TV's Big Week So Far

Now for something lighter! The last few posts on Popscape have been pretty serious, so lets get back to some good ol’ TV. I’ve been keeping abreast of this weeks many season premiers on broadcast TV. My impressions so far:

1. Nothing too spectacular. It looks like viewers have another good season of Heroes ahead of them. CBS seems to have a decent Tuesday line-up with Cane and The Unit. Another season of CSI gets underway tonight as well. I admit I’m looking forward to it.
2. The biggest surprise was Life. As NBC was promoting their shows, Life seemed to be in the back seat. It turned out to be one of the more interesting shows of the week. It was a bit intense and the lead character a bit of an anti-hero who viewers will like but who might have a dark side. In terms of interesting and complex story lines and dynamic characters, Life is still second fiddle to cable cop shows like The Wire and The Shield, but it could turn out to be one of the most interesting shows on broadcast. (I’m probably jinxing it. For Fox, NBC, et al, “interesting” is usually synonymous with “canceled.”)
3. Ken Burns PBS documentary on World War II has been running this week. It has been as watch-able (“non-boring”) as his other works. As far as Burns’ egotistical claims that the documentary is the truest look at The War ever, I’d have to agree. The interviews with veterans make it that good. You are left with the impression that these men were extra-ordinary for doing what they did. They are also haunted, and almost surprised to look back on the violence that they both experienced and meted out.