Reviews by Matt

Firefly
Joss Weadon’s short lived, critically acclaimed series about the crew of the spaceship Serenity. Captain Malcolm Renyolds (Nathan Fillion) and his crew take jobs (legal or illegal) delivering all sorts of items to those who will pay. When Dr. Simon Tam and his sister River arrive on the ship the crew gets more then they bargained for. Simon broke River out of a government “academy” (or experimental lab) and now the Feds what her back. Did I mention there are space hookers?

It was funny, smart, and action-packed. It lasted 13 episodes, but gained a devoted following called Browncoats who never gave up hope when it was canceled. To this day Firefly lives on in the are conventions, podcasts, fan-produced documentaries and plenty of message boards where the fans meet and form a bond over this amazing show

Serenity
The Browncoat prayers were answered in 2005 when they got Serenity, or “ The Big Damn Movie.” The movie deals with the crew of Serenity being hounded by a government assassin who has been sent to get River back. The situation with River gets more dangerous as the crew gets closer to discovering a horrible government secret locked deep within her brain.

The movie brings back all the characters from the show and only leaves the Browncoats wanting more.

Dead Like Me
For two seasons on Showtime, “Dead Like Me” focused on Georgia “George” Lass (Ellen Muth) a college dropout who is killed by the toilet seat of a space station as is reentered the Earth’s atmosphere. She becomes a grim reaper. She and her other reapers are responsible for collecting the souls of those who are about to die.

Dark comedy was never as good as this. The characters were really well developed and they touched a lot on the issue of life and death. It had some slow points, specifically George’s family coping with her death. Should have gone on longer, but alas it too had its soul taken and has gone to that television show in the sky.

Freaks and Geeks
Another show based on solely on the characters that was canceled before it’s time. After the death of her grandmother, high school senior, Lindsey Wier (Linda Cardellini) abandons her old image of “Math-leate” and starts hanging out with the “freaks” of the shool. Her parents are hesitant at first and do not appove. Meanwhile her brother Sam (John Francis Daily) is in his first year in high school and is struggling to fit in.

This is what high school was like. Life was not like it was at Bayside with Zach and the gang. Things sucked. People struggled to fit in. That was high school for most of us and this show delivered it. There is no telling where this show would have gone if it had been given the time to grow and mature.

Scrubs
John “JD” Dorian (Zach Braff) is a doctor at Sacred Heart Hospital. Between trying to make his mentor Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and daydreaming, he finds time to help patients.
The funniest show on television that you are not watching. They film in an abandoned hospital and not on the NBC lot.

This has allowed the show to do what they wanted and grow into something completely different. The show has some ridiculous moments as well as some really heart wrenching moments. It can turn emotions on a dime and that is why it is one of the most underrated shows that is still around, but who knows for how long.

Rounders
Matt Damon and Edward Norton star as two friends with a love of poker. When “Worm” (Norton) is released from prison, he finds that Mike (Damon) is now a law student who gave up poker when he lost everything. “Worm” still has debt to pay off and tries to get Mike to help him win some money.

Damon and Norton shine in this movie. It is a look into the life of a rounder, one who plays poker for a living. They struggle to get the money needed to pay off the debt and it strains their friendship. The must get the money or Teddy KGB (John Malkovich), the Russian, Oreo eating poker room owner who was the one who cleaned Mike out so many years ago, will take it from them.

Friday Night Lights
Football is what the town of Dillon Texas is about. The entire town gets behind the Dillon Panthers on Friday nights. The boys grow up believing that to play for the Panthers is the greatest thing one can aspire to. Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is the new head coach and is pressured to win. His job hinges on winning a state championship. When star quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter) goes down in the first game of the season, Taylor’s job is made all the more challenging when he is forced to put in untested second-string quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford)

Yet another show with great characters that are well developed. The show has found critical acclaim, yet has failed to get the ratings. The show ended its first season lest week, but it may be back for a second season. It is not about football. It is about the people of the town and their passion for Dillon Panther football.