And so the journey ends. Last night, the epic 2 and a half hour finale aired on ABC, closing one of the brightest chapters in history of television. It’s very unlikely that we will get soon anything that will come close to replacing Lost in terms of story, characters and good old storytelling. And while some, I am sure, loved, and other hated how the series ended, I will try to write a review and keep it spoiler free, for now.

It’s hard now to write only about this last season now, because it was very different from the first 5 and it’s shares so many elements and moments with everything we have seen during 100 or so episodes, but I will try to keep this a review of this last season, nothing more. In the next coupe of weeks I will write about Lost as a whole.

Story

Season 5 ended with Juliette banging the nuclear bomb with a rock. The debate over the resolution and was the bomb detonated or not lasted for a while, and even with the start of season 6 there was no clear answer to that. And as with many questions asked over the 5 seasons, getting straightforward answer was not easy. And I like the mystery and I don’t really car to get everything on a plate gift wrapped. Lost was always a show that made fans think about what they have seen, answering every little thing takes a magic away.

Lost, in the woods

That’s the main reason I had a problem with couple of episodes in the season 6, because I felt that they over explained things, simplified them too much. And they did so at the very end with only few episodes to go, opening doors that were left closed. But, that in no way made me think less of the Lost. After all, people who are writing it and creating it for years are entitled to tell us story they think is best one.

Characters

It’s hard to find the TV series or a feature film even with so high level of acting perfection as Lost brought into the game. And in this season, acting maybe got even better. Amazing transformation of characters we have seen from Matthew Fox,  Michael Emerson, Terry O’Quinn and all the others is something you need to see.

Lost, hurt again

With sideways universe created in this season, we see a different side, an alternative side to all the main characters that you once again start examining everything you have seen in Lost past seasons, you will see many small details, many character flaws and quirks that made these characters unique and even real.

The End

Almost perfect. And deeply satisfying. I know that some people will be disappointed because we never learned when the statue was built, or who dropped the food, or how Eloise knows everything, or more about Dharma. It doesn’t matter, all that was only means to an end, to telling the story that ended with a perfect ending, a full circle in a one of most amazing story telling ever seen on TV or film. You simply need to see it. And it run over 100 minutes or 2 and a half normal episodes.

Conclusion

There is so much to say about Lost, and I will write more when I get the chance. This is a show that must be seen as a whole, without skipping episodes, you need to be invested and to have a sense of wonder that will take you on one journey like no other. Lost is a phenomenon that is unlikely to happen any time soon on TV anywhere. A rare gem that will never be forgotten.

If you are anything like me, you are fans of the Indiana Jones movies. And with this series, you will go back to your childhood when you first saw them and even without so much action, mystery and adventure from the movies, you will be charmed by this little boy. George Lucas (with some help from Steven Spielberg) is creator of this series continuing the great success of three original Indy movies from the eighties.

Even though idea of cashing on the success of the movies in the different format, this is not simply a sell-out series, but really thought out history of famous Indy, helping us understand how the great archaeologist and  adventurer came to be.

Story and Characters

When Junior was a young boy he ventured with his parents into the world. Great influence on his development had his tutor Helen Seymor (played by Margaret Tyzack). She was a tutor to his father too. From movies you know that Indy had only some relations with his father how was more interested in philosophy and literature. And he was absent a lot, away from home, or locked in the study, reading.

Lloyd Owen is in the role of Henry Jones and he played the part well. I was always a great fan of Sean Connery and his performance in the movies in the role of Henry was amazing. But Lloyd Owen did a decent job following in Connery’s footsteps. Corey Carrier is in the role of young Indy (at age of 10 — 13) proved to be a great choice for the role. Same goes for Sean Patrick Flanery playing the older teenage Indy.

On his adventures, young Indy will meet many famous people including Freud, Tolstoy, Roosevelt, Al Capone and may others. And from he early age he manages to get himself into trouble. But, you will not see much of buried treasures or ancient traps and tombs.

Production

Series premiered in 1992 on ABC. With no extra special effects but filmed all over the world, this series is no match to movies visually, but it’s still great entertainment. It’s targeted for kids and teenagers, and all fans of Indiana Jones. But, Lucas being Lucas, years later he order that all episodes be reedited and from total of 22 initial full feature episodes, 45 were made with different, chronological order of events.

Series episodes were directed by many directors including some very big names like Frank Darabont and Terry Jones. Also, many great guest stars were part of the series including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Craig, Christopher Lee, Elizabeth Hurley and many others.

Conclusion

I really love this type of children series, they are nice, simple, you can watch them without fear, everything is good. And this is one for the collection, so you can watch them with your kids.

OK, I knew that Boston Legal was good, but I had now idea how good. After I read the review of first season, I decided to find some time and see what Boston Legal has to offer. And without any reservation I will say that Boston Legal is one of the best series to air on any American TV in the past decade. Sharp writing, eccentricity, humor, great cast and message in every episode are something we really needed on TV in a single show.

I am not big fan of lawyer or cop dramas, and in the recent years nothing original is done with the genre. We have endless line of CSI shows that are getting boring, countless incarnations of Law and Order, and not a single original element in any of them. Sure, they were interesting in the beginning, but producers simply don’t know when to stop and to think of something fresh and interesting.

