Man, I just watched last night’s season finale of The O.C. and I cried like a little baby. Crazy! The O.C. is definitely my favourite show on television — a show I love so much, it is totally filling the Buffy void. Despite the horror that is Mischa Barton, I highly recommend the show to all.
Other than The O.C., Monk, and Arrested Development (which I really, really hope gets renewed for next season), I’m finding there just isn’t much on TV these days. The West Wing has gone so far downhill, there’s now a website for fans of the first few seasons, devoted to trying to get NBC to pull the show OFF the air. Sad.
Anyone know of anything else I should be checking out in summer reruns, as a possible addition to my permanent fall lineup?
TurtleHead 
Not many people like Gilmore Girls, but I do :). It’s the only show I watch regularly now that I’ve stopped watching West Wing.
I understand those who don’t like it though. Some find the dialogue very irritating. There’s a fine line with that show. And Rory, the daughter, isn’t the greatest character in the world. But there are some great secondary characters; the secondary characters make the show.
But there are some great secondary characters; the secondary characters make the show.
The O.C. is similiar. It’s a youth-skewed show, so there is a lot of focus on the teenage characters. Incidentally, two of those teenagers (Ryan and Marrisa) completely lack any depth and are played by horrific actors/actresses. The best characters, in my opinion, are actually two of the parents (Seth’s dad and Marissa’s mom, played by Peter Gallagher and Melinda Clarke).
Actually, I was totally devoted to the show in its first season. The writing is so fantastic, and I just loved the character of Lorelei. But then they went and moved it opposite The West Wing, The Amazing Race, and now, The O.C. (Wednesdays at 9 is by far the most crowded time slot on the dial), I had to drop it in favour of my other favourites.
The West Wing is definitely on the outs, though. Last week and the week before, I actually didn’t even bother to watch the episodes I had taped — I just rewound and taped over them. That’s a really bad sign! I think I’ll give Gilmore Girls another try this summer and see if I can get back into the action.
I agree, the parents make this show great. I love the teens — especially Seth and Summer, they’re actually my favourite characters — but it’s the family angle and the fact that they’ve made the parents real people, not just walk-ons with handy one-line advice, that makes the show interesting and unique. Sandy (Peter Gallagher) is just fantasitic, and I think Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) does great, underrated work in her less showy role. And Melinda Clarke is totally, utterly fabulous — I’m so very happy they’ve made her into a series regular.
As for the “leads,” I have to agree that Mischa Barton (Marissa) is so, so bad. I’ve been thinking a lot about Nick’s point, that she was hired for her looks instead of her acting, and how sad it is that her bony figure is what passes for good-looking these days — so true. Although I must admit, watching her non-reactions to major news in various scenes, and snickering over her lack of acting prowess, is one of my guilty pleasures of the show.
Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan), however, actually is growing on me. I think he’s settled into his role a little better, and I also think he’s really handicapped by having to work opposite Mischa so much. In his scenes with Adam Brody or Peter Gallagher, he’s so much warmer and more relaxed, and I’ve grown to actually be quite fond of the boy over the last four or five episodes.
I also think he’s really handicapped by having to work opposite Mischa so much
That’s an excellent point. He definitely does shine much more when interacting with Seth.
I would also have to say that Kelly Rowan, while already a competent actress, is pulled up even further by all her scenes with the pure genius that is Peter Gallagher.
Luckily for me, because I get The WB via satellite, I see Gilmore Girls on Tuesday at 8 :).
I did think that Peter Gallagher was great in American Beauty. So smarmy.
“Who’s The King!?”
BTW – ever since that crappy “CJ Documentary” episode, I’ve stopped watching The West Wing altogether. I knew that I wasn’t enjoying it as much this season but I still kept with it because I enjoy the characters. But that episode was the final straw. I haven’t missed it at all, since.
It’s all because of Aaron Sorkin. Without him, the show is just a bunch of people bickering and getting stressed about their jobs. If I wanted to see that I’d watch E.R.
That documentary episode was also the “jump the shark” moment for me. It was the first episode ever that I didn’t bother to watch — I had taped it and then just couldn’t even bring myself to be interested enough to watch it without commercials. It’s so sad that such a talented cast is being so completely wasted.
I guess I’ll have to content myself with getting Sports Night (another fantastic Aaron Sorkin show) and the first two seasons of The West Wing on DVD. *After* I complete my Buffy collection, of course :).