(cross posted from But They Didn't Ask Me)
They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. Lady and gentleman who read my blog, I have a problem. I watch way too much television. Case and point: I visited Hulu.com as I often do when I have other things I should be doing and decided to give the pilot episode of SyFy's Haven a look-see.
I like Stephen King. I like Maine in theory. And while waiting for Fringe to return in the fall, I could use something reminiscent of The X-Files and every other crime fighting science fiction show ever. Plus, Haven has that one actor from Six Feet Under and 24 with the great goatee that I saw in Santa Monica the other weekend. Consider me sold.
The rest after the jump
Ten minutes into the pilot, our fish out of water FBI agent is having a somewhat heated conversation with the local police chief because this murder just isn't making any sense. That's when I recognize the police chief. He's the actor who played the coroner and title character in the Canadian crime show Da Vinci's Inquest.
He's a little grayer and puffier than when I last saw him bucking the system and fighting for his dead victims in Vancouver, but it's definitely him. Although I lived in Canada for several years, the only reason I know and love Da Vinci's Inquest is because my Canadian grandmother stumbled across it at 4pm everyday on A&E. The show was amazing, and not just because in Canada, the coroners are a cross between a homicide detective, American coroners who conduct autopsies, and judges who get to hold their own trials otherwise known as inquests. Every episode was reminiscent of Homicide: Life on the Street or Law & Order in it's prime when Sam Waterson aka A.D.A. Jack McCoy played the system anyway he could to get justice. And Da Vinci himself was a brilliant alcoholic misanthrope who could banter up and down a scene with his teenage daughter. Anyway, the show was amazing until Da Vinci got into politics, but back to the point-- this actor my grandma loves shows up in the middle of a crime scene on this new show Haven.
I immediately call my grandpa's cell phone, and when he answers and explains that they're out to lunch with some visiting family, I assure him it's an emergency and I need to talk to Grandma now. Very confused and a little concerned, she takes the phone, and I start heatedly describing to her what I've just witnessed. Da Vinci is on a new show that they absolutely have to start watching immediately, like during lunch if possible. You see, not only do I watch too much television, but I know far too much about other people's viewing habits. I know that my grandparents love procedurals, but especially the kind that are a little tongue in cheek and on the quirky side. Haven is set in Maine with an absurd recurring cast of locals and the occasional death or dismemberment is seen as puzzling and troubling rather than earth shattering, and that's perfect as they really enjoy something with a body count and a sense of humor a la the long dead Nash Bridges or more recently Castle.
Doesn't get much better than Don Johnson and Cheech
Except for maybe Nathon Fillion and... can we replace her with Cheech?
Grandpa also has a thing for young, pretty professional woman who are too smart and too sarcastic for their own good. This describes the blonde protagonist in Haven to a tee. And Grandma loves paranormal undertones, but nothing as frustrating or vague as the supernatural on a show like Lost. The strange phenomenon in Haven have a logical and clear if still fantastical explanation by every episode's end. PLUS, there's a recurring role played by Da Vinci! If the start of a television show tailor made for them isn't an emergency, I don't know what is!!!!
Grandma laughed, explained to visiting family what my call was about, and handed the phone back to Grandpa. Grandpa laughed and asked me to email him the name of the show and when it aired so he could record it on his DVR. A few days later, he emailed me back to say they loved it. Just as I was starting to feel proud of my recommendation, my television viewing prowess, it hit me. I watch way too much damn television.
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