(New) Doctor Who

The original Doctor Who first started in 1963. That series ended in 1989. I never got into it. I don't think I've ever seen an entire episode.


In 2005, the BBC resurrected Doctor Who. I just finished watching the second season. There's a different doctor in season one and season two. And I like both of them. I might like the second season doctor better. He seems a bit more comical but can also become extremely dark at a moment's notice.

I think the reason I've watched the new Doctor Who is that the production value seems a lot better than the small bits of the old Doctor Who I've seen. The third season of Doctor Who hasn't made it to the States yet, but I've got some connections so I think I'll check it out. I might even go back and watch some of the old episodes. I saw a bunch in Netflix's Watch Now area.

I've also started watching Torchwood which is a spinoff of the new Doctor Who series(and also has yet to come to the US). I really enjoy Torchwood. It's a bit darker than Doctor Who and has less whimsy. I do find Torchwood confusing because the Torchwood unit is so much smaller than the ones the Doctor runs into in Doctor Who, but I guess that it's because it's not the London branch. And Captain Jack Harkness(leader of the Cardiff unit and a crossover character from an episode of Doctor Who season one) mentions in one of the early episodes that there were other branches of Torchwood which blew up or disappeared(I'll have to watch that episode again to see what exactly he said).

Rant: Where's Play All?

I love TV shows on DVD. These are some of the best inventions since the television show itself. I get to watch a lot of episodes in a row without commercial interruption. I've discovered a lot of great shows I never saw before on DVD.

But why don't all TV shows on DVD have the Play All option? The Play All option is the best! I just push Play All and am enertained for hours. Some series(Enterprise, The Shield, etc) for some reason do not use the Play All option. They make me watch one episode and then dump me into that episode's menu. I have to backtrack and pick the next episode and then click play in that episode's menu.

It doesn't sound like a huge ordeal, but it's annoying. I'm usually doing other things while watching TV - computer, cooking, cleaning, etc. I like a continuous TV entertainment so I don't have to stop whatever else I'm doing at the time.

Burn Notice - Two Thumbs Up

Burn Notice is a new show on USA about a freelance spy named Michael Westen. In the pilot, Michael learns he has a burn notice on him. In the spy business, a burn notice is like getting fired. Nobody will talk to you, nobody will help you and there's a good chance someone might want you dead.


Michael gets dumped in his hometown of Miami, Florida. And until he finds out who put the burn notice out and why, he cannot leave Miami without danger of being killed. Since Miami is his hometown, he does have some contacts there like his estranged mother; Fiona, his ex-girlfriend who is some kind of criminal/spy/freedom fighter and his friend Sam, a retired spy.

And no, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Bruce Campbell in the picture. Campbell plays Sam Axe. Sam used to be a spy and is now retired and living in Miami. Sam likes the booze and the ladies. He is also forced to inform on Michael for the FBI from time to time so his pension isn't screwed up. And if the network really wanted ratings, they should advertise Bruce Campbell more. Bruce Campbell is the man!

And that's also Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona, the ex-girlfriend. You might recognize her from Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead(and if you haven't seen that movie, run out right now and watch it. Shame on you). She's still hot, possibly the hottest 37-year-old around and a good actress.

Anyway, the show is one of my new favorites. Michael is forced to take on a lot of local "small" jobs in order to make some money and help his friends out from time to time.

And since he's stuck in Miami, Michael has to reconcile his past. He has not had a good history with his parents. He tries to avoid his mother. He never attended his father's funeral eight years ago and implies that his father used to beat him. He has commitment issues with women, especially his ex-girlfriend.

But Michael is good at his job. He's kinda like McGuyver except has no problem using guns. He makes all kinds of homemade surveillance and spy equipment, many of them using cell phones. And he has no problem fighting or shooting the bad guys.

Farscape Returns... In a Way

The Sci Fi Channel has announced that Farscape is making a return. Sadly, it's only as webisodes, but any return of the series is a welcome one.

Each webisode is expected to only last a few minutes but will be created by the original Jim Henson Company creative team. Farscape stars Ben Browder and Claudia Black are expected to at least make an appearance if not star in each webisode. The webisodes are supposed to "revive and expand" the Farscape Universe.

The current plans call for 10 webisodes. Executives at Sci Fi have not ruled out the possibility of the webisodes eventually making air.