Penfold_X's Fandom Journal

The leaves are turning, the temps are dropping, and across America, DVRs are warming up for the new television season!

Must-Squee TV
NCIS (September 25, CBS, Tue@8)
Supernatural (October 3, CW, Wed@9)

Also Recording
Big Bang Theory (September 27, CBS, Thur@8)
Blue Bloods (September 24, CBS, Fri@10)
Bones (September 17, FOX, Mon@8)
Castle (September 24, ABC, Mon@10)
Hawaii 5-0 (September 24, CBS, Mon@10)
NCIS:LA (September 25, CBS, Tue@9)
Person of Interest (September 27, CBS, Thur@9)
Sons of Anarchy (September 11, FX, Tue@10)
The Walking Dead (October 14, AMC, Sun@9)

Auditioning
666 Park Avenue (September 30, ABC, Sun@10)
Arrow (October 10, CW, Wed@8)
Elementary (September 27, CBS, Thurs@10)
Made in Jersey (September 28, CBS, Fri@9)
Revolution (September 17, NBC, Mon@10)

On the Bubble
How I Met Your Mother (September 24, CBS, Mon@8)

The 2012-13 season looks thin and disappointing. Revolution is the only new show I'm excited about; the post-apocalyptic setting is a personal favorite and I think the Abrams/Kripke team could be outstanding. I'll certainly give Elementary a try, but the buzz I've heard (standard procedural you wouldn't recognize as Holmesanian if the characters weren't called Holmes and Watson) isn't promising. I'm giving Arrow and 666 Park Avenue a try only because they're genre shows; in a season with other sci-fi/fantasy choices, I probably wouldn't. I'll be pleasantly surprised if I make it past the pilot.

I'm not even trying the re-boot Beauty and the Beast; if the lack of the society Below wasn't enough to put me off, casting Kristen Kruek is about as off-putting a move as CW could have made. The rest of the new shows seem to be aligned along two themes: 1) the suburbs are evil; and 2) incompetent doctors are endlessly fascinating. Neither of these are particularly new or appealing. The networks seem to be in a creative rut that's only going to accelerate the rush to cable programming and new media.

Sadly, I'm not terribly excited about most of my returning shows, either, with the exception of Supernatural and NCIS. Supernatural has really made a comeback over the past season, shifting away from the Heaven/Hell arc to focus more squarely on the brothers, allowing them a more stable and equal relationship. Jeremy Carver has written several of my favorite eps, so I think he could be a great showrunner. NCIS continues to be my go-to procedural with heart; writers who stay in their wheelhouse and never lose sight of the character relationships, great cast, dead terrorists. What's not to love? In addition, myfieldnotes and mrwubbles held me hostage in hotel room until I broke realized just how awesome Hawaii 5-0 is. Cracky and unrealistic, but damn they're serving the bromance! Not appointment television, but at least I have something fresh to enjoy.

Unfortunately, some of my previously squee-worthy shows aren't engaging me as they used to. I moved Bones down to 'still recording' because, while I still dig the extended family at the Jeffersonian, I'm not enjoying Booth and Bones as a couple. I'm not a huge fan of romance to begin with, and the way they were so quickly paired off and only really brought together over the accidental child unlikely and unnecessarily rushed. Unsurprisingly, as the Castle romance grows ever more explicit and whiny angsty, I'm enjoying the show less. Both are still solid viewing, but not as compelling.

On the other hand, summer programming was unexpectedly good! I really enjoyed Katee Sackoff's new series, Longmire. The central character could have been a tired archtype (widowed cop), but the writers and actor really worked to provide a fresh take; Longmire's grief felt raw and realistic. Setting the drama near an Indian reservation allowed for fleshed out, more nuanced than usual presentation of that community (and Lou Diamond Philips, who is 50 and still inexplicably hot). I also love the character interactions, and my big flatscreen loves the all the panoramic views of the New Mexico countryside. Falling Skies was back and continued to be awesome; fun sci-fi with great family drama. I also got hooked on George R.R. Martin's epic Game of Thrones. I watched the first season on DVD, and was so fascinated with the story I actually subscribed to HBO for the second.

