Television

Attention. Attention.

I have added two television programs to my regular viewing load.

This is fairly monumental -- but it has been due for some time. I have a limited number of slots for shows I'll watch. And when I say "shows I'll watch," I'm not talking about the endless "Roseanne" reruns I catch on Nick at Nite, or random crap on the Game Show Network that plays while I'm getting dressed in the morning. I mean something I CARE about watching. Something I'll care enough about to tape if I'm going to miss it.

Most shows I've watched in the past few years have been cancelled, jumped the shark, or changed time slots so much I can't find them anymore. What with Buffy ending its run and Angel going stupid and getting cancelled, the list of shows I watch regularly has been reduced to Monk, Survivor, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. (Well, there's also The Daily Show, but, because of the time value, if I miss it, it stays missed.)

Well, I've picked up two more. A coworker got me watching 24. I've avoided that sucker for years, figuring it was the classic example of a show with too much continuity -- if you missed the first episode, you were just screwed. Well, two or three weeks with my friends' assistance and a good read over at TelevisionWithoutPity.com, and now I'm all caught up on 24. I can even talk borderline intelligently about it as if I've seen the first two seasons.

And, this weekend -- thanks to somehow catching three episodes of it -- I've now officially added Crossing Jordan to the viewing list. I've always meant to, actually. I watched the pilot of Jordan and figured it was a show I might someday like, but it needed to steep awhile in order to catch its rhythm. There were really only two things I liked about the pilot -- the really nice leather coat Jordan wore (I actually bought a 3/4 length coat because of it -- so spiffy) and the presence of Miguel Ferrer, who I've adored ever since "Twin Peaks." ("I do not suffer fools gladly and fools with badges never.") So, the three Jordan episodes I watch are centered more on Ferrer's character than on Jordan herself (hell, she didn't even appear in one of 'em) and I'm now officially hooked.