Marital Problems

The title of this post is a cheap shot. No, Mrs. Rogue and I aren't really having problems. But we might after she finds out how madly in love I am with a man by the name of Tim Kring. Who is this mystery man, and what has he done to win my affections? He's the writer behind shows like "Crossing Jordan" and "Chicago Hope" as well as films like "Teen Wolf Too." So, I'm in love with the guy who created "Teen Wolf Too"? Yes...and no. I do have a serious man-crush on Timmy, but not because of his excellent work with Jason Bateman. He's been busy recently with a little show called "Heroes" and last night, his "little show" put on the best hour of television in years.

"Heroes" is (as I've described it to friends) what would have happened if Stan Lee created the X-Men after watching "Unbreakable" by M. Knight Shymalan. Gritty, realistic, exciting and damn good television. Using comic book methods like cliffhanger "to be continued..." storylines and camera angles that Alex Ross would appreciate, "Heroes" has brought the enduring archetypes of superheroes to the small screen, and to mainstream America.

The characters that Kring and his team introduce us to are not two dimensional. They have thoughts and feelings, hidden motivations and alliances, and act based upon their circumstances, not some idyllic sense of right or wrong. They are real people. Or about as close as television comes to them anyway. Is it Shakespeare? No. Does it go as far towards creating its own language as "Deadwood" did? No. Does it tackle societal questions every week like "Battlestar Galactica"? Not quite. Is it consistently compelling television, significantly more entertaining than any other genre show on TV? Yep. Without a doubt, including "Lost" and the aforementioned "BSG". It's that good. Or at least it is now.

You'll notice I'm not talking about specifics. That's because this show is far too good to spoil (especially last night's episode). If you are not watching this show, do yourself a favor and jump on the bandwagon. The ratings are just going to go up which means if you are not already missing out talking about this show with your co-workers you will be soon. It's classic water cooler stuff. But Joel, you ask, how do I catch up now? Log on to your computer and watch the episodes for free on NBC.com, or buy them from iTunes, or heck download them illegally (not that I condone that kind of thing) just do what you have to do to catch up with this show. The good news is, you've got some time to do it. After next week's episode (which looks to be almost as good as this week's) "Heroes" goes on hiatus until late April before wrapping up the season with five episodes week after week. So, get cracking. You've got two months to figure who these "Heroes" are and why Joel might want to marry their creator.

Lost, Found, and the Search for an Antenna

I like TV.

To those of you that read this blog even intermittently, that will come as no surprise. But to you, Kevin, the college sophomore, who just stumbled upon this blog accidentally while searching for a recipe for that great drink your fraternity brothers served you the other night (The Drunken Rob), you probably didn't know that I liked TV. You also probably have no idea why you (or anyone else) would care. Well, first of all, Kevin, I'm a pretty good writer. Second of all "the Drunken Rob" is not a real drink, it's just the remainder (complete with backwash) of all their drinks poured into one cup together. It's named after one of them, that the older brothers pulled that trick on when HE was a sophomore. Yep, I've been to college.

Now that Kevin is up to speed, let us proceed with today's lesson. There are many good television shows on these days. There are also many horrible shows on. Let's see if you can tell the difference.

"Boston Legal" -- Good -- Bad

"I Love New York" -- Good -- Bad

"The Office" -- Good -- Bad

"My Super Sweet 16" -- Good -- Bad

Now let's see how you did. For "Boston Legal" you should have circled "Good". Very nice work everybody. For "The Office" also a circle over "Good". Excellent job, people. Oh, wait a minute. Not so fast with that circle over "Good" for "I Love New York." That one requires a circle over "Bad". And I'm afraid you've all failed the last one. "My Super Sweet 16" deserves neither a circle over "Good" or "Bad." Nope, that was a trick question. The correct answer is to write in "Illegal." Sorry about that one.

Now that we all know the difference between a good show and a bad show. Let's look at a show that has fallen into the gray area. Three years ago, the ABC network was looking for a hit. It got two. "Desperate Housewives" went beyond a success and become a bit of a phenomenon. It was one of those shows that people talked about around the water cooler at work. But in its second season the show which had walked the fine line between comedy and schlock, jumped full on into the Soap Opera category. Most of the casual fans fell by the wayside. ABC brought another new show to the slate that fall. An action/adventure/science fiction show about a group of plane crash survivors on a mysterious island. The story of their survival is combined with flashbacks from their pasts that show that these people have crossed paths in many ways before. The first season was the perfect mix of suspense, romance, intrigue, and mystery. The first season finale is one of the most talked about television episodes ever. The second season just built on the first season's successes. Adding some new cast members and furthering the development of the original castaways created one of the best ensembles on television. But then came the third season.

Viewers had complained about the interruption of the series with re-runs. A show that focuses so completely on continuity and suspense suffers when not allowed to build up momentum. The producers heard these complaints and structured a plan that would (hopefully) appease the fans, while still keeping the network happy. A six episode mini-season would run in the fall, and the show would return in February with 17 uninterrupted episodes after a three month hiatus. In theory it was excellent. The problem was the six episode mini-season just frustrated fans, as it ignored completely many of the most popular characters. But now it's February.

Tonight the REAL season of "Lost" begins. And I can't wait. The anticipation is sweetened (and tempered) by a recent acquisition of mine. Sunday night, I (and Mrs. Rogue) joined the High Definition era. Thanks to an excellent deal at everyone's favorite national retailer, Wal-Mart, and selling my (admittedly wonderful) old TV to my buddy, I stepped up to HDTV. We now have a beautiful 30" Sanyo HDTV with DVD upconversion, Divx playback, and a built in HDTV and SDTV tuner. But I'm missing one thing.

I need a bigger antenna.

For those that don't know about HDTV, one of the brilliant things is that local stations broadcast it just like they do their analog signal. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the age of HDTV is the age of the Rabbit ears!

Mrs. Rogue and I are located 35 miles from the nearest "real" city. This city has a multitude of broadcast networks, most of which have converted to HD. With the right antenna I could receive (free of charge) CBS, NBC, ABC and PBS in glorious High Definition. With my current antenna (a highly powered indoor model) I can get NBC. Monday night we watched "Heroes" and "Studio 60" in HD. I've even found myself watching "The Tonight Show" and I hate Leno. It is highly doubtful that anyone will step forward over the next couple of hours and donate a high powered outdoor antenna to me. It is less likely that I would be able to mount it before tonight's episode of "Lost." But I remain hopeful. Regardless of whether I get to see it tonight in HD or SD, I can't wait for my favorite castaways (sorry Gilligan) to begin their adventures again.