Can't Cut The Cable: 5 Things to know about True Blood before The Season 2 Premiere

5 Things you should know about True Blood before you the Season 2 Premiere

#5 this is probably the best thought out Vampire Show on TV (sorry Buffy and Angel fans)
Buffy and Angel are great shows but they don’t really add much to me.
True Blood builds on already established vampire lore and gives it fresh, real world , 21st Century sensibilities. For example the idea of synthetic blood making the need for vampires to hunt humans unnecessary. However in this “world” many times it’s the vampires who are stalked by the humans.
#4 Sookie Stackhouse is hot hot hot...
#3 There will be Blood, Sex and Violence
And when True Blood really kicks a$$ you get all three in the same scene.
#2 Don’t peak ahead...
TB definitely throws you some curves. From the introduction of other creatures. And a serial killer. If you peak ahead you’ll kick yourself because the surprises definitely pay off in the end.
#1 thing you should know before True Bloods season 2 premiere is that ...the black people in the show got problems. You have Lafeyette who is gay. Nothing wrong with that. Lafeyette is also a drug dealer. Then there’s Tara. Tara is beautiful. Her complexion is breath taking and her attitude is bizarre.
Her mom is a drunk until she goes to the fake exorcists. Then Tara’s mom kicks her out.
Things number One and One Half.
I’ll be blogging about True Blood here every week after the show.

Can't Cut The Cable: Nurse Jackie's Pilot

Nurse Jackie Pilot
Nurse Jackie airs Monday’s at 10:30am after Weeds on Showtime.
Let’s get to the good part first. Watch Nurse Jackie’s pilot episode. It is classic TV drama. It is Gun Smoke. It is Star Trek. It is The Twilight Zone! It is this show that used to be on HBO about mobsters in New Jersey that starred Eddie Falco as a house wife that always wined “Toooe-neeeee!”
I enjoyed “NJ” so much I am giving the grade first, A+!
In the opening scene Nurse Jackie played by “Carmela Soprano”... I mean Eddie Falco is telling a doctor to run a test on a patient. (I am literally saying to myself “I am loving this for the opposite reasons that I loved Scrubs.”) After the patient dies, Jackie tears into “Dr. Cooper” and clearly lets “Coop” and us know that this is real life where seconds can mean the difference between life or death. This is not Scrubs wear we can and should relate to each character.
God bless cable and Show Time because unlike other hospital shows Nurse Jackie is complex, diverse, and brought to the screen by people who want to tell quality stories. I am not the biggest fan of Nurse Jackie being only a half hour, however Nurse Jackie had no throw a way or filler scenes. Each scene supported the story arc as a whole. That I like.
As a fan of TV I enjoy quality and being sold authenticity. Nurse Jackie so far is not over the top on drama, does not feel the need to throw in a joke, and was a great view into the world of a nurse.
Although a totally different show N-J reminds me of Barney Miller or even Hill Street with its fly on the wall realism. Let’s hope that the next episode doesn’t snatch issues from the headlines as it base for stories each week. Though I love M.A.S.H I hope Nurse Jackie doesn’t get that preachy.
In closing...Eddie Falco acts within herself and stays true to her character. In doing so Miss Falco does an amazing job of carrying this solo vehicle. I know one former Emmy award winning mobster who should be proud because Falco shows the potential to be every bit the talent James Gandolfini is.
Doctor’s orders for Nurse Jackie- While I am sticking by the A plus I do have some concerns about Nurse Jackie. The way she manages her life under the influence of drugs she cops is a little disturbing. I personally always worry a bit when drug use is played out as a manageable evil or when recovery comes by the third act of a script. I think many people take their cue from real life and the idea that popping pills can make you more productive as long as you “manage it” is BS.
Later This Week: My top ten things you should know before you watch True Blood’s Season two premiere on Sunday.

Can't Cut The Cable: Weeds Season Five Premiere

Can’t Cut The Cable
A weekly (sometimes more) offering of opinion of what’s good on the box, satellite and basically non network TV. Feel free to offer your own comments, questions, suggestions, links, whatever will make this section better.
Starting in June “CCTC” will be a part of my radio shows on 91.7 FM and 96.1 FM as well.
Weeds Season Premiere 6/8 “Wonderful Wonderful”
Well the pot growing, middle age, mom, drug dealer is back and still funny. I really thought that by now Weeds would be getting stale but this show succeeds from cast members “knowing their roles.” Still I fear that the writers are close to going to the same sources of angst, drama and last second heroics one too many times. By now Nancy B. should be dead, arrested or move to Jamaica where growing pot is legal.
In the first episode of this the 5th season, Celia’s been kidnapped and her friends want her back like people in Mexico want another Swine Flu outbreak. As usual Nancy’s kids want to do what she does, sell pot. Matter of fact Shane is dealing now at his middle school. Nancy wants them to be...she hasn’t said...just not like her.
The best part of the first show was seeing how cold Nancy is treated while being ordered to take a DNA test. You think maybe she understands that selling weed may not be the best way to make a living? Still this is a woman who has burned down her own home and snitched on some gangsters.
Next week Nancy meets up with one of her former gang members who tells Nancy that she’s the rat.
Over all a solid premiere. More of what we like from Weeds. Funny enough to forgive not enough change. And thankfully not trying to change just for the sake of being different.
As a man who doesn’t use drugs but who has been addicted to WEEDS for five seasons I’m giving this episode B+.
After Effects of Weeds-I like the fact that last season Weeds kind of tipped its hat to The Sopranos as much as a comedy can. From what I’ve seen of this year I think the writers kind of gave some props to The Wire...or maybe it’s just what I want to believe. Either way I could watch this episode again and I am looking forward to next week.