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Monday Miscellany--The Television Edition

1. I saw the ABC Comedy Better Off Ted last week while I was in Washington D.C., and it was pretty good. I will put it on my DVR list and see if I still like it a month from now.

2. I also saw Chuck again for the first time in months last week and, is it just me or is this the same show every week? Seriously, NOTHING has changed in six months? He still freaks out about spy stuff, he still thinks Sarah is hot, he's still nice to his sister,* he's still able to know stuff from the computer in his head, and he's still jealous of his former college roommate the spy. There's consistency and then there's "isn't this a re-run?"

3. There's talk that Friday Night Lights may get picked up for another season. I'm of two minds about this news. On one hand, YAY, because FNL is an amazing show (and the third season shows no signs of letting up on that). On the other hand, hmm, because some of the characters are graduating from high school** and, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I want a Friday Night Lights without Tim Riggins or Matt Saracen. (CALL ME, TIM!) From a story perspective,*** they could certainly keep Tim in town--he's allegedly going to college in the fall, but Tim Riggins is not the type of kid to actually succeed at college. Without his brother, and Lyla, and his coach to keep him in line, Tim is a one semester and out kind of kid. Matt, however...the only way that Matt's story works without being crushingly depressing**** is if he gets to go away to college. And the poor guy deserves a happy ending. So I'm torn.



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* One of the things I've always liked about Chuck is Chuck's affectionate and functional relationship with his sister, and her basically good relationship with her fiance Captain Awesome (and the name Captain Awesome). They'd be boring as main characters, but as terciery characters, they are a charming dose of normal.

** Always a problem when you use real people in shows--they age. Sigh. Sometimes life is sooo inconvenient.

*** Note that I'm watching as the show airs on NBC and haven't seen the whole of the third season yet, so don't ruin it for me if you have.

**** Something I wouldn't put past a show that portrayed Matt's father--an Iraq veteran--as a selfish ass who would rather be at war than home with his mother and son.

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