And than, there was Boston Legal. And while it’s lawyer centric, series introduced original and fresh perspective and characters that are unusual and eccentric. First season was really good, but for the most part they were still searching for the right formula, and some of the characters were not as good as they will became in second seasons. Often changed cast members in second season were not as pronounced as in first, and the story telling is better as well as the way the series is shot.

Story

In terms of the story, episodic nature is still in play, but this time we have some stories spanning over a number of episodes. It’s still fast paced with several cases presented in each episode, and with writing that is improved over the writing in the first season. But, it’s very hard to convey how good the humor is, how witty and smart. No matter how arrogant and self centered characters are, you will never see them only like that, you will see how deeply they are in fact good and how the arrogance is earned and even deserved.

This is series that is more funny than most of the sitcoms you have on air now, and it’s not something you would take too serious, it’s great fun with occasional moments of truth that will make you think.

Cast and characters

Season 2 again had significant changes in the cast. Rhona Mitra and Monica Potter have left the series, and that is certainly a lost for the show. But, replacements are also good, starting with Julie Bowen. She is great addition to the series even though her character was a bit undeveloped in the beginning. Mark Valley’s Brad is still equivalent of Ken doll, or as they refer to him as Buzz Lightyear. Even though his role is not that big, he is still good and interesting character. Candice Bergen came to the series in the late stages of first season, but her role is very important and she does a great job.

Boston Legal, Season 2

And now, we have Alan Shore and Danny Crane. Two absolutely amazing characters, both earning their actors many awards including Emmy. James Spader is perfect as Alan Shore, and the arrogance, self importance are showing not as central element of the characters. He is always fighting for his clients and he doesn’t loose. His closings are something you simply need to hear. Amazing. William Shatner as Danny Crane is excellent and much better than in first season, since writers have improved some of the elements of his character and made him not annoying anymore as he was at times in first season.

Production

One of the things I had problem with in the first season is that camera work was too choppy and at times distracting. But, that’s all fixed with second season and now it’s effectively used to tell the story. Music has not changed much, and it’s still good and very effective.

Conclusion

Excellent show, really excellent. I honestly haven’t felt good about watching something new as I did with Boston Legal. get the DVD’s or try to watch in in syndication and watch it. It’s really worth it. Great.

Series about lawyers. Again. My first thought was, how they still make such shows, it’s getting boring already. But, when I have seen Boston Legal, I have realized that I am wrong. It’s very different from any other series in the genre. Series creator David E. Kelly is one of the most productive and popular creators, who already made several very popular TV series like Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope and L.A. Law.

Production

David E. Kelly managed to make very interesting and never boring series with great actors that remain the strongest element of the series. Boston Legal is spin-of of another successful series The Practice, sharing some of the cast members and characters. Boston Legal premiered in 2004 on ABC with first season having 17 episodes. First season pulled of highest ratings from all 5 seasons, and managed to reach more than 12 million viewers on average.

Story and cast

It’s set in Boston, in the fictional company Crane, Poole & Schmidt. And in the main role as Denny Crane is William Shatner, best known as the legendary captain James T. Kirk from the Star Trek series and movies, and i was curious in seeing him in very different role as a lawyer. Crane is ‘the best lawyer’ in history (he says that about himself), and for 45 years he has never lost the case. Until…

Series has episodic structure with not many connections between episodes, each one about new case. We are following Danny, his moody behavior, always ready to argue and doesn’t care about insulting anyone including friends. It’s hard to describe exactly his performance, but you need to hear his introduction to understand exactly how great this character is. He is egoistic, selfish, but very capable to turn any situation to his advantage. And he doesn’t really care if his client is guilty or not, he always does his best to set them free.

Boston Legal, Season 1

Charming Candice Bergen is in the role of Shirley Schmidt, another partner in the firm, and she is the only one that really understands and know Crane and she is always ready to help him. And her looks maybe deceiving, because in the court she is real lioness working hard to help his client. She is also ruthless, and uncompromising when in the courtroom looking to discover their secrets.

The third main character is Alan Shore, played by James Spader. He is afraid of commitments, changing women daily, never opening to love, but real king of the courtroom, master at manipulating the jury using stories often unrelated to the trial.

Rest of the supporting cast is really good, and as said before, casting is done really good with Boston Legal, not a weak link among them.

Conclusion

What to say in the end. You are missing if you have not seen the Boston Legal. So, get the DVD sets and start watching, it’s really fun. And more reviews will be written soon. Stay tuned.

I’m not going again into the cancellation policies TV companies have, but canceling Invasion was a big, big mistake. But, at least they gave advanced warning to creators that managed to wrap some of the story lines by the end of the only season. Still, it ends with cliffhanger and was meant to continue on CW, but they decided not to pick it up. Series is created by Shaun Cassidy, and aired on ABC in 2005 and 2006.

Story

Invasion is set in small town in Florida after the devastating hurricane, that brought something strange and out of this world, creatures that live in the water. During first several episodes we don’t see much of them, but the story will uncover what’s happening with the creatures and will show that they have been around for a long time. But, the things will culminate fast, and will lead to great finale of the season that will for sure leave you wanting more.

Invasion Cast

With some episodes, story can be slow paced, but it’s complex, and has many characters, and we need as much back stories as we can get. From time to time, series uses flashbacks to fill the gaps and all that was done great and helped to build the mystery surrounding the yellow creatures.

