Castle

I have just recently finished watching the series, Castle. Castle is a crime drama series that gained my attention after a few suggestions to watch it. The show first aired in 2009 and is currently on its sixth season. The main actors are Nathan Fillion who plays Richard Castle and Stana Katic who plays Kate Beckett.

The show is simply about Richard Castle, an author who follows and works with Kate Beckett, a homicide detective in New York City. He works with Kate Beckett and her team and goes with them to different crime scenes to help them solve different cases while giving him fresh ideas to write his books about. Every episode features a new case to be solved. Similar to many other crime drama series where every episode focuses on a new case just a different idea having a successful author work with the team to solve the cases. 

Richard Castle and Kate Beckett both play quick witted, intelligent and humorous characters. The show is entertaining to watch but I question why many people become so intrigued by crime drama series. I myself can remember watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit religiously for years. An article on CBS News states, “‘Murder is the ultimate catalyst for a good story, because the stakes are the highest,’ said "CSI's creator, Anthony Zuiker. ‘There's no higher stakes than human life. We have done shows where there's an art heist. They failed miserably. Nobody quite cares that Mrs. MacGillicutty lost her $10 million painting. But America understands the person next door was brutally murdered and she had a whole life ahead of her.’" This statements seem to explain why people get hooked on crime drama series.

Castle holds an 8.2 stars on the IMDB rating scale, supporting my claim of the love people have for crime dramas. In my opinion, I give the show 4 Andi’s out of 5. I enjoy the show, I even suggest the show to my friends but I do feel that you can relate many crime dramas to each other, making it a show that you may feel like you’ve already seen, even if you haven’t.

Here’s a clip of the show to get a sense of the plot and characters. 

Dead Zone

Dead Zone is a television series based off of Stephen King's novel "The Dead Zone." The series lasted from 2002 to 2007. Main actors consist of Anthony Michael Hall, Nicole de Boer, Chris Bruno and John L. Adams. I began watching Dead Zone last semester and six months later, I'm still yearning for more. This television series captured my heart and a great amount of my time. (not that I'm complaining)

First off, let me tell you a little about the series. Anthony Michael Hall plays Johnny Smith who is able to see the lives of others by simply touching them. The future and the past can appear as images to Johnny as long as they have a relevance to some sort of accident, crime or other disaster that is about to happen. Each episode is like a short movie because of the deep plot that starts and finishes many of Johnny's images. Although, every episode not only follows the given issue that Johnny must fix initially seen by his visions but also follows the main characters lives like a drama series. Therefore, in my opinion, the show is a twist between a drama and a mystery. I enjoy a good drama series and I enjoy mystery movies, therefore this series has a lot to offer for me.

Like I said, the series is based off of Stephen King's "The Dead Zone." Stephen King is a well known author whose had many of his books turned into movies. I'm a huge fan of the movies based off of his books, even though I have sadly never read one of his books. Reading one of his books is on my to do list as soon as I graduate college though!

Here is a list of many popular movies based off of Stephen King's books.

• Children of the Corn
• Carrie (Initially came out as a movie in 1976 and just recently recreated and in theatres)
• The Shining
• Stand By Me
• The Shawshank Redemption
• The Dead Zone (There was also a movie created)

Therefore, not only do I suggest watching the television series Dead Zone, but I suggest watching some of the movies listed above.

On IMDB, Dead Zone is rated a 7.1 on their scale and I would have to give this television series 5 Andis! Every episode is well thought out and often can be seen as mini movies.

The O.C.

The series lasted for a short four years and four seasons.

Great actors Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody and Ben McKenzie were teens from the OC of California. Ben McKenzie played Ryan the rebel from the bad part of town who finds himself a part of a whole new group of high class wealthy friends and a whole new family.

The drama series intrigued me when I first began watching it. Honestly, I think I got hooked because of the opening credits song ‘California’ by Phanton Planet. 

On that note, please listen to the song below, I even found a video that has lyrics so you can sing along =)

Anyways, the show begins where Ryan finds himself in trouble in the law because his big brother was always getting himself in trouble, often dragging Ryan down with him. After Ryan’s appointed lawyer, Sandy Cohen, learns that Ryan’s mom up and moved and he has no place to stay, he takes him home to his big house in the OC. Eventually, Ryan becomes close friends with Sandy’s son Seth played by Adam Brody and everything seems to fall into place for the rebel kid who clearly didn’t grow up in this fine side of town.