I've got a new love: Reapersun's fan art (warning: she's bifictional, so thar be some sexytimes ahoy; click responsibly). I especially adore her recent drawing, based on the request' "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his reaction to this crazy fandom."

Build your own robotic dalek pumpkin.

I fell face-first back into work after MediaWest, so I haven't read much fic recently. Fortunately, brate7 showered me with podfic. I've been listening while running errands, and have some new favorites:

All the King's Horses by RobinC. Podfic'd here "A star empire is menaced by deadly creatures from the time of Rassilon. Will one lone Time Lord and a human companion be enough to defeat them?" A delightfully long Tenth Doctor story. Taking place shortly after Planet of the Ood, Robin takes advantage of the events of that episode to give Ten a little Year-That-Never-Was/Time War PTSD. With the Ten/Donna friendship firmly established, Donna is in place to give some well-needed and wonderfully in-character comfort. Extra kudos for the intricate, plot-supporting world-building, including two nicely done OCs.

How the Winds Are Laughing by Kathryn Andersen. Podfic'd here. Journey's End fix-it. "Lance is dead, H. C. Clemens is dead, her place of work is closed down. Is this some kind of joke? If it is, it's not funny, and Donna is going to find the person responsible and give them a piece of her mind." Another great, in-character Donna. Would the Donna Noble we grew to know and love take having her memory wiped lying down? Hardly. Kathryn's Donna puts the pieces together on her missing time, and with a little help, fights her way back. In light of The End of Time/S5, now AU.

As illustrated by cosmicnerdangel.

My lonley TiVo is once again flush with companions as the new television season begins at last! This summer was not as bad as last; brate7 and myfieldnotes spent all of MediaWest convincing me to try Leverage, while mrwubbles was the unofficial sponsor ofWhite Collar. I spent the summer with back eps of both, and enjoyed them, though Leverage was not anything like as good as its first season, unfortunately.I also had a great time with So You Think You Can Dance; I was entirely on Team Kent, but it was a great field in general (apart from the plague of injuries).

Sadly, apart from returning favorites, I don’t expect much from the new season:

Must-Squee TV
Bones (September 23, FOX, Thur@8)
NCIS (September 21, CBS, Tue@8)
Supernatural (September 24, CW, Fri@9)

Also Recording
Big Bang Theory (September 23, CBS, Thur@8)
Castle (September 20, ABC, Mon@10)
House (September 20, FOX, Mon@8)
Sanctuary (September 28, SYFY, Tue@10)
Sons of Anarchy (September 7, FX, Tue@10)

Auditioning
Blue Bloods (September 24, CBS, Fri@10)
No Ordinary Family (September 28, ABC, Tue@8)
Raising Hope (September 21, FOX, Tue@9)
The Event (September 20, NBC, Mon@8)

On the Bubble
How I Met Your Mother (September 20, CBS, Mon@8)

Not much genre programming on my currently recording list, again this year. The Event is yet another attempt to replicate Lost; the creators promise they have learned the lessons of Flash Forward and related attempts, but I have my doubts. With Ashes to Ashes concluded, and no new Doctor Who until Christmas, however, I’ve got time to give it a chance. My other selections are based largely on the actors involved, which is, admittedly, flaky, but given the humdrum, retread nature of this year’s offerings (cop shows, lawyer shows, cop-and-lawyer shows, remakes), it seemed as good a criteria as any.

I’ve put Mother on bubble status because of the relentless sex jokes and tastelessness; c’mon, writers, there’s really more to life. Why Vampire Diaries was renewed I’ll never know, but I’ve thrown in the towel. I also finally broke up with CSI, the boredom to interest ratio was just too high.

I quite enjoyed that! ( Time is not the boss of me )