You learn something new everyday

It might be a cliche, but it is one for a reason.

I recently did a meme on TV programmes past and present and one of the questions was what was your first TV obsession. Thinking long and hard I had to discard Buffy The Vampire Slayer for that honour and Xena Warrior Princess and I dug further back in my mind and realised that in 1995 American Gothic was my first real obsession with a TV show. I taped every single episode of that show and I watched and re-watched until the tapes wore out. At 16 for me, this show was dark, impossibly sexy and I think for the first time I was actively watching a show, looking for clues making up theories with my friends at school and just plain obsessing about the show. It used symbolism and religion as metaphors and I loved it.

Fast Forward fifteen years and I'm now thirty-one and that tv meme I'd taken part in had given me an itch, the only way I was going to get any relief would be to rewatch the show. So I tracked it down: American Gothic (at amazon) and tonight whilst my chap was at a committee meeting I rewatched the first episode.

As the opening credits rolled and the twangly guitar music played it felt like coming home to something I hadn't experienced in a while.  But then I noticed the producer David Eick. And I recognised the name because I'm a huge huge fan of Battlestar Galactica. It gave me a fluttery tummy feeling because he's now involved in three of my favourite shows. Rewatching the first episode was kind of strange, partly because I'd forgotten so much, but also somethings had etched themselves on my brain. Also I love Sarah Paulson, I remember thinking her an awesome actress in this back in 95 and I loved her as Harriet Hayes in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Some of the things in the show have dated badly, others not so scary.

So then the credits and I find out that Sam Raimi was executive producer as was Robert Tapert who both were responsible for Xena Warrior Princess amongst a lot of other things that have really made me squee over the years. When I first watched the show I hadn't been interested in who was writing and producing, but these days very much more so. It really tickled me pink to see people I've grown to have respect for from other later projects really managed to get their claws into me when I was young and impressionable. Also a taste for shows which either the networks don't like or general audiences don't.

I'm not sure there's much else of a point to this other than me geeking out but I wanted to share it with people because it sure as hell made me smile this evening.

Keep Buggering On