Pages

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

This Show Is Great! - Paula Roe

Hey... This Show is Great! Why Wasn't I Watching It Before? (or The Burn Notice Effect)

With all the hype and promo surrounding so many TV series, it all becomes a bit 'meh' for me. Sometimes I avoid shows *because* of the hype (Prison Break, 24 and Lost, anyone?) So now it's mid-season, your favorite shows have been shunted off in favor of another mindless sport telecast or Two and a Half Men, and instead of shutting off the box and doing something constructive, you end up tuning into a series you've never watched before. But wait... hang on... this is actually pretty good! So you watch the following week. Then the next. The next thing you know, you're hooked and dumping your usual fare for this newly discovered show.

This is what I call the "Burn Notice Effect" - shows you start watching a season or more in, discover they're pretty darn good, watch every week and then (most often) glom the other episodes/seasons you missed. Yes, I was bored one night and ended up watching Burn Notice. The yummy, droll Jeffrey Donovan (who looks so totally cool and stylish how on earth could he possibly blend into a crowd?) was the main draw card, but I stayed for the fun storylines, the action and the character chemistry - even though I feel the urge to force-feed Gabrielle Anwar a cheeseburger every time she wears a bikini...

Joss Whedon's Firefly was another BNE – after watching Serenity on DVD, I picked up the canned-after-one-season Firefly for $30. Loved the movie, ADORE the series (and of course, now we need a pikky of gorgeous Nathan Fillion to emphasis my point ).

Other shows with the Burn Notice Effect include Brothers & Sisters, CSI (yeah, I was late on this one!), Law & Order, The Unit, How I Met Your Mother, Life on Mars (the awesome UK version). And I've just finished True Blood, Lie to Me and am currently making my way through Farscape.

So my question for everyone out there - does the Burn Notice Effect apply to you? Which shows? Let me know (and why you keep watching!) and you could win a copy of an Aussie exclusive - Harlequin's Best Love Stories of 2009.
Paula

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I love Burn Notice! I have got to where I check out the new shows. I am hooked on Castle, The Good Wife, NCIS, also like the new show Mercy and Trauma.

The Brunette Librarian said...

I was a bit late on the "Office" phenomenon...and only in the last year or so did I discover "House" Whew, didn't know what I was missing. Love both of those shows!

Gotta admit too...I just went and put "Burn Notice" on my Netflix list :)

rachie2004 @ yahoo (d0t) com

Lynz Pickles said...

I love finding a good show, even if I'm a bit late at catching on! In the past several months I've discovered and fallen in love with Lie To Me, Fringe, Castle, Psych, Dexter, and The Big Bang Theory. All awesome, all worth watching... all shows I missed when they first came out. Better late than never, though!

Pam P said...

Love Burn Notice, never miss it. Another winner for summer cable shows - The Closer. In Plain Sight (witness protection agent female lead) is another good one I discovered.

Pam P said...

Forgot, another really good show came out in summer on FX, Damages with Glenn Close.

Mary Kirkland said...

I've never watched Burn Notice, so maybe I'm missing something. But I didn't think I would like Law and Order when it first came out and started watching the reruns one day...Because they are always on some channel. lol

But before I knew it I was hooked on all the Law and order shows and Now I watch them every week.

Alison said...

I agree with you on 'How I met Your Mother' - terrible title, but a really great show!

Angie Peters said...

I got onto NCIS late, but now I love it. The characters all have their own quirks and have depth (not two dimensional like some other TV shows). I love the way they interact, and the witty dialogue. However,they also deal with some serious issues - so the balance is there. The characters have changed and grown as the show has progressed.

Paula Roe said...

Hi TV fans :-) Sorry I've been a bit late - I'm at the Gold Coast on account of school holidays and it's a beautiful 30 outside (that's around 82, I believe?)

Yay, Virginia! I've been eyeballing the first season of Burn Notice and waiting to pay off my Visa before I get it :D

RachieG - Love House, but then, I love anything with Hugh Laurie in. He's my nerd crush LOL

Lynz - ooh, Lie to Me, Castle and Dexter are faves too. Haven't seen Fringe yet. And they took of Psych after only 2 episodes! Moonlight lasted a smidgen longer, at about 5. Oh, and I got right into Journeyman but again, it got taken off after 2 episodes!

Pam P - I've been following The Closer since it started. I love those characters and the way the writers have developed them.

Hi Mary - the thing I love about Law and Order is you can miss it a few times but then come back to it. Each episode stands on its own.

Alison - LOL. I wonder if we will ever find out how Ted Met Their Mother?

Angie - I reckon characterization is the mark of a great show. Get involved in the characters and you've got an instant audience.

Okay, so I'll do my draw... the winner of the Aussie book is Pam P! Pam can you email me privately and let me know your address so I can send it off to you asap?

Thanks for having me, guys!

Anonymous said...

Congrats Pam P !

Linda Henderson said...

Congratulations Pam.

Pam P said...

Thanks, Paula!