Now this will ensure I post regularly

[gwyn]

Finally, something I can do to make sure I post more often! Gakked from crickwooder, a 30 days of TV meme, which will nicely balance out the helpful suggestions I got from everyone (thank you, everyone!) to keep my mind off end of quarter horror (you guys. It was so awful I can't even... no, don't speak of it anymore. Don't drive yourself crazy) for the last couple weeks.

DAY 01: A show that never should have been canceled

There are so many possible answers to this that it's a task to pin one down, but despite the obvious ones in recent years (and I liked crickwooder's choice of Deadwood) like Firefly and Middleman, I'm going with a show from ten years ago, Now and Again. Very few people I know in fandom are familiar with this show, and they should be. But because Paramount sucks at DVDs of its shows, especially one like this, and there was a pissing contest between Paramount and CBS over it, resulting in its cancellation, I have doubts it will ever be available in digital format intact. There are copies of it floating around from its run on Sci Fi channel; however, they are badly cut up and missing some of the most wonderful scenes, so I have a hard time recommending seeing it that way. But if it's the only way, you should still try. (It was CBS's first hit in decades in the younger demographic, but they killed it anyway and put on piece of shit reality shows instead.)

To say it was brilliant is putting it mildly. It came from Glenn Gordon Caron, the guy behind Moonlighting, and it starred Eric Close as a perfect Superman body created by scientist Dennis Haysbert to do things regular humans couldn't, but because they couldn't "lick the mind thing," they put the brain of recently deceased John Goodman in his head, complete with his memories and feelings for the family he left behind and couldn't contact. Heather Matarazzo played his daughter, and Margaret Colin played his wife, and it was funny, tragic, witty, actiony, thinky, sweet, and dark all at the same time. Haysbert was this mercurial, cruel, whimsical, and devious scientist-as-God character who was quite unlike anything ever on TV before, and Close was essentially playing a whole new character with elements of John Goodman, which was a pretty amazing acting feat. The dialog was sharp, the stories superb, the cinematography exquisite (it was shot in NY), and the music -- because they used music in the most spectacular way, and Haysbert's character often burst into song -- so cleverly chosen that it makes my heart break just thinking of Paramount ever releasing this and replacing songs, as they so often do.


Day 02 - A show you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show (aired this TV season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever 
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite TV show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best TV show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First TV show obsession
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death

Comments

[umbo]

I loved that show.

[musesfool]

Man, I loved that show. I didn't think anybody else even remembered it.

[gwyn]

Hey, I even vidded in it, and I think I was pretty much the only one. I've longed for decent copies that I could remaster the vids with, but I don't think N&A will ever be on disc, at this rate. And the ones that were on Sci-Fi were too cut up to use because they're missing scenes I used as clips in the vids.

[adair]

Ah yes - a great show. I have vhs tapes, some better than others. I'm thinking about taking the time to copy them to dvd, and edit out the commercials. One episode has weather warnings all over it. I did not know it ran on SciFi but cutting it is not good. I need to get those dvd copies made soon before my tapes deteriorate. I have not looked at them in a while.

[gwyn]

And it was your tapes that totally enabled me to even vid the show back then. I'm starting to show it to someone here in Seattle, and we're watching the dvds I made off your tapes -- I still am so grateful that you had the sense to keep them all, and make copies for me.

[unovis]

I loved Now and Again to bits. The wife was human and charming, the daughter was smart and vulnerable, and Michael loved his wife! God, I prefer relationship stories to endless "first time" ones.

[gwyn]

It was such a divine show.I know what you mean about relationship stories -- I think that's why I like a lot of the things I do, where there are already established relationships among the characters, where the focus is on who the characters are with others...Hm. Now that I think about it, that's one of the aspects of Justified I love most -- Raylan's already established relationships with people in Harlan, and Art.

[dbw]

I loved that show, too!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I was using the same thinking when I started this one, as well... that at least it would get me posting once a day (in addition to the photo a day thing).

