TV review: Jekyll

Yes, I am a little late on this one. Jekyll is a 6-episode series that aired on the BBC in June and July 2007. It is a continuation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde novella by Robert Louis Stevenson. A brilliantly cast James Nesbitt stars as Tom Jackman/"Billy" Hyde. Alongside him are Michelle Ryan (who was in the Bionic Woman remake), Gina Bellman, Meera Syal, Paterson Joseph and Denis Lawson.

At first, I didn't know what to make of the show. A friend recommended my husband and I rent it so we did. By the end of the first episode, I was hooked. I had heard it was like the Showtime series Dexter, however, I don't agree with that. (Though, I should note that I've only ever seen one episode of Dexter.) In my opinion, it's more like My Own Worst Enemy but a lot more maniacal. I don't want to say too much without giving away the major plot points but this is definitely something you should watch. And since it's only 6 episodes long, it really is easy to watch in one afternoon.

Mid-season hiatus

A lot of shows are starting their mid-season hiatus this week. That means we won't be seeing any new episodes until after the new year. Last night, I watched Chuck, Heroes and My Own Worst Enemy. Granted, My Own Worst Enemy has been cancelled so it's gone for good. Heroes was uninteresting. I'd like to see more of Hiro, Ando and Daphne and less of Claire and the Petrellis. Meanwhile, Chuck remains my absolute favorite show. Let's hear your side. What did you love or hate this season?

TV Review: My Own Worst Enemy

When I was younger, I had a huge crush on Christian Slater. I would even sit through a terrible movie just because he was in it. When I heard that he was starring in a new television show, there were many fangirl moments. Luckily, my husband was intrigued by the show's premise and wanted to watch it as well. My Own Worst Enemy is about a secret agent named Edward Albright. Edward does all the spy things: sniping someone from an empty building, having sex with the hot female enemy and having lots of secrets. One of his secrets is that he is also Henry Spivy, a normal working man with a wife and two kids. Henry does not know about Edward. Henry is Edward's undercover personality. Somehow, the organization has figured out a way to force a person into a split personality. When Edward "goes to sleep," Henry "wakes up." When Henry is woken via a computer program, the computer also implants false memories to explain the time away from his family. (He travels a lot for work.)

First - Christian Slater is still hot. Second - the show was pretty interesting. The debut episode dealt with the problems that arose when Henry suddenly wakes up in the middle of one of Edward's missions. Since Henry was not aware that he is a split personality, it came as quite a shock to him. He seems to have dealt with it in a very rational manner and I'm curious to see where the writers will go from here.

I also have to curse NBC for putting all their interesting shows on Monday nights. Spread the love out across the whole week man!

TV Review: Chuck Season 2

I can't believe I actually forgot to talk about Chuck. Last season, I fell in love with the show. It's witty, it's funny, it's nerdy and there's even some drama tossed in. No, it's not completely realistic but do we really need all of our television shows to be based in reality? The second season started a couple of weeks ago and it hasn't disappointed me in the least. We're only two shows into the season so I have a lot of hope for the rest. Chuck Forever!

TV review: Knight Rider

I've been putting off talking about this show. Mostly because I know people can get overly emotional (and by that I mean 'angry') when shows from their childhood are remade. I was a big fan of the original Knight Rider series when I was younger. So I was skeptical when a new version was announced. After all, would it still be the same lovable show without the cheesiness that is David Hasselhoff? No worries, my friends. The updated version of the show is different but that is a good thing. It is a little more serious and a little more technical. However, those are things that make the show awesome. Since special effects are amazing nowadays, KITT can do just about anything. I'm really looking forward to what will happen on the show. Especially if the rumors are true and David Hasselhoff comes back with the old KITT.

TV review: Heroes season 3

Despite a terrible second season due to last year's writers strike, the third season of Heroes debuted with a two-hour premiere last night. As a whole, I didn't think it was too bad. There were some "What the hell" moments where I wanted to reach into the television and smack a few characters upside the head. I guess that just goes with the series overall. I'm interested to see what they do with the villains this season. To be honest, I'm finding our heroes (specifically Claire and Nathan) rather boring. They need to do something to step it up a bit. They've had plenty of time to get used to having powers. I'm ready for them to stop whining about it now. I wish I could say I have high hopes for this show. I'm really just hoping they don't screw it up.

TV Review: The Fringe

I've been trying to hold off on talking about J.J. Abrams' new show Fringe. Partially because I don't really know what to say about it and partially because I don't want to jinx it. The show stars Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop, the genius son of the scientific genius Walter Bishop, played by John Noble. Anna Torv plays Agent Olivia Dunham, an FBI agent scouted by Homeland Security to help deal with these new scientific phenomenon that are occurring all over the place. Unfortunately, Walter had been locked in a mental institution for 17 years and, while he is still brilliant, he's not quite all there. There's a lot that is going on in the show. Relationships between people change just about every episode (and there's only been 2 so far!); science is seen from new perspectives; the impossible is possible if you think hard enough. I really do enjoy the show a lot but I am nervous. After all, it is on Fox and they don't have the best track record of keeping good shows on the air. I hope that it will at least make it through the season.

TV review: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (season 2)

On Monday night, the second season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles began. While the first season started off a little rocky, it did get better. This season, they've added a new bad girl in the form of Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson. Once again, I thought the premiere episode was a little much. I don't want to give out any spoilers but there was a plot point that I think should have been lengthened to a few episodes yet it was resolved by the end of the first. Yes, this particular point is something they will need to address in later episodes but it just seemed to be fixed too fast.

Meanwhile, Shirley Manson, in her acting debut, was gorgeous in every way possible. No one tried to force her to cover up her accent and she just dripped with sexy evilness. I can't wait to see what happens with her character this season. All I can say is that I hope they don't do anything lame.

TV review: True Blood

It seems that vampire are the new "in" thing for entertainment. HBO debuted their new vampire series, True Blood, Sunday night. It stars Anna Paquin as Sookie, a waitress in a backwater Louisiana town. The plot revolves around vampire wanting to be accepted in mainstream society. A synthetic blood, called Tru Blood, that satisfies vampires' dietary needs has been formulated so there is no longer a reason for them to feed on humans. Now they just want to be like everyone else. However, not everybody is willing to blindly accept bloodsuckers.

Sookie spends her nights waitressing at Merlotte's, a local watering hole. Unfortunately, she has the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Of course, her secret makes everyone think she is strange. One night, Bill, a vampire played by Stephen Moyer, stops into the diner. Sookie is immediately taken by the stranger since she has never seen a vampire before. Her best friend Tara, played by Rutina Wesley, and her boss Sam, played by Sam Trammel, both warn her to stay away from Bill but Sookie can't. After all, Bill is the only one that Sookie can't hear in her mind. At the same time, Bill is intrigued by the mortal girl.

I fully expected a crappy vampire show. It's not often that someone pulls off a really good vampire story. HBO found some amazing actors and writers. We're only one episode in and I'm already smitten.