The Plight Of A TV Enthusiast With Not Enough Time

   I enjoy all aspects of television. I like thinking about what went into the writing and how a plot comes together while incorporating dramatic moments that coincide with commercial breaks. I also love soundtracks. I know enough about music in general, but you probably wouldn't quite classify me as a big music guy. However to me, the music is as important to a scene or story as almost any other element. I like the way television and film try to make people feel a certain way, and often succeed. Before going on too much of a tangent, my point has been made about how much I enjoy and appreciate the craft of television production. I like it so much, that it sometimes bothers me to be unable to check out a new show or follow through with a series that I've seen a few episodes of and liked because there's just not enough time to invest in it. That's the thing though, I think the time might be there if I really wanted to work it in. So if I'm really honest with myself, this might actually be a little more psychological.

   I almost feel like a fraud calling myself a television enthusiast when I have never seen an episode of 24, Sons of Anarchy or The Wire. I mention those three examples specifically because I actually have the first season of those three shows sitting on my DVD shelf just waiting to be watched, lent to me by friends that thought I would love them. Not only would I love them, but it might even quench my thirst for a show I had once loved and lost. Pun intended. Yet despite having three quality shows to choose from at my disposal, I find myself flipping through channels and getting stuck on Super Nanny or Hoarders: Buried Alive. Or take last night for example, when I couldn't get to sleep I decided to watch the pilot episode of Terra Nova on my phone while I was in bed. 'What in the world are you doing?', I thought to myself. Not only was it getting late, but I knew I already made plans for this weekend to start watching The Wire and catch up on the new J.J. Abrams series, Alcatraz. So I basically committed to following another two shows already assuming they're as good as I have heard they are and could be. Yet here I am, wanting to get sucked in to a show that as far as I was aware, involved an island, dinosaurs and time travel, but that's all I knew. All of the sudden I am apparently very ambitious about watching all of the shows I've wanted to start watching for a while, all at the same time, despite the fact that I have had years to start doing it.

   I guess the truth is now that I've committed myself to finally watching at least one of the shows I've been putting off forever, I am excited to get involved in a new serious show again and maybe that excitement has caused me to get a bit overzealous. Maybe I should wait on the Terra Nova and see how the network thinks its doing after it's first season. Even though I sort of knew I shouldn't, I would of course be attracted to Terra Nova for obvious reasons. As an avid, some might say obsessive LOST fan, I kept wanting to find the show that would satisfy my craving for more LOST and it seemed for a while that the networks were trying to pump out shows that were meant to do just that. I couldn't resist NBC's The Event, especially since it's pilot episode was so well timed with the ending of LOST. Unfortunately, I couldn't devote my attention to it enough to see it through to it's cancellation. It's not like all television was boring or couldn't live up to LOST, I just watched more comedy while all the networks tried to do something to pull in all of those LOST fans that felt a void in their television watching lives. When I think about it now though, maybe I wasn't in the mood for another serious drama at that time even though I sure was trying to convince myself that I was. Apparently I wasn't very persuasive since I knew I had three quality dramas right there in front of me, yet I never watched an episode of any of them. 

I think I am fully ready now. There won't be another LOST and I don't think I want there to be. I loved it, it was great while it lasted but I almost feel as though I am going to want to reject anything that attempts to recreate or replicate LOST's magic. To be honest, that's actually the reason why I was initially a bit apprehensive about Alcatraz seeing as all I really know about it is that some weird, creepy, potentially supernatural stuff happens in a scary, legendary prison with a nod to Jorge Garcia as an obvious lure for thirsty LOST fans as he will be again working with LOST creator J.J. Abrams. I'll go into it with an open mind, especially since I also recently found out that it features a soundtrack composed by the extremely talented Michael Giacchino, whom is also responsible for the LOST soundtrack. OK so I guess I am sort of taking the bait on Alcatraz, but at least I know that if I don't love it I am ready to dive head first into shows that are critically acclaimed and have already been tested and proven over time. After all, there must be a good reason why I've seen a few of these 'Jack Bauer 2012' promotional bumper stickers around.