Cast

Cast is great. Starting with little girl Rose (played by Ariel Gade), and older Kira and Jesse (Alexis Dziena and Evan Peters) to truly amazing actor William Fichtner in the main role of sheriff Tom Underlay, who is without a doubt main force driving the series. Eddie Cibrian is really good in the role of Russell. Kari Matchett plays Dr. Mariel Underlay, and she is Russell’s ex wife, and they have two kids together. Russell’s pregnant wife Larkin Groves (beautiful Lisa Sheridan) is journalist, and her brother Dave (Tyler Labine, best known for his role in the series Reaper) is full of conspiracy theories and he is the first that starts to uncover what’s going on in the town and the truth behind the yellow creatures.

A lot was done to develop main characters during the first half of the season, and they succeeded in creating believable and passionate characters that offer plenty for everyone, even if you don’t like science fiction.

Production

Invasion looks really good, and it was intended to be another high budget series in the vain of Lost. And it started really great with 17 million viewers following the second season of Lost. But, ABC changed it schedule several times, and the ratings were falling. In the time of cancellation, Invasion had between 6 and 10 million viewers, but ABC still decided to axe it.

Conclusion

Invasion is really great. It’s not just sci-fi, it’s a drama and thriller, mystery and even horror. At least, the only season can be seen as a complete work that unfortunately ended too soon. Grab the DVD box set and watch it, and see  for yourself.

Before this firs season ended, ABC canceled Eastwick due to the low ratings. This proved once again that even the great cast, top production, are simply not enough to make the successful show that will interest viewers or even touch they hearts. Maybe, too much was expected from adaptation of The Witches of Eastwick novel by John Updike to match the very good 1987 movie adaptation starring Jack Nicholson.

Much like the book, series is about three witches that used their powers to bring the mysterious stranger into their lives. But they don’t know that this will be like opening the Pandora’s Box.

Cast and characters

Eastwick Cast

Roxanne ‘Roxie’  Tarcoletti is mother of teenage girl, she is free spirited and loose, she looks great and she is a sculptor. Witch that is not in good standing in Eastwick is played by Rebecca Romijn. Joanna Frankel is shy and often intimidated journalist, having trouble writing good story. Second witch is played by Lindsay Price. Kat Gardner is mother of 5 children and a wife to sometimes abusive husband. She is a nurse, hardworking and dedicated to her familiy. Witch number three is played by Jaime Ray Newman.

And they start as strangers, until one day they meet in front of the fountain, and their lives are changed while they are transformed from normal women into witches. And things change even more when new Eastwick resident arrives. Darryl Van Horne (played by Paul Gross) tries to take control over them…

Amazing actress Veronica Cartwright plays local benefactor and former witch. She was also part of the 1987 movie, but in different role.

Production

Until now there were several (mostly bad) attempts to turn the book into the series, and this is actual third incarnation with two previous failed in 1992 and 2002. Witch based series were successful so far, but… Eastwick is created by Maggie Friedman, and she wanted to create a show about normal women with magical powers, believing that the experience will be better. ABC produced it along with WB, but it was canceled early due to law ratings, and remaining few episodes will be aired at the later date.

Conclusion

I can’t say that this was bad series, and maybe it was canceled to early before getting the real chance to improve. But, in the end, it didn’t offer anything new and it’s the time to seek for some new material and not rehashing the old stories.

So, some of them got rescued and some of them were left behind (by choice or bad luck). And the island? Well, Locked (Ben to be exact) moved it. That’s how season 4 ended and left us wondering about many things. And most important question is: where the hell the island has gone?! Lost writers managed to surprise all of us again with another great cliffhanger, and leave us for months waiting to find out what what’s next.

Seasons 1, 2 and 3 used flashbacks, and the last episode of season 3 changed everything with first flashforward. And during season 4 flashforwards were used to tell the story of rescued Oceanic 6. And, for season 5 they once again changed the way the story is told.

Story

Not only that the story telling has changed, but many things were revealed during season 5, and as usual, many more questions were opened. Some of new questions involve things we were wondering for few seasons, like mysterious Jacob. And you will finally see him in season 5, but we still don’t know much more about him, except that he is no ordinary human being (and we kind a expected that). We will find out everything about French chick Russoe, how she arrived on the island and how she went mad. You will learn all about Charles Widmore, you will see where smoke monster lives, you will find out how Dharma Initiative found the island in the first place, how the hatch was build and much more.

Cast and characters

Not much new to say about them. Absolutely amazing cast, with few worthy additions, and you can’t find the weak link among them. I am glad that Jeff Fahey is back in the really great role of Lapidus, we will see amazing Lance Reddick in the role of Mathew Abaddon, but unfortunately Henry Ian Cusick will be only in few episodes as Desmond.

Greatest tandem from previous season is back again, and they are better than ever. I am talking about John Locke and Ben Linus. Terry O’Quinn playing Locke and Michael Emerson playing Ben (won the Golden Globe for the role) are great together and they have added so much to their roles, especially Terry, since there are many changes with John Locke that will really surprise you.

We will see the different side of Sawyer, and Josh Holloway really managed to sell the new Sawyer.

Lost Season 5

Conclusion

I can go on and on, but the best is to watch the Lost. I know that the ratings went down during season 5, and I think that it got too complicated for some people, because Lost now has a purpose, it’s no longer list of episodes telling random stories about characters. If you don’t want to follow the complex story, and want to watch episodes from time to time, than Lost is not for you.

Season 6 starts February 2 2010 with 2 hour premiere called LA X. Don’t miss it.

