Some of what I’ve been watching lately

I don’t often talk much about television I watch on this blog, partly because the DVR has helped me fall so far behind on a lot of good series… but I thought at this point in the 2011-2012 season, I’d give a few thoughts on some relatively recent shows, even if I’m not up to date on all of it:

Charlie’s Angels (RIP)

After giving this one a chance, I really was hoping that it would make it. There was a very fun vibe to the series, and I liked that each case was either fighting crime that victimized women.

Myself, I almost had the sense that the original series, the Barrymore movies, and this remake were all in the same canon – Charlie Townsend stays the same, but the Angels working for him change – as do the Bosleys.

Supernatural

I’ve watched Supernatural here and there for a while, but never really followed the show – but I decided that I wanted to pick it up for this season, mostly because of the news of some prominent guest stars from the Whedonverse – Jewel Staite, James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter.

Again, it’s been a fun show so far – I’m not hugely wild about the Leviathan as the series-long Big Bads, (if they’re going to be,) but they seem to be working well so far – supernatural spirits