The show had me hooked when I watched it years ago. Now, looking bad I wonder why the creator of the show decided to show the dysfunctionality between all the wealthy teenagers and what the creator was trying to say? Even though Ryan, the rebel from a bad part of town would seem to be the character portrayed negatively and involved in negative things, that often was not the case. Instead, the wealthy characters were often the ones who partook in things that led to trouble including drugs, binge drinking and unhealthy relationships. 

Overall, I enjoy watching the show. The series that holds a 7.1 rating on IMDB receives 3.5 ANDI’S on the ANDI’S scale! I enjoyed the plot, characters and the music played throughout the show! As the Associated Press stated, “The O.C. brought dramatized adolescent angst back to TV, gave the tabloids fresh faces and boosted pop artists by showcasing their music.”

Watch a clip of the show and see what you think

Mad About You

Mad About You is a television series that aired in the 90s. For some reason, I love the 90s. 90s music, television shows and all the fun things that came along with it. Anyways, Mad About You stars Helen Hunt (One of my favorite actresses) known as Jamie Buchman in the show and Paul Reiser known as Paul Buchman. How nice is that to have the same name in the show as you do in real life!

Anyways again, Paul and Jamie are a recently married couple who live in New York City with their dog Murray. Believe it or not, Murray will end up making you laugh more than the stars of the show! The show lasted for seven seasons and it was a light hearted sitcom that can easily make the viewer laugh and cry.

Unfortunately, I have never seen the last 2 seasons of the show. It’s very sad but they are not out on DVD yet. Fingers are crossed that sometime in the near future, these seasons are released and I can finally have closure in knowing where the Buchmans and Murray end up.

The show received a 6.3 out of 10 on IMDB and on the Andi’s scale, it receives a 4 out of 5. I love the shows and the actors but there will be episodes that may just not tug at the heart strings as much as other episodes. That’s okay though, I whole heartedly suggest watching the show anyways.

Watch a clip of one of my favorite episodes below. In a short 2 minutes, your bound to laugh...ALOT!

 

Boy Meets World

Back to TGIF. The memories of Friday nights and the amazing shows that made you look forward to the end of the school week. The show that was on every day after school. The one about kids in junior high, high school then college that brought laughs and memories to many homes. That show is Boy Meets World.

Who could ask for anything more than sitting back watching Cory, Topanga and Shawn as Cory and Shawn wreaked havoc in the halls of John Adams High all the way to Pennbrook University. The show began in 1993 and ended in 2000. It was a show that kids could relate to as well as parents. With the rumors of the spinoff television series, Girl Meets World starting in 2014, I feel it to be appropriate to start looking back on all those great memories of Boy Meets World.

Favorite Episode: “And Then There Was Shawn” 

This episode debuted February 27, 1998. The gang all gets detention together. Things start getting spooky when they discover a dead body and a note on the blackboard written in blood stating “NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE.” The whole gang work together to find who the killer is. Its comedic yet spooky and brings back great memories of watching the show.

Does anybody else have a favorite episode you’d like to relive? Post on my blog and let me know =)

On the Andi’s Scale, Boy Meets World receives 5 Andi’s! I grew up with the show and to this day, I still pop in the DVD and relive the great memories. How could it not get the full 5 Andi’s? The show is timeless for me. Now, kids have cell phones and sit on the computer and play games all day where when I was growing up, we were outside playing war, release and other outdoor games! The same was for the gang of Boy Meets World. They were outdoors kids playing with nerf guns and hanging out with friends. 

I can’t wait to see what Girl Meets World will offer. Looking forward to that release date and seeing some of the kids from the original Boy Meets World again.

Nip/Tuck

I have been eating, breathing and sleeping Nip/Tuck. Seriously, always have enjoyed the show but right now I have done nothing else but watch the series. There’s a good reason for that though. For my senior research project, I am analyzing the series of Nip/Tuck to learn of the vanity reasons portrayed by the characters to get cosmetic surgery and how these characters are portrayed and represented in the show. 