If you didn’t had favorite housewife, by the end of season one you are surely to get one. Series is fast paced, and always leaving us wanting more, always opening new questions and with a big mystery each season, you don’t know what to expect. ABC did a great job in promoting the series and by the start of season 2, it was already series with high ratings and devoted fans. So, what you can expect from second season?

Story and new characters

Don’t expect to see any big changes from first season, life in the Wisteria Lane is the same, but to make things more interesting, we have new characters. First season central story was a great tragedy, and we have learned many secrets all housewives have. New mystery is in the form of the new neighbor, Betty Appelwhite (Alfre Woodard) that has moved in with her son Matthew under suspicious circumstances. The new neighbor is mysterious, often in a bad mood and plays the piano. And our housewives wanted to learn more about her, and that will prove to be very hard.

In much bigger role from the first season is Nicollette Sheridan (originally casted for the role of Bree) and her character Edie Britt. Housewives don’t like her much, and she is always topic for rumors and gossip, living a free life and she is maybe even source of envy for everyone in the neighborhood. And, she is known to take wayward husbands.

As for our housewives, there will be some changes. Linet will start wearing pants and will go back to work while her husband is looking after their 4 kids. Van Der Kamp’s go through a great tragedy and you will surely admire the strong character of Bree. Gabrielle is going through hard period with her husband.

Production

Again, Desperate Houswives earned many new awards and with even more fans and steady high ratings, future looks good for them. Production is as always on the highest level, despite some of the problems behind the scenes and change of producers after first season.

Conclusion

Second season is not much different from the first one. All the actresses are great and they are the main reason to watch this show. Maybe I shouldn’t have expected more after the first season, but it’s still early, many more seasons will follow.

Shocking finale of season 3 was a complete game changer not only for Lost, but it set bar higher for any other TV series. After 3 seasons of flashbacks into the lives of plane crash survivors, flashbacks are now gone and they are replaced by flashforwards showing as group of Oceanic Six, survivors who are now saved and live back in the world away from the island. This season is about finding out how that happened.

Ratings

During the season 3 number of viewers started to drop, and this trend continued during season 4, even with improving quality of the show. And reason for this is that show has became more complicated and casual users who was only watching some episodes couldn’t follow the story any more. Lost is not episodic series and you can’t watch only parts.

Story and Characters

It’s hard to summarize the complex story line, and I will only give you outlines of this season. You need to watch Lost to understand scope and complexity of the script of the performances, it’s one of a kind. And partly because of that many critics started to gave lower ratings for the series, and why ratings start falling. This is not series for everyone, and if you are not interested in complex story that requires a lot of time, it’s better to avoid it. But, if you give it a real chance you will see how great it is.

Back to the story. 6 of our favorite characters have been rescued, and during the course of the season you will see how that happened. After first few episodes you will learn who the six are, and that 3 years have already passed for them. There are also several new characters arrived from the boat that found the island, and they will be very important for the rest of the season and next one also. This is very dynamic season with only 14 episodes (due to the WGA strike), and with another amazing ending and jaw dropping cliffhanger.

Lost Season 4

New people added to the series are really great addition and they brought fresh blood and new interesting stories. And they quickly became the integral part of the story, like in one of the best episodes of the series called The Constant with Desmond, and a new guy Daniel Faraday (played by Jeremy Davies).

Many new elements are added to the story telling, and apart flashforwards we have time travel elements, commando action and much more of the smoke monster.

Conclusion

Lost is one show you must see. It will get very complicated, so you must see the whole show, all the episodes to fully appreciate the magic behind this unique series. And with season 6 just 2 weeks away, it’s the right time to watch it (again).

Well, whatever the first season was about, the second one is a step forward. I really admire J.J. Abrams and his great ideas, and great success, popularity, all his creations achieved. And, this season is now more focused on 16th century genius Rambaldi, his amazing inventions and progressive ideas, people obsessed by all that trying to find his work, and on the other side we have the CIA that is trying to stop them.

First season ending is very crucial for the rest of the series, because we learned that Syndy’s mother is still alive, despite the belief that she was dead for 20 years. And to top that, she is former KGB agent, infiltrated the CIA ranks. Her real name is Irina Derevenko, and her participation will grow considerably. She is portrayed by Lena Olin.

Story

This season will be expanded with number of new recurring characters, and this makes very complicated to follow the story, because we don’t know who works for whom, who is double agent, who is lying, selling information. But, this is the essential element of all similar series, and it’s something that keeps you interested and wanting more. Again, you will be surprised by some of the developments during the season, some of the back-stories that will reveal much more and make the rest of the series more interesting.

Characters

As usual for this genre, many of the characters are like made from the mold. In previous review I didn’t mentioned all the members of the main cast, like a Marshall Flinkman (played by Kevin Weisman), a genius working for the SD-6: expert in everything, lonely and shy. If you like parallels, he is James Bond’s Q. And one of the new recurring cast members is amazing Terry O’Quinn, regular in all J.J. Abrams projects. He is playing the role of FBI assistant director Kendall, that is in charge of the SD-6 double agents and the whole operation.

I don’t like some of the characterizations allowing all main characters to break rules without consequences, with almost no involvement from law enforcement (CIA is not really that), like all things are happening isolated from everybody with no important interactions with the rest of the world.

Production

Production values are really high, and the use of latest technologies, props and locations are really all very believable. And due to all that, Alias has again won number of awards and nominations.

