My Observations on 2008 (Sci-Fi)

Everybody does it. When the end of a year comes around, people just can't help looking back at the previous year to rate, rank, and evaluate the things that happened. I am no exception.

In my own introspection, I found out quite a few things:

I get bored fast

Yep - it's true! In the past, I would continue to watch any show that I picked up until all of the episodes were aired, regardless of the quality. That day has passed!

This year, "Crusoe" and "My Own Worst Enemy" were never watched. Never. They were recorded - and summarily deleted without even a second of viewing. "Knight Rider" got one episode to prove that it would be better than it's debut movie. It failed the test. I, after much soul searching, deleted "Pushing Daisies" (even though I initially liked it - Olive just grated on my nerves too much).

Even shows that I ostensibly still watch, like "Fringe" and "Sanctuary", have multiple episodes wallowing unwatched on my TiVo. And "Heroes" is inching toward the same fate. I am hoping the addition of "Pushing Daisies" creator Brian Fuller helps "Heroes" gain some continuity...but, then again, I did tire of his last show.

Great Dialogue Makes a Show

On the other hand, I have really enjoyed several shows this year. The one quality each of these shows shared was great dialogue between the main characters.

The best example of this resides in "Supernatural", with the interaction between Sam and Dean. The dialogue is witty, smart, and builds on their relationship each week. You could remove those two characters from "Supernatural" and drop them in any other show and it would be interesting. Really.

I think "Chuck" and "The Middleman" also do a really good job of character interaction. It's no surprise that they were also among my favorite shows of the year. It's too bad that "The Middleman" will not likely return - I'd love to see more adventures with Dub-Dub.

Vampires Still Rock

Although we unfortunately lost "Moonlight" early this year, vampires were still very much in the limelight. "Twilight" clearly won the hype war, and although the movie only did 'aight', my wife tells me the book was fantastic.

The current leader of the vampire shows is "True Blood". Alan Ball's adaptation of the Charlaine Harris novels is very compelling (and very naked, it seems). Anna Paquin really carries the show and the vampire lore is well-defined and *consistent* ("Heroes" - are you listening?). I was very happy to hear that "True Blood" was renewed for a second season by HBO.

So, those are the things that struck me about 2008. What interested you?

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