Over the past few years, I have increasingly been more interesting in learning about body image in the media. I feel that this show has many interesting reasons behind patients choices for cosmetic surgery. The most interesting information I have found in my background research is that the creator of Nip/Tuck, Ryan Murphy, is a critic of cosmetic surgery. Therefore my critical/cultural analysis on the show will allow me to learn about something I am really interested in for the biggest project of my college career.

Heres some information on the series. Nip/Tuck aired on the FX network from 2003-2010. It is a drama series that consists of 44 minute episodes. The third season premiere episode had more viewers tuning in than any other television show on the FX network. This shows the popularity of the series at that time.

Main characters in the show are Dr. Troy and Dr. McNamara who have their own medical practice. They specialize in plastic surgery. They nip and they tuck many patients in the six season series. Some patients you empathize for and some you find completely pitiful. 

The two main doctors sleep with each others girlfriends and wives, get themselves in trouble with shady characters and situations all the while remaining by each others sides through the good, bad, tough and easy. Sometimes, as a viewer, I think, seriously? Do people really think this way? 

Isn’t it crazy to think that shows such as this one really do represent a vast amount of people in our country? After watching the show, if you have not yet, you may find the characters and the plot to be twisted and sometimes even dark. Why would someone want to create a show that can portray such negativity behind peoples body image. Then again, maybe thats why shows like this are created. Because it is real. Some viewers can relate to the stories in the show because they might just be facing the same types of body image issues that these characters face.

This is a show that can be analyzed in many ways. Since I began analyzing the show to find vanity reasons for cosmetic surgery, I see so many things that I did not see watching this series in the past. I hope you decide to check it out. Then maybe at the end of the semester, I’ll give you a glimpse of my analysis on the series and you will be able to understand what I am talking about.

Well, its time to rate the series that I will be watching repeatedly through out the next two months. I give it 4 Andi’s. It was a popular show that I hope will get me an A on my research paper!

Here’s a clip of the show if your not familiar with it. There are graphic images so be aware of that before you tune in.

Breaking Bad

"Breaking Bad"

The series premiere of "Breaking Bad" aired Sunday, September 29. The series began in 2008 and lasted for five seasons. The main characters of the show were Walter White and Jesse Pinkman who continuously shocked their viewers on a weekly basis during air time. Breaking Bad is a drama amongst all dramas.

The show was played on AMC and it seems that anyone who watches it gets instantly attached. It’s sad to think that the show that holds an astonishing 9.4 rating out of 10 on IMDB is ending so soon.  With a busy work schedule that leads me to miss the new episodes that air on Sunday nights, I am excited to tune back into the show when it is released on DVD.

Anyway, for people who never saw the show, it’s about a chemistry highschool teacher, Walter White. Walter is diagnosed with lung cancer and can ultimately see his life come to an abrupt stop as he figures out how he is going to take care of himself and his family. He thinks of a master plan to start cooking the purest form of meth for a profit to ensure his families financial stability after his death. He teams up with a past student of his, Jesse Pinkman, since he needs someone who will know how to sell the product. This pair goes through many ups and downs and each episode resembles a roller coaster ride on where the duo will end up next.

Here's a comedy compilation I found on YouTube that I found fun to watch and it gave me the chance to take a look back on some of the greatest moments of this series.

Honestly, I fully recommend this show to anyone who is into a good drama series. On the Andi’s scale, I easily give the show the full 5 Andi’s. The characters captured my attention through all four and a half seasons that I’ve watched so far. I loved the drama and excitement but I also loved the relationships on the show. You would never think that the extremely intelligent chemistry high school teacher would pair up with the “bad boy” who didn’t pay attention during his class and experiments with drugs as a hobby. Characters were played in this show that you would never imagine would ever do the things they do, yet you believe it every second of the way. 

With the series ending, I guess we only have the spin off series based off of the lawyer Saul Goodman to look forward to. Any opinions on this yet? AMC picked it up so it gives me some hope that it will turn out to be a good show. To learn a little more about the spin off series, check out this article. "Breaking Bad" Saul Goodman