Category: TV

“Conviction”

Jae-Ha Kim

Created by Dick Wolf, the seemingly unstoppable mastermind behind the Law & Order franchise, Conviction tells the stories of a group of young, driven, and genetically gifted prosecutors working for the New York District Attorney’s office, which is led by Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March). Cabot was last seen as a young gun assistant district attorney herself on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. There she was a crusading and idealistic lawyer fighting to buck a corrupt system. But on Conviction, her character has turned into the type of bureaucrat she used to despise–one who thinks more about the bottom line than the true meaning of justice.

“House, M.D.” — Season 2

Jae-Ha Kim

The overall strength of the second season of House, M.D. proves that its first-year success wasn’t a fluke. This season starts with Dr. House (Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie) pursuing his ex-wife Stacy (Sela Ward) and ending with a tragedy that could potentially be deadly for himself and two colleagues. The premise of each show follows a set routine–a patient is brought in with unusual symptoms; House challenges his trio of underlings to diagnose the problem; they treat the patient, usually incorrectly the first few tries; and then at the very last minute–through a revelation that often has little to do with the patient–House figures out what’s wrong and saves the day.

“Beautiful People”

Jae-Ha Kim

The back story to the series is that Lynn moves her girls from New Mexico to New York after her husband has an affair with Karen’s best friend. While Karen (a pouty dead ringer for Angelina Jolie) cuts ties with her dad, sensitive Sophie keeps him filled in on their lives with regular emails. That action, ultimately, will force her to choose between her parents. And “Melrose Place” fans will delight in seeing Zuniga verbally spar with her estranged TV husband Grant Show.

“The Pretender” — Season Four

Jae-Ha Kim

After eluding agents from the nefarious Centre for a good three years, Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) finds himself back at the shady research facility (that kidnapped him during his youth) in the opening episode of the fourth and final season of The Pretender. Held against his will, Jarod is caged and routinely tortured by Miss Parker’s (Andrea Parker) calmly evil brother, Lyle (Jamie Denton, who would go on to bill himself as James Denton on Desperate Housewives). But, as the opening to each episode points out, Jarod is a pretender–a genius who can become whoever he wants to be. He can pass himself off as an FBI agent, surgeon, or drug addict.

“Fear Factor” — The First Season

Jae-Ha Kim

The problem with the series is that the premise grows redundant pretty fast. Each contestant must make it through three challenges. The first is usually a test of your strength or speed (see above reference to attack dogs). The second relies on creepy crawly things either being ingested or smothering your face. And finally, we have tasks that must be completed faster than the other opponents.

“The Ellen Show”

Jae-Ha Kim

Three years after the series finale of “Ellen” aired, Ellen DeGeneres gave sitcoms another shot with the genial “The Ellen Show,” which made its debut in 2001 on CBS. This time around, DeGeneres plays Ellen Richmond, a Los Angeles career woman who moves back to her hometown after her dot-com business goes under. She moves back home to live with her appropriately named mother, Dot (Cloris Leachman), and insecure younger sister Catherine (Emily Rutherfurd), who both idolizes and resents her.

“Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas”

Jae-Ha Kim

Spanning decades of television, the DVD’s highlight is “Johnny Staccato.” Starring John Cassavetes in the title role, the episode (ca. 1959) stands up surprisingly well in modern times. Cassavetes is so suave and cool that no one would doubt his ability to play a jazz musician who happens to solve crimes at night.

“NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service” — The Complete First Season

Jae-Ha Kim

Equal parts JAG and C.S.I., NCIS does a formidable job of blending relevant military headlines with quirky characters who are tenaciously determined to solve a crime–even if it means having to sleep in the morgue to get a few minutes of shut eye. Created by Donald P. Bellisario (JAG, Quantum Leap), NCIS actually began as a two-part episode of JAG in 2003. Later that year, the drama made its full-season debut on CBS.