TVLand: The appeal of GA & BSG

What a week so far ...

Ever since my 27" bedroom TV and my DVR/DVD recorder died, I been using my cable DVR and HDTV more and more. This week, I been watching "Rebelde" Telenovela on the Spanish language Univision. It's pretty addicting eventhough my Espanol es muy mal!

Also, since I’ve been under the weather for most of this week, I’ve stayed out of the gym and the driving ranges. Been doing a lot of television watching instead.

Beside “Rebelde”, I been keeping up with my usual favorites : “NCIS” sort of a Navy version of CSI, “The Unit”, a covert Delta Force type ‘black Ops’ unit, “Jericho”, a small town in the aftermath of a nuclear war, “Lost”, and “Grey’s Anatomy”. I’m going to have to wait until after my church conference tonight to watch “BSG” (Battlestar Galactica) latest episode "Exodus part 1".

Speaking of "Grey's Anatomy", the last two episodes “GA” were surprisingly good; a lot about expectations, and realizations about key relationships. This show is so much deeper about people care about one another than all of titillating shotsof the beautiful cast members. Sure, it gets pretty silly and soap opera-ish, but deep down it GA finds a way to strike a resounding emotional chord with it’s viewers. I’m not sure if Meredith Grey is the new “Allie McBeal” but I’m tuning in every Thursday to get my “Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul”.

Likewise, I’m a fan of BSG. I can’t think of another political / relational drama on TV today that so mirrors the dark times of a post 9/11 world that we live in today. I think that as mainstream viewers get past the allegory that we call “science fiction” they will appreciate what a television gem, BSG is. That it so mirrors the human condition that even the robotic “Cylons” are so much more human than machine when they try to understand concepts such as God’s will (amazing, huh that religion is such a key element in a human drama?). Unfortunately, like the producers fear; the name of the series, “Battlestar Galactica” is both a blessing and a curse. Don’t just judge this show by it’s title. Watch it with your heart and mind.

-DB-