Conclusion

If you love action, secret agents and secret societies, you need to watch Alias and I bet that you will enjoy it. More coming soon.

Full name of the series in the first season and part of second was ‘8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter’, and is based on the book by the same name from W. Bruce Cameron. This is also the last work on television from great John Ritter. 8 Simple Rules is a sitcom, and is created by Tracy Gamble, and premiered on ABC in 2002. And for list of all 8 rules you can check out the Wikipedia page for the series.

Story

Hennessy family is the center of the series, and they are, as it’s usually with sitcoms, average American familiy. And the first season is very different from the later two, because focus in this one is actually part of the title. Paul, father of the family, is very protective of his teenage daughters and he uses different methods to scare potential boyfriends. Add to that normal family dynamics and very funny characters, great actors and you get very good comedy and a lot of laughs.

Cast and Characters

Main cast

John Ritter is excellent as usual, and the same goes for all other members of the family. Katey Sagal is really amazing playing Paul’s wife Cate. As for the teenage daughters, older one is Bridget (played by Kaley Cuoco), she is pretty one. Younger daughter Karry is the smart one (played by Amy Davidson). And the youngest kid in the family is Rory (played by Martin Spanjers).

Interesting trivia is that Kaley plays older sister, but Amy is actually 5 years older than her.

Conclusion

This is very good sitcom, and it’s worth watching, it’s really funny and if nothing else, you will get to see John Ritter in his last TV appearance.

Kingdom Hospital is mini series developed by Stephen King based on the original TV series Riget. Riget is created by Lars Von Trier, who is also credited as producer and consultant on Kingdom Hospital. Stephen King was impressed by original series, and wanted to do a remake for US audience, but basic story and many minor story elements and characters are part of the new version. In some regards this remake is even better.

Story

I really liked Riget (both parts), but it’s not series easy to watch. It’s shot using different sepia filters to produce strange visual effects, and some of the story elements are not so easy to follow. Kingdom Hospital is based on the same premise, but King added many new elements that are maybe even typical for US shows, and the goal was to appeal to broader audience. It’s longer than original Riget I, and has total of 13 episodes (two of them are feature lenght).

Some of the new story elements really work well, with adding of the anteater creature that serves as a guardian of the gates of death (done as a CG animated character). And he is paired with a dead girl that rings for the dead and that needs to be put to rest and stop the events that unfold in the underground of the hospital. King added few more elements to make more standalone episodes to satisfy the ABC, and he still managed to fit all this independent stories into the main one. Still, story is still morbid, and very funny, and that is done with great cast, excellent choice of music and excellent writing staff (including King himself and his wife Tabitha).

Main Cast

Characters

King added new character that is in the core of the story in form of Peter Rickman (played by Jack Coleman), and this character is based on the Stephen King himself, and starts with the car accident, pretty much the same as the accident King had. Jack Coleman did very good job with his character. All other characters are mostly from the original series, and they even have similar names as a homage to it.

I would like to single out two characters: Dr. Hook (played by Andrew McCarthy) and Dr. Stegman (played by Bruce Davison). They are in constant confrontation the whole series and both of them are amazing and real driving force of the series.

Conclusion

Kingdom Hospital is excellent mini series, with many essential King elements, but still a different type of work for him, simple for the fact that it’s not his original work. It’s scary and funny in the same time, has great characters and it’s really fun to watch. Totally recommended.

Even during the airing of the season one, Lost was on the track to became a  cult show, and by the time the season 3 started, there was no doubt about it: Lost is one of the most amazing shows on TV ever made. It’s so rare to find the show with compelling writing, excellent characters and hard to predict story that is simply griping, and the show that always leave you wanting for more. And it’s absolutely never boring.

The Others

With first two seasons, we only met The Others through stories and only few real encounters, aside from the Henry Gale, the prisoner turned out leader of The Others. But now, things will changes and at least half the episodes will be with among The Others, and we will get to know great deal about some of them. And new character Juliette quickly became one of my favorite characters of the series. Juliette is played by Elizabeth Mitchell, and she did amazing job and created character that will be with us for seasons to come. Also, Michael Emerson did amazing job with his role of Ben and you will be amazed by his transformations over the course of the series. And, most important thing is that we will get different picture about everything that happens on the island and see glimpses of the more great stories in the season 4.

Story

Juliette Burke

This season also uses same concept of flashbacks, but adds new characters and we will learn great deal more about all of them. Also, some of these stories will show many more interconnections of some of the characters. As for the story on the island, we are faced with post hatch events that will lead to the amazing season ending and cliffhanger that will leave you speechless.

Charlie & Desmond

Desmond Hume is amazing character, and I can’t even think of any other actor playing this role that could replace Henry Ian Cusick. He will prove to be very important for the story, and the one that will link further many of the characters and minor story lines. And finally, the time will come for Charlie Pace to shine and his Greatest Hits episode is one of the best this season, and one of the best in the series.

Conclusion

It’s very hard to write about Lost. Lost is class of it’s own, and the series that breaks all the rules. Just wait for the series finale, and you will be shocked when the episode ends, and you see one of the greatest cliffhangers ever made. With only 33 days left until the sixth and last season starts, this is right time for you to see the series in full.

