With the guild writers set to return to work, our favorite shows could see new episodes as early as next month. "Lost" fans will probably get their 16-episode season, "Desperate Housewives" fans can stop turning to the ersatz housewives of Orange County, and "Brothers and Sisters" fans can look forward to a happy reunion with their TV family.
As for me, I'm just glad that I can soon turn on my TV without feeling guilty. Withdrawal has not been kind, and I don't know if I could have survived much longer without my weekly "Friday Night Lights" fix. (Yes, it's that addictive.)
That being said, I'm also secretly a little glad that the guild has had some time off. As much I love "Brothers and Sisters", "Friday Night Lights", "Lost", and "Battlestar Galactica", some developments on these shows have seemed a little odd to me; so I hope that the strike has given the writers time to do some tweaking.
Take "Brothers and Sisters", for example. Last we heard, our favorite lawyer was getting emails from his ex-boyfriend, leading to some very uncomfortable standoffs with his current boyfriend. How will the Kevin-Jason-Scotty triangle resolve itself, and will it be resolved? This fan certainly hopes so, since Kevin seems to be stuck in a character rut.
From Scotty to Chad to Jason and back, Kevin seems to be the character who has undergone the least development in the past season and a half. Each boyfriend demonstrated that Kevin has commitment issues, but none managed to push Kevin into truly exploring those issues. For a while there, it seemed minister Jason might be in it for the long haul, but then "Viva Laughlin" shit all over those plans, and we were back to square one.
As much as I appreciate the parade of hot men through Kevin's revolving door love life, I think I'd appreciate much more Kevin having a steady boyfriend. The guy's got plenty of other problems; pigeonholing him as The One Who Can't Commit seems a little lazy and shortsighted. So I say: let Jason and Scotty go mano-a-mano for Kevin's affections, but let the winner graduate from guest star to permanent cast member, at least for the rest of the season. Hopefully this is the writers' plan, because it's time to move on; at least give Kevin a chance to suffer and rejoice in the vicissitudes of a long-term relationship.
If the problem in "Brothers and Sisters" is guys who can't stick around, the problem of "Friday Night Lights" is guys who can't stick together. As much as it pains me to speak ill of a show that's one of the best things out there in TV land, the second season of "FNL" seems to have forgotten - just a little bit - what made it so great in its debut season: that is, a kick-ass main cast who stuck and fought together for each other.
Football is a team sport, but you wouldn't know it by much of the current season. From the unity of the first season we've come to this: Jason Street, the paralyzed golden boy, all but disappearing for large stretches; previous best-pals Landry Clarke and Matt Saracen barely having a scene together; 'Smash' Williams seemingly only hanging out with his new girlfriend; and Tim Riggins getting bounced from home to home.
What I liked about the first season was the sense that these characters were truly a part of each others' lives: from the unlikely friendship between bad girl Tyra Collette and coach's daughter Julie Taylor, to the brief but striking interactions between Smash and Tim Riggins, to that memorable scene where Tim Riggins, Smash, Matt and Jason were all together on the soccer field. I get that characters have to move on, but this season seems to have taken that dictum a little too far.
Thankfully, there are signs that things may be righting themselves. In the last few episodes we've gotten glimpses of reunions in the making: Buddy Garrity, Lyla's father, offering Jason Street a job; Lyla and Tim Riggins' long-simmering romance building to a head; an actual scene with Landry, Matt, Tim Riggins, and Smash all in attendance; and more. All good, and all - fingers crossed - signs of things to come.
Moving on from a show that's hopefully found itself to "Lost", we have yet another show that seems to be on the uptick. I've never been an obsessive fan of "Lost", and certain creative decisions over the seasons entirely bewildered me: the first six episodes of season three, the point of the Tailies, who have been all but exterminated one way or another, and the by-now predictable influx of new Other Other Other Others at the start of seasons.
To me, the show has strayed so far from its initial premise that it's almost unrecognizable. That being said, however, the introduction of an end-point for the series may have been just the thing the show needed.
While I could be cynical and argue that the endpoint is a ploy to re-hook exasperated fans, I'm willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt. The use of flashforwards suggest that the writers know what they're writing toward, and the 'how did the Oceanic Six get off the island?' big question going forward might be enough to sustain the show for its remaining seasons. For a show that's floundered since its initial burst onto screens, this new creative direction might just be the thing to save it.
Of course, I could be horribly wrong, and the writers could still be blowing smoke out of their asses. Therefore, my post-strike wish for "Lost" is this: please let me be right about something for once. And, I guess, while we're at it: no more shaking the rabbit scenes, please.
And, finally, we arrive at "Battlestar Galactica". I really only have one wish for this show: Don't stop! Please! Keep going!
(You know you agree with me.)
"Brothers and Sisters" will hopefully start airing again on Sundays, at 10 pm / 9 pm central on ABC.
"Friday Night Lights" will hopefully have new episodes on Fridays, at 9 pm / 8 pm central on NBC.
"Lost" airs Thursdays, at 9 pm / 8 pm central on ABC.
"Battlestar Galactica" returns in March, on the Sci-Fi channel.
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