Surprisingly good

There have been a surprising number of potentially interesting shows on television recently. Some of them won’t pan out. Many of them won’t achieve the celebrity status of getting a Season Pass on my TiVo. And yet, I like being surprised by something that turns out to be good.

Though a newcomer to “Lost” on ABC, I’m rapidly becoming an avid fan of this quirky television series. The second season started just a few weeks ago, and I understand — a little better — the depth of response that the show has spawned. Last week’s frantic “push the button!” and “don’t push the button!”; the intriguing flashbacks; the clever plotlines and pacing: what can I say, other than “I enjoy this show.” Once I get up to speed on Season 1 (likely via NetFlix), perhaps I’ll know more, or less. And watching “Lost” in a group (like, for instance, with the Landrums up on some mountain) is definitely recommended — it adds to the entertainment value to swap conspiracy theories.

Another new show for me this new season is “Surface” on NBC; not as satisfying (what with the overacting, the pacing, the goofy creature effects), perhaps from the sense that they’re trying a little too hard. Still, I’ve been watching it. How can I resist a cute marine biologist?

I’m a “West Wing” fan from years back, and so it was with a mixture of curiosity and expectations of disappointment that I tuned in to see another brand-new show, “Commander-In-Chief,” also on ABC. Actually, I was surprised to discover that it wasn’t too bad. Either Geena Davis is getting accustomed to her role or I’m slowly becoming acclimated; in other words, Episode 3 was a lot better than Episode 2. It suddenly occurred to me what one crucial difference was: less Botox. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer actors to have faces that can display expressions. Anyway, a large part of the appeal of “C-I-C” for me is watching what happens when That Moment comes (like, say, the immediate aftermath of being unexpectedly sworn in as President of the United States). In a New York minute, everything changes the same.

I do remember watching “Battlestar Galactica” when I was young (especially how the Viper control sticks were curiously identical to the spacecraft control sticks on that pitifully sad “Buck Rogers” TV show, bee-dee-bee-dee). When the SciFi Channel renovated that story last year, I was intrigued enough to watch some of the pilot mini-series; kind of interesting, I thought, and nice use of “hand-held camera” technique on shooting dogfights in space. I skipped the first season. Then a couple months ago I saw the beginning of season 2 on the SciFi Channel, and wow. I’m hooked. Intricate plotlines, well-written, fun characters. Fascinating re-invention of the TV series.

Now, it’s not like I sit around and watch TV all the time. Not every single minute. Some minutes have to be reserved for making blog entries.