This is very interesting series, so much different than any other crime and cops procedurals we see on any channel in any given year. Spies, secret agents, double agents with many elements of fiction and fantasy, mystery and adventures. Alias is made by famous J.J. Abrams (Felicty, Lost, Fringe) for ABC television. Alias is story about network of secret organizations, recruiting agents under the false cover, posing as the CIA.

Characters

As you usually have, hero of the series is young and pretty much indestructible Sydney Bristow (played by Jennifer Garner), working for SD-6, a secret organization she believes is a part of CIA. And, maybe J.J. Abrams went to far in creating her character because she is almost a Wonder Woman (except for flying); she looks gorgeus, is very smart and intelligent, weapons and martial arts specialist, speaks all (and I mean all) languages. And she is a double agent. Her father, Jack, also a double agent is played by Victor Gerber and he is serious, unpredictable and short on words, agent very hard to read, but always there to help his daughter. Director of SD-6 branch, and their boss is Arvin Sloane, played by Ron Rifkin who is the source of the major story line in Alias, about artifacts and knowledge of one Milo Rambaldi.

Story

Alias Season 1

While main story is made around a new case each week, there are several story lines going through many episodes, or even the whole series. Main and longest story line is revolving around Milo Rambaldi, an inventor and mystic, renaissance genius, very similar to Leonardo De Vinci. Milo’s last name is homage to Carlo Rambaldi, who worked on special effects on many movies including Oscar winning E.T. And the whole Milo story is the reason for this series to be labeled as mystery and sci-fi.

Production

First season premiered in 2001, and was very successful, generating big ratings. Also, series won many prestigious awards including Golden Globe and Saturn Awards. And, as usual for a J.J. Abrams production, music is composed by great Michael Giacchino.

Conclusion

I really liked this season, and I was intrigued by the complex story that involved prophesies and ancient secrets, mixed with the futuristic technology. I recommend that you watch Alias is you missed it until now. It’s real fun.

Greetings to all fans of the well known housewives, and to those that are about to became fans. Series is create by Marc Cherry, who found his inspiration in the movie American Beauty. Series is made for ABC, and early during first season has scored very high in terms of ratings. This is not only love drama, it’s comedy and also a mystery. Story follows four neighbors and best friends, all housewives living in a suburbia.

Story

Through lives of housewives, we are lead by the narration of the dead Mery Alice Young, played by Brenda Strong. Our four main characters live in the Wisteria Lane street in the fictional town Fairview. They are very different in many ways and still they are best friends. Producers made excellent choices in picking both the four main actresses as well as all the other characters, and casting is one of the strongest points of this series.

This first season is mostly for indroducing the housewives, their families and lifes. And the story begins with first great tragedy (there will be at least one such tragedy each season), and they all try to understand it, and to eventually cope with it.

Characters

Attractive Teri Hatcher plays Susan Mayer, over emotive and fragile, with no luck in the love life and mother of a teenage girl, also author of children books. And she starts to change once the Mike Delfino (played but James Denton), plummer, moves into the neighborhood. Beautiful red haired Marcia Cross plays a perfect housewife, perfect mother, perfect cook and at first look cold Bree Van de Kamp, that thinks that she has a perfect life and family. Or so it seams.

Desperate Housewives

Very attractive, ex model Gabrielle Solis is played by Eva Longoria. She is selfish and even spiteful, merried to a rich business man, only looking after herself. And finally, the fourth housewife is Lynette Scavo (played by Felicity Huffman), and she is complete opposite of Gabrielle. She has gave up her career for her familiy, and she is mother of 4 children. She is a prisoner to her household, with her husband always working.

Production

This series have gain a lot of popularity in the first season, and managed to retain that during until now. It was awarded by numerous awards including Emmy and Golden Globe awards.

Conclusion

This is mostly introductory season that leads into much more complex seasons. I am not big fan of the series, but I still like it and it’s still lot of fan to watch. Hopefully, next season will get better, but this is a right place to start with the Desperate Housewives.

When this series started first, back in march I wanted to watch it even then, but I was afraid that it will get canceled soon. But, fortunately that didn’t happen, and first season ended with 13 episodes, with 13 more announced for second season that is scheduled to start in December. Now, the DVD is released, and I finally can get to watch the full season. And I loved it! Really excellent comedy shot using single camera setup.

Story and characters

Series is set in fictional company Veridian Dynamic that has world wide influence, conducts research of practically everything, a model corporation resembling many real ones.  And the setting is the research and testing of the company. Story is told by Ted Crisp successful and yet conscientious father of 9 years old girl Rose, who is head of the research. His boss is Veronica Palmer (another great performance by Portia de Rossi), devoid of conscience and emotions that cares only about her career. Linda Zwordling is working in testing department, she is beautiful and interested in having relationship with Ted. And the part of the main cast are to brilliant, yet awkward scientist, geeks if you will Phil and Lem.

Each episode starts with a different made like commercial intro showing all what is wrong with corporations like Veridian. All intros are really great and funny. The whole series actually shows how the corporate system work, how  they are driven by inertia most of time, ruled by endless bureaucracy and inflexible bosses (like Veronica). In many occasions situations will remind you of real companies, or maybe your own (if you work in such environment).

Better Off Ted

My favorite character is definitly Linda, played by Andrea Anders. She had a great role few years back in an awful show Joey (Friends spin-off), and she was the only reason I watched Joey in the first place. Hopefully, there will be more great roles for her in the future.

Production

Series is created by Victor Fresco, who worked on My Name Is Earl. Series is done great, and they tried (and succeeded for the most part) in recreating believable research center of a company.

