Television Triumphant

When I look back on 2011 in a few years I know I will look back upon it fondly. Not because I scored an awesome job, or found out that I was going to be a father. No, 2011 will be the year that I found the most amazing television shows I've ever seen.... Okay, there may be a pinch of hyperbole in that, but just a dash. Please, allow me to explain. I have never had cable TV, so I missed out on a lot of shows as a child. Now, as a man-child, I am able to watch anything I want thanks to the wonderful magic of Netflix.

Bow-ties, and non violent conflict resolution, are cool: Doctor Who

I had always heard that Who is Where it's at (a-thank you). I went into this show expecting a slightly cheesy but fun BBC sci-fi show about a time traveling blue box. As it turns out, it certainly was cheesy and fun, but also mature and deeply moving. I spoke much of my love for this particular gem in a previous article. Yes, Doctor Who has silly moments, and if you can't enjoy those then you won't enjoy the show.

Shoot First, Screw Up: Torchwood

I knew going into this show that it wasn't nearly as good as the show it was spun off of (Doctor Who, if you were wondering). Torchwood was established in Doctor Who as an organization to collect alien artifacts to defend queen and country. The main character, Jack Harkness, can't die. So the show doesn't hold much dramatic tension and instead chooses to weigh what it can with people dying around Jack. This show is literally the opposite of Doctor Who, they use gratuitous violence to solve their problems, and they fail time after time. It was a solid show for the first two seasons, just a monster of the week type thing (think early Buffy). Where it really took off was season 3, Children of Earth. If Torchwood was only one season long, I would want it to be this season. It is only 5 episodes, but it is pure magic.

Classic Appa: Avatar

I have wanted to watch this show for years. I still remember when Chad made me sit down and watch the first episode, I was hooked... Unfortunately I didn't have cable. Well, thanks to Netflix I was finally able to catch it, and all I can say is wow... WOW! This show is fantastic! It has the depth, themes, and continuity of an anime, but the production values of a western cartoon. The characters are all so bent and broken, but they find peace in each other. The world they inhabit is gorgeous and so full of life! It's amazing how even an act as simple as combining two animals can make a world feel different, but familiar and magical at the same time. Also, the platypus-bear is now my favorite animal. In fact I'm gonna go ahead and say that's my spirit animal... yeah... I now have no excuse not to get this show on DVD, I must pass this on to my son.

Best of all, a new series is coming. Said by the creators (the same from the original) to be darker and more mature, AND 1920's esque steam punk world with asian-jazz fusion music homygawthisismydreamcometrue.

/fanboysqueeling