I have an endless capacity for certain kinds of TV (especially reality shows and Friends re-runs, I'm sorry to say) but there's a certain kind of show that continues to pass me by.
The last few years has seen a steady stream of American TV with smart, twisted plots and high production values. Sadly, it seems routine to run to hundreds of episodes, and consequently most of them lose me 10% of the way in. That's almost certainly because I don't have a TIVO or equivalent, of course. However, the epic number of episodes problem has been enough to lose me with Lost, 24 (mercifully only 18 without the ads, but I still didn't have the stamina), Six Feet Under, The West Wing, The Sopranos and even Desperate Housewives. Yes, even Desperate Housewives. I liked the first episodes of all of them, but I've never seen a whole season of any.
With luck, I won't have the same problem with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, because the first two episodes have me absolutely hooked. It's certainly the most meta TV show I've seen in a while - the best comparison I have is that it's like a live action Muppet Show, especially for the cameos within cameos. Several people whose blogs I read have raved about it. After the pilot aired, Tara Teich bowed down to Aaron Sorkin and Steven Johnson seemed to like it so much it seems certain he'll add it to the Everything Bad canon of super-smart TV. I'm glad they pointed it out, because I can't wait for episode three.
Tomorrow I fly to Chicago for a few days, then on Tuesday I head to New York for a week, and the following Wednesday I'll be in Boston for a couple of days.
Do get in touch if you'd like to meet up, or if you have suggestions for things to see/do or places to stay. I'm booking New York accomodation now. Cheap and cheerful recommendations welcome!
...a brief update on my San Francisco trip.
What I imagined as two weeks getting to know San Francisco has turned out to be more of a 10 day road trip around Southern California and Nevada. That's fine by me - I don't drive, but I do like maps. I don't, however, like American street signs. At least they keep you on your toes.
So we've been from San Francisco to Los Angeles via Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo, along the coast road which despite heavy mist around Big Sur was still gorgeous. From Los Angeles, we drove to Las Vegas which to my great surprise I really enjoyed. After a day trip to the Grand Canyon we headed back to San Francisco via Yosemite National Park and an overnight stop in Bishop.
It's been a trip of contradictions. I find the US extremely enigmatic and beguiling. I could live here, certainly. In some ways it suits my lifestyle better than London ever will. On the other hand, the excesses of consumption disturb me, and without a car the experience would be very different to my last two weeks.
It's been great just to switch my eyes to infinity, remind myself what a horizon is, and stop living life at 18 inches. I'll fill in the gaps when I get the photos from my fellow travellers and upload them to Flickr along with my own. There's too much for one blog post anyway.
Back Saturday.
I'm finally going to get out of Europe for the first time in my life. I'll be in and around San Francisco for two weeks at the end of September. Hints and tips for must-see and must-do things will be gratefully received!
If anyone wants to meet up and hang out with two friendly cheerful British lads, or if you can put us up for a couple of nights in exchange for good company and a few beers, let me know. I can but ask...
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