
my husband and i just finished watching Kings - the complete season/series, and were once again blown away by just how good this show was.
for the uninitiated, it's loosely based on the book of Kings and saul and david.
really.
so to take a biblical theme that is at times semi obvious and to do it so well, and make it appealing and riveting for everyone was amazing.
king silas benjamin played by ian mcshane is nothing less than spectacular as he plays the games of court, the hidden brutality...
so here is where we begun: david shepherd (like i said not always subtle) is a soldier in war against the neighboring country of Gath. He pulls off a daring rescue mission against Gath's prized war machines the Goliath tank. david rescues two prisoners of war, and prepares for a court martial as he disobeyed direct orders in acting alone. to add to the miracle of it all, one of the prisoners turns out to be King Silas's son, Prince Jack Benjamin.
David is thrust into the world of the court , the intricacies and espionage. He becomes Silas's golden child, his public image miracle. He also falls for the Princess, Princess Michelle.
political intrigue, power, descents into madness, good vs bad... just such an awesome show.
this isn't fast. its well written, amazingly acted. full of mythology and blurred lines of reality and and madness.
Kings is amazing.
and add to the roster an incredibly creepy Macaulay Caulkin who just makes your skin crawl....
Pushing Daisies
Yes a show about a pie maker who wakes the dead, aids a private investigator, and collects the reward. And who then awakens his childhood sweetehart but can never touch her again. Along with Olive the just gorgeous Kristen Chenoweth as the waitress at the Pie Hole who has had a long standing crush on Ned (said Pie Marker) and the two spinster aunts who are retired synchronized swimmers - the Darling Mermaid Darlings - with social anxiety disorders to match. Chi McBride (Boston Public) is the knitting private detective with a penchant for pop up books. And I feel awful but I forget who plays Chuck. A lot of familiar faces make guest appearances - Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), Joel McHale who I will always love because of the Sopoup regardless what he does on Community; David Arquette... Just such fun...
And along with such a funny quirky storyline, and whimsy, you have characters who break out into song, but in beautiful sweet ways - not Glee ways (not hating on the glee. don't flame me here folks). But you can have Swoozie Kurt (remember Little Shop of HOrrors - Audrey?) and Kristen Chenoweth (Wicked's Galinda) just singing at sweet little moments. AND Jim Dale from Pete's Dragon (the guy who couldn't say Passamaquoddie) but most likely known for reading all of the Harry Potter Books with such amazing talent and skill. (He got a grammy for them!) Nothing but joy here. Just how delightful.
Caprica
I never thought I'd get into Caprica.
Never. I didn't watch the new Battlestar Galactica. I remember the old one. Those Cylons (the robots with the blinky light) scared me to no end. Along with that creepy robotic dog. So is it any surprise I didn't get into the new one?
But my husband said, you should watch this pilot episode. Then we'll see if we like it..
That pilot HOOOKED ME. Completely.
ANd It HAS ERIC STOLTZ IN IT! I love Eric Stoltz. Ihave loved Eric Stoltz since The Memphis Belle when I first fell in love with Harry Connick Jr. It was a very unrequited love triangle. But I'm ok with that.
Pre-Battlestar Galactica, set ina world where a virtual reality is the drug of choice. People put on these pretty spiffy little sunglasses, and go into their own little worlds, meeting up with others in those little worlds. but those little worlds aren't as small as you think.
It's also a world of polytheism, and the idea of a one true God is radical and unheard of. So to get the point across, some of those believers in a one true God become soliders/terrorists. One of those soldiers (STO - Soldiers True One) is Zoe Greystone the daughter of Daniel and Amanda Greystone. Daniel created the Hallo Band (those little sunglass thingies) and is evejtually going to create the Cylons.
The show begins with a train bombing. Zoe and her friend Lacey go to the train, Lacey doesn't get on. Zoe's boyfriend blows the place to smithereens in honor of the One True God (very jihadish).
Except Zoe's avatar still lives on in the Virtual world. And the question is, is it just the avatar, or is it really Zoe?
Amazingly written, fantastic stories. Oh That Caprica would survive.....
But on a side note, we found ScyFy doing a marathon of the last remaining episodes. So we squealed and watched the show until we had to go to go bed. Thank you ScyFy....
All of these are available on DVD or Netflix. Some may even be on Hulu. Do yourself a favor and go rent them, youtube them, whatever. they are just beautiful examples of the creative whismical entertainment that has been slaughtered in order to appease the masses.