Conclusion

Really excellent comedy. And great timing, so grab the first season (2 DVD’s set) and watch it before second one starts in about 2 weeks.

Latest sci-fi drama from ABC, Defying Gravity had a lot of potential and interesting story, but that is not enough for the series to succeed. Original series premise is based upon the BBC documentary Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets, but it’s been developed into much more. It is sci-fi series, but underneath is a human relationship drama revolving around team of astronauts and the mission control back on Earth.

Story

Series is set in 2052 when team of 8 astronauts are sent on a 6 year mission to visit all planets in the solar system. Using flashbacks we learn about last 5–6 years of preparations for the mission. But the the real purpose of the mission is revealed in episode 7 or 8, when Beta mystery is explained. In the beginning we only see the hints of Beta, and we assume that Beta causes hallucinations of the crew.

Unfortunately this is another series that suffers from Lost syndrome, using flashbacks to tell the story, mixing genres, adding mysteries. But producers have yet to realize that using Lost formula is only part of the story. Defying Gravity has a good main storyline that they failed to deliver because it was developed to slow. One central mystery of the Beta artifact was hinted for some 7 episodes making it irrelevant and in the process loosing all the viewers. They failed to draw both sci-fi and drama fans, and now the series is canceled.

Defying Gravity Cast

Cast

For the most part, I like that cast, and most of the characters. Ron Livingstone is good as it is to be expected, and I would like to mention  Malik Yoba and Florentine Lahme for excellent job with they characters. And once again I hated the performance of Laura Harris. Her acting was by far worst part of the series even with great character she had to work with. I really can’t remember any of here roles that I liked.

Production

Special effects are really great, and overall series is done very well, and the production values are not the problem that lead to cancelation. I didn’t liked music much, sounded to generic for a space based series.

Conclusion

Now that all series sets are destroyed, and there is now way that series will be continued, with only basics of the story told, there is no point of wasting time watching it. But, there are some interesting elements, so if you get chance take a look.

Season one was only a warming up for the real story behind the Lost. And the season 2 will continue moments after the hatch exploded, with much complex story and even more characters that will join in the in the first half of the season. Things will get more complicated, and we will finally get to see shape of the real story of the island. Cuse and Lindelof are now real writing force, and they will drive the series until the very end next year.

Story

First few episodes will be about the night of the hatch opening and first night of the raft travel (and end of travel). This part maybe could be shorter, but there were many characters that are important to the story. Most of the season is based in the hatch, but we will get to see what happened to the airplane 815 tail section and the survivors on the other side of the island and more. We will gt one more very important character, Mr. Eko (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who has some deeper connection with the island. I am not going much deeper into the storyline, because I don’t want to spoil things for you, but both island stories and flashbacks are great. Also, season will build towards amazing two episode finale that simply can’t be missed.

Mr. Eko

Characters

We will get to know many new characters. Some of them, like Desmond and Henry Gaile will be only in few episodes, but will get to be very important parts of the story later. Also, we will get know Ana Lucia and Libby at least for a short while. We will find more about the others and will get to know some of them.

But, on the other hand there will be more deaths in this season, and we will see few characters go. All deaths are very unexpected but will lead the story in a new directions.

Conclusion

Excellent season of Lost, and a step forward from the premiere season. Very dynamic and with almost no bad moments, amazing ending and cliff hanger, everything you need in a TV show.

When it comes to police/crime genre, in the last decade there was many, many series created and they usually try to reinvent the wheel, adding a lot of high tech, special effects, shaky cameras and all kind of distractions. In the end the result is a bad show. But, Castle is different. This series rely on the cast and characters, great partner chemistry, humor and very good stories. And the good news is that it will be back very soon.

Cast and characters

Nathan Fillion plays Richard Castle writer of bestselling series of books and after experiencing writers blockade, he finds new inspiration after helping police to solve murders set to copy the murders from his books. He works with detective Kate Beckett (played by beautiful Stana Katic), and at first she is not very thrilled working with him, but his friends are mayor, chief of police and many more influential people, and she is kind a stuck with him. But over time their relations evolve, and they are really great partners.

Nathan & Stana

Nathan is really funny (as usual) and his characters manages to get himself in all sorts of troubles. He is very comfortable in the roel ‚as much as he was in the Firefly, and that really adds to the quality of the series. Rest of the cast has also done a great job, and are great support to the Nathan/Stana duo.

Writing

Stories are not very complicated, mostly regular but interesting cases. Castle is working on a new novel and he is using real police work as an inspiration for the story and characters.

Castle cast

Character development is very good, and you get to know many things about characters past, and you really can understand them much better.

Conclusion

ABC did a great job for the show, and fortunately they decided to give the Castle a chance with the second season. Season will start on 21. september and there is a potential for a full 22 episodes season, but that’s not confirmed yet. I recommend that you get yourself a DVD box set and watch the series, it’s really good fun.

This is really great show. Smart, entertaining, funny and very well written. And in the end that was this series doom. Due to low ratings series is canceled after the 2 seasons. I just can’t understand why the big TV stations invest a lot of money and than fail to give the show a real chance. And Dirty Sexy Money definitively deserved the chance much beyond the 23 episodes they got. I still have to see season 2, but for now here is season 1.

