First World Problems

Me and my chap, have a fairly busy week with rehearsals and because of that we record a lot of television on the Sky+ (other DVRs are available) so much so we've lost some of the things we've not got around to watching. This weekend a concerted effort was made to do some catching up. So we caught up on Dexter season 5 with a few gaps in but they were early enough in the season for it not to matter.

I've also finished the 3rd season of Nurse Jackie which is an incredible watch and so funny, I've really enjoyed seeing where she's ending up. I also really love the peripheral characters like Thor, Mrs Akolitus and Zoey

In addition I finished off watching Spartacus Gods of the Arena which was really good.

That leaves Six feet under - we are 15 weeks behind schedule that is shown on sky atlantic so I think that's out next focus. 

The DVR box now has 25% free and we're going to try and keep up a bit more.

Currently recording: The Ringer, the walking dead, misfits, treme and the big bang theory. Only connect and Merlin. 

We're operating a strict watch then delete procedure.

Also we've received the wire season 2 disc one and the Closer season 1 disc two from Love film… we've got a lot to be getting on with.

We finished watching the first season of the Wire last weekend.  Its something I really enjoyed, it's such a deep show and like Battlestar Galactica before it for the first time we need to only watch two episodes in a sitting else we break our brain.  The plotting is so rich and intricate that it makes it difficult to cope with too much of it in one go.

What I've been watching

A number of things actually, my chap and I have worked our way steadily through Treme which is a superbly crafted piece of television. The pacing of the show is glacial but it certainly rewards those of us who stuck with it.  Some TV can be mainlined you need to watch many episodes to get your fill, Treme doesn't work like that.  I found that one episode is enough, it is almost as though the show is so dense and rich that you have to give your brain time to digest what it has seen. I've not seen a show that's made me want to stop and think so much since the first time of watching Battlestar Galactica, though Game of Thrones has its moments.

We're following it up by embarking on The Wire.  This is my second attempt at watching the wire, I tried to follow it on the BBC when they showed it late night every night on BBC2, this did not end well. This time I'm going to do it right and not be tired when I'm watching, I'm also going to be unplugged as I know its a show that will demand my concentration.

In the meantime we're watching Episodes which we are loving and is something that we've been able to mainline. I never thought I would say this but I'm loving Matt Le Blanc, he's playing a version of himself which seems to us to be completely plausible.  It also stars Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Grieg and it is a very funny show.  I'm a bit of a sucker for shows which are meta like this one.

I've also  literally inhaled the whole of season 2 of Nurse Jackie, its one of those shows that has got me on the edge of my seat, I love how the viewer roots for Jackie, even when she's one of those dubious protagonists that seem to be incredibly fashionable right now.  That isn't meant to be disparaging, Nurse Jackie is original and very funny and the drama derives from the situations that Jackie get's into with a great supporting cast.

I'll have to book another day off so that I can do the same with series 3.

Over the weekend we had a house guest and she's reignited my love affair with Sherlock and Studio 60 on the sunset strip.  Rewatching Sherlock is a joy because it is so sexy and put together so perfectly. The art direction and the casting and the writing especially on A Study in Pink and The Great Game is just perfection. Studio 60 also has one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen, I love the writing and the banter in that show and I still feel raw that the show got cancelled after only one season.

~Updates

Well let me see...

I've been a bit absent of late, blame it on the tonsilitis and the fact that work has been insane. If you've been reading then you'll know I've done a couple of book reviews recently but if you're more interested in what I've been reading the whole list from the last 18 months is here.  There is even a tab for you to give me some suggestions on what I should be reading in the future.

Creatively I've bitten a bullet and I've signed up to do a short course in October on creative writing.

The upside to the tonsilitis was that I caught up on a few bits and pieces. Firstly I mainlined season one of Nurse Jackie, it is one excellent show and I have enjoyed watching it muchly. I like that it is short and I love the level of insight into Jackie's character. I also adore the supporting cast with much love going to Merrit Weaver as Zoey and Stephen Wallem as Thor.

I've also been watching the BBC adaptations of the Jackson Brodie series of novels: Case Histories, When Will There be Good News and One Good Turn. All brilliantly adapted and starring Jason (Lucius Malfoy) Isaacs.  It has been Sunday night telly, but its been good sunday night telly.

We're catching up with Treme which is a great piece of television but not the easiest watch in the world.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand has also been part of the mix, have to admit a few weeks ago one of the episodes went too far for me. It went too far and I was actually tempted to drop it but after giving it a rest and letting it settle I've gone back and actually since that one off the scale gruesome episode, the rest have been much better experiences.

Haven is another series we're trying and yay. Love. It has elements of some shows I loved in the past. American Gothic and the X files and its a weird and fun little show.

I was less impressed with Bored to death, the central character is, if I'm honest a bit of a douche. The concept is good and it was beginning to improve so I'll probably stick with it.

I am mourning in my heart for the end of the first season of A Game of Thrones, I love this show so much I broke my book buying ban in a huge and not cheap way. I kind of want spring 2012 to be sooner please so that there will be more.  The show is too good. If you haven't seen it I urge you to give it a go, it is a very rewarding watch.

There is a little squee in my heart True Blood has returned and so has Dexter one of these shows I've waited paitently to be be on FX the other I haven't.

I'll try and do more regular posts. And to vary them a little bit more than I have been.