TV Stuff

Some random TV news that I've come across lately. Don Davis passed away over the weekend, which came as a very big surprise to me. Davis was the actor behind one of my favorite SG-1 characters, Gen. Hammond, who was in charge of Stargate command for most of seven seasons before he retired. He was also in a couple of other shows, Supernatural, The Dead Zone, the West Wing, Andromeda, Star Gate Atlantis, and numerous other features. Davis brought a grace and intensity to Hammond, who started off as a very strong character, who really became more than a series extra. He shall be missed.

Chris Noth is leaving Law and Order: Chriminal Intent. Personally, I'm pretty happy about this, because I've always felt that his character, Logan, didn't hold a candle to Detective Goren, although he did bring an interesting take to his episodes, which I did like. Now, his replacement should be interesting: Jeff Goldblum, who's already played a crazy detective in the show Raines, which I loved. Unfortunately, the crazy cop sees dead people thing isn't the most original, and it was canceled. Goldblum is the perfect choice for this show, and hopefully, we'll see some crossover episodes with him and Det. Goren. THAT should be interesting to watch.

And, this BBC person says that TV Drama has replaced literature:

Television drama had supplanted the novel, she said, as the "narrative of our times that gives our lives meaning and shape".

I think that to some extent, that's true, but I don't think that I would ever classify TV Drama as something that's replaced books. It's a very scary thought. I'm split when it comes to this - I do enjoy a number of things on TV, it's a guilty pleasure of mine - the BBC especially, with Dr. Who and Life on Mars, but also some shows in the US like Law and Order, House MD, Pushing Daisies, among others. They're interesting, makes you think, but there's also a lot on TV that is complete drivel and shallow. Even these dramas aren't up to the quality of a good book.