I've just become a specialized collector. I collect TV shows about young women who become fate's bitches and are forced by supernatural forces to help the universe, all told in a drama format but with solid doses of humor.
So far I have:
Tru Calling - Amazon US - UK
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Amazon US - UK
Wonderfalls - Amazon US - UK
Dead Like Me - Amazon US - UK
I find it amazing that so many shows can fit in such an apparently slim niche, and still be very, very different, and really good.
Anybody know any others? (This is partly retorical, to milk the "collector" joke, but you never know.)
Anon said:
Dead Like Me only ran two seasons. A movie based on the series is due out this summer, and if it does well at the box office, they may continue the series.
A DLM movie? Kool!
Laurie said...
only I wouldn't call Millie in Dead Like Me a *bitch*. In my mind she was egoless and struggling living in an ego-driven world. That is, until she became a grim reaper. But I would never call her a bitch, she was just different.
I meant "fate's bitch" in the meaning that they were not in control of things. Fate is their master. It does not mean that she was or acted like a "bitch" in the sense of bad behavior.
Can't think of any more, but I really liked Dead Like Me. Didn't like Wonderfalls nearly as much, though it was produced (I believe) by the same guy as Dead.....
ReplyDeleteDead Like Me only ran two seasons. A movie based on the series is due out this summer, and if it does well at the box office, they may continue the series.
only I wouldn't call Millie in Dead Like Me a *bitch*. In my mind she was egoless and struggling living in an ego-driven world. That is, until she became a grim reaper. But I would never call her a bitch, she was just different.
ReplyDeleteLaurie
Dark Angel.
ReplyDeleteI think Dead Like Me was the best fictional show I've ever seen on television.
ReplyDeleteAfter I watched both seasons on DVD, I was desperate for more. Amazon.com recommended all these shows, based on my liking for Dead Like Me.
Dead Like Me was done for the pay cable channel Showtime. The others were on commercial TV. One difference seems to be that the commercial shows were under great pressure to tell a neat, complete story every week. Dead Like Me often left major plot thread unresolved, sometimes playing them out over weeks or months, and sometimes making the point that "this problem never goes away. Life is different now, and can never go back to the way it was before." You don't get that much on TV.
At the core of these shows is a mystery: the notion that there are forces in the universe that transcend our understanding. But all of these shows -- including Dead Like Me in its second season -- seem compelled to explain those fundamental mysteries. The most disappointing mystery-blower was Tru Calling, which turned good vs. evil into a form of cops vs. organized crime. In Dead Like Me, Rube and Roxy were far more interesting when their back stories were hinted at, never made explicit.
One show not on your list is Joan of Arcadia. It has the same problems as the other commercial shows. Early episodes have a police drama sub-plot that's poorly executed. But on the whole, I think it's the best of the lot (after Dead Like Me). Worth checking out.
Hmm, maybe you need to add Dark Angel, Bionic Woman and The Sarah Conner Chronicles to your library.
ReplyDeleteThen for films, add Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Leon- The Professional, and The Fifth Element.
The Dead Like Me movie is supposed to be direct-to-DVD (formerly direct-to-video, now under new management), but that doesn't mean it won't be good.
ReplyDeleteI loved that show but it was too bad they forced Fuller out. I believe he was right about why it was canceled - which he said was because of "a loss of quality and a sense the problems would continue."
I believe Eolake has said he thought Season Two was ever better, so he's likely going to disagree with me on this, but the Second Season, although it started out strong, went downhill and ended up with the false move of letting Reggie see George as George instead of Millie.
Still, even then it was far superior to most shows on TV.
I am used to them canceling shows I like - The Tick (live action), Greg the Bunny, Family Guy (although it came back), Futurama, Rome, Deadwood... There are more. Even 1989's The Flash, which probably would not seem very good if I saw it again today...
And, needless to say, Freaks & Geeks. No way that one could come back because the actors are all too old and too well-known now. The guy who played Sam is a guest star on Bones right now, and is about a foot taller than he was when on Freaks and Geeks
Thanks, I'll try Joan of Arcadia.
ReplyDeleteDark Angel, yes... I have two seasons on my shelf, I got them cheap at Woollies. But I've only watched a few episodes. Perhaps because it does not really have comedy. I seem to have a severe comedy dependency.
The Tick and Greg the Bunny were outstanding.
ReplyDeleteI tried Freaks 'n Geeks, but lost interest after a few episodes. I keep hearing it mentioned, though, so perhaps I'll give it another chance.
I think the revival of Family Guy reinforces the point made in the pilot episode of Dead Like Me. Living on after your time is up is not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThat is an opinion most definitely not shared by everyone. But good contribution.
ReplyDeleteJust come across a new girl in this category, Gwen Cooper of Torchwood. I've been in the US so long that I needed the subtitles for 5 minutes until I got into the Welsh accent.
ReplyDeleteTorchwood seems to lack some of the humour and fun of it's parent, Dr Who.
Sarah Conner was missing the humour, even the grace and humour of Summer Glau as the terminator didn't save that show for me.
Again the Bionic Woman lacked humour (another Brit actress in the US). Maybe we need Anurag to point us to some good Bollywood heroines.