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

It definitely helps, and I should probably steal your photo a day thing, too. ;-)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Squeee!! Perfect Tommy!! Love the icon!

And I have to say that the photo a day thing has been incredible. When I started, I was quite literally taking just one single photo a day... and then it occurred to me that it wasn't like I was wasting film, and I started taking photos of all sorts of stuff (so I could just choose from the bunch later). It's why Rackham got me a really nice camera for Christmas, too... I kept lamenting the lack of features in my little point and click pocket camera (which I still carry with me almost everywhere... if not that, then I have my phone).

The great thing is that I'm actually recording more of my life this way. It's almost better than keeping a journal.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

I love Now and Again like pie, and am so bitter it's not on DVD. I also confess that I'm bitter there aren't more vids.

I thought the Close/Colin chemistry was amazing. IMO Close has gotten much lazier in his acting since then, but man. He was so damn good in that show.

[belmanoir.livejournal.com]

um. mad scientist who bursts into song! you had me at that! do you have it? ::wants::

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

You might check here. (http://fwd4.me/R7K) *koff*

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is awesome, thank you! I just sent Bel an email about watching my dvd-from-second-gen VCR copies, which are all I have, and I can't remember who I gave my tapes to for safekeeping (it wasn't you by any chance, was it?), back when we were all trying to get the best copies we could.

Having some torrents as backup for the glitchy spots on my discs would be awesome (and also, the one with the developmentally disabled kid has tornado warnings plastered all over it the entire hour).

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Alas, I have no Now and Again except from torrents - and I may well download that one, as it says he/she cobbled it together from the best episode of each torrent out there.

[kiki-miserychic.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, Now and Again was one of my favorites and is very high on my Shouldn't Have Been Canceled list as well. It was so good.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I still -- ten years later -- have this incredible sense of anger and outrage, and I still loathe CBS with the white-hot fury of a thousand burning suns.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Oh, Now and Again! *cries a bit*

Dammit.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I know. Sob.

Man, that is a creeptastic Walter icon. Love it!

[greenpear.livejournal.com]

I watched the show for its entire run. Yeah, they killed it before it's time...

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I think the worst part was just the way it ended, with that huge cliffhanger, and knowing that CBS did it not because it was low in ratings, but because they didn't want to give in to Paramount money wise.

[amnisias.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, I remember this! It was at turns sad, uplifting, entertaining and thrilling. I was also quite disappointed with the way they left things off, there was no resolution at all. And Eric Close was pretty...

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes... That cliffhanger KILLS.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I've been thinking about doing this meme too. One of the things that's been bugging me about what I've seen of it on my flist, though, is the people cheating with "I couldn't pick just one, so here are three." Either DO it or DON'T, dammit!

(Yes, pedant, whatever.)

As I've been following it around, I've been thinking about my answers, and Now and Again came in third for me. EZ Streets was runner-up, and Cupid won.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I know -- it IS hard to pick, but it's not like you can't go back and do it again!

I had a really hard time picking one. You should do it so you can post yours!

[varina8.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes! I loved Now and Again. It was one of the few shows that managed to do poignant without lapsing into sentimental.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

So, so true -- it used to have me sobbing at times, it did poignant so well. And also, it really truly nailed what long-term grief is like. So few things on TV seem to understand how to tread in that territory.

[varina8.livejournal.com]

Joan Didion once pointed out that we (as in a the American culture as a whole) no longer make room for a period of grieving. Once the initial shock of loss passes, we don't want to see it. We want people to "buck up" and move on. We are embarrassed by the nakedness of grief.

[kerithwyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, yes. Think of this one often, and it's on my Amazon alerts for "tell me the second this comes out, dammit" -- except it won't, not in its original glory. I still have nightmare flashbacks to the eggman. *shudder*

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I always feel like those Amazon pages of shows that will never be on disc are the cruelest form of taunting.

The eggman was so awesomely creepy. I just showed a friend the first ep tonight, and was reminded again how horrible he was. He was like the Terminator -- he couldn't be bargained with or reasoned with. And he simply would not stop until he got what he wanted.