I think the batch of new TV shows for this season all suck. However, I have found some excellent shows to fill the gap that the network crap-fest has created. These shows are American Chopper & Mythbusters, both on The Discovery Channel.
American Chopper is a REAL reality show (not the completely unrealistic crap they call reality on the networks) about a family business called Orange County Choppers. No, it’s not a show about a family of dentists, these guys build custom motorcycles. Now, I have little to no interest in motorcycles, so I wouldn’t have expected to enjoy a show about building them. But, I love this show!! It’s really amazing to watch Vinny & Paulie build a working machine (and a work of art) out of raw metal. The other interesting aspect of the show is the constant tension between the dad/boss and his lazy but talented son Paulie.
Mythbusters is a show where two goofy guys (who have backgrounds in special effects) go about testing outrageous myths. They are able to create special apparatuses to aid in the experiments and half the fun of the show is watching them build them. A lot of the myths (fortunately) involve explosions, and if the reenactment doesn’t give the desired ball ‘o flame, they’ll do whatever it takes to get the big BOOM! One myth told of a medieval town that built a cannon out of a hollowed out log. When the cannon was fired, it exploded and killed many of the townspeople. To test this myth, the mythbusters built a log cannon, and fired it off… no devastating explosion. So, they dumped twice a much gunpowder in the log and capped the top (in essence making a giant wooden pipe bomb). The resulting explosion was incredible… poor townsfolk.
American Chopper is a darn cool show. I only get to watch it when I'm around cable. Anyone can order motorcycle parts and slap them together, but Vinnie and Paulie fabricate nearly everything! It's interesting when they run into a problem when the bike is almost assembled, and how they have to re-think and over come the problem. Good good show. I've only heard about mythbusters, although it too.....sounds kick ass.
Another good show that *should* be on the discovery channel is the reality show with newlyweds Jessica Simpson, and Nick whatever his name is. BUT the Discovery channel version would dive into the mind of Jessica to try and reveal how someone could be THAT stupid and still be breathing...
MythBusters' tests only vaguely shadow a true scientific method. And their interpolation and extrapolation of data is far from empirical. Overall, I give the show one thumb in my ear and one thumb in my a$$.
I agree that the experiments on Mythbusters are not the most scientific, but that makes them all the more fun! They are mostly just goofing off and seeing if they can repro the myth (or if that fails, blow something up.) Actual quote from last night's show: "Breaking stuff is cool." Exactly.
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Not only are those cool shows but i'd like to add some other shows to this...
--Alias rocks! Talk about a cliff hanger at the end of last episode!! Anytime someone walks into a room and looks completely shocked and says "oh my god" and then the show ends you know that is all you are going to think about till the next episode and by that time you have imagined so many different scenarios that what actually happened doesn't live up to your imagination.
--The Practice is awesome (as long as they keep Spader)!
--And the show that I still love although it really should have been cancelled long ago is Friends!! Jake should appreciate that one! Since that is his favorite show of all time!!;)