Story

Dirty Sexy Money is a complex series with the powerful family Darlings in the center and young idealistic lawyer Nick George. His father was Darlings family lawyer until his death, and now they want Nick to take over. But things are very complicated with the big family, and a lot of dark secrets are due to be discovered. Writers really did an excellent job with the main story showing the tension between family members. Writing is funny and smart and that was one of the reasons that this series had low ratings. Once again is proven that general audience is not responding well to a show that requires more engagement in the story and that is not that simple to follow and understand.

Cast

Casting and characters are really excellent. Donald Sutherland stars as head of the Darlings family and as usual he is great in the role. Nick George is played by Peter Krause who is best known for his previous series Six Feet Under. I really liked performance of Natalie Zea as oldest Tripp Darling daughter. The rest of the cast is also very good and includes several less known young actors. There is a lot of back stories and character development that will explain the long family history and they relations to Nick.

Darlings and Georges

Production

ABC invested a lot in the production, great choice of locations used to show the power of the Darlings and great cast. But, even with all that ABC has doomed the show very early and even the series is picked for the second season, it was no secret that they plan to cancel it.

Conclusion

This is not your average drama series, and many people didn’t like it. But I still recommend that you try it and you will not be disappointed.

When Eli Stone premiered, I was really excited by the announcements and I couldn’t wait to watch it. Also, I am secretly fan of Natasha Henstridge, so that was an added bonus. This is a typical half season series with 13 episodes. Show has unique concept, and that was a main reason I was intrigued by it. And that concept has proven to be insufficient. But, still, there are some fine points, and some of you will surely enjoy it.

Title character, played by Jonny Lee Miller is a lawyer that works in a big company, and is very successful. But, one day, things began to change because he started having visions about the events, about cases that were low profile for the big company, and that he would never take under normal circumstances. And those visions are accompanied by the music and performance of George Michael, who even appears in some episodes.

Characters

No matter how I tried, I couldn’t find anything interesting in most of the characters starting with Eli Stone, his boss and finance. Characters are long list of stereotypes, and I found only some of them vaguely interesting. Cast is not all bad, but they couldn’t do more with the script they had to work with.

Writing

Each episode has a story of it’s own, and only few of them were interesting to me. Most of dilemmas of the main character are driven by high moral standards, religious views of different world religions, and in all that there is nothing new, all ideas are simply recycled. Dialogs are funny, also full of stereotypes, but will definitely make you laugh.

Production

If you are George Michael fans, then you will find this show very interesting. And using a thematic music, is an interesting change, and something like that is not seen enough. The whole idea is very likely to be exploited in other shows in the future. As for the production, it’s obvious that they did very good job, and this includes special effects also that are used in many situations and are used very well.

Conclusion

When you take everything in consideration, my average rating is maybe driven from the fact that I really expected much more from the show. Anyway, there are many reasons that you might wanna give this show a try.

When the Lost aired for the first time, I wasn’t very interested in watching it. The reason for that was enormous hype surrounding this show, and that’s almost always a bad thing in my experience. But when the season 3 started airing, I decided to give Lost  a chance. And I was completely blown away. From the very first episode, Lost is one of the shows you simply must see. This show is a blend of crime, mystery, fiction and romance.

Show begins right after airplane crash, of Oceanic 815 flight. Very soon, survivors of the crash discover that they are on what they think is  deserted island. And, the first night they found out that the island is no ordinary island, and that there is a monster living in the jungle. Throughout the season, they explore the island trying to find some way to get rescued, to get home. And also, to discover that some of them want to stay.

Characters

The pilot episode introduces all the main characters, and adds flashbacks showing the flight before the crash. And throughout the season, flashbacks are used as the character development tool. Each episode show flashbacks for one of the characters, a story about important event from their past, explaining better what’s happening with them on the island. Most flashback stories in the first season shows us the way each of the character ended up on the 815 flight.

It will take several episodes until you get clearer picture on all main characters, and you might think that there are too many of them. And is not simple to keep track of each one of them, to keep track of their flashbacks. Each flashback is a part of the larger puzzle, and as the show progresses you will discover that each character is needed.

Most of the actors are not really well known, and only few of them I have heard of earlier watching the Lost. Terry O’Quinn, Dominic Monaghan and Yunjin Kim are the most famous of the cast. But, all the actors are cast spot on for the role they are playing.

Writing

First season reveals that the writers have much deeper story in mind, but manages to focus mostly on character development. Still, several key events from this season will drive story further in the seasons to come. Flashback stories are really excellent, but once you get to watch season 2 and 3, you will realize that there are some inconsistencies with the back stories. It’s very complicated to write for a show years in advance, and such problems are natural. And most important is that the main story is not affected.

Production

Show is filmed in Hawaii, and that includes the island scenes and all the flashbacks. Lost is filmed in HD, and if you watch BluRay releases you will be amazed how good Lost really looks. It’s almost like watching movie and not TV show limited by the budget and time to make each episode. Music for Lost is amazing. Michael Giacchino created hunting score using odd instruments, using plane wreckage even. Lost without his music would not be the same. Special effects are done very well, considering that they didn’t needed too much effects in the first season.

Conclusion

Lost is a must see. This is not your average fiction and action TV show, this is the show that uses fiction and mystery as a tool to tell you a story about group of people, about their lives, about love and everyone will find something for themselves in Lost. Also, Lost is not simple show, so watching few episodes here and there will only confuse you, you need to see it all. So, if you still haven’t watched it, buy a box set, or only first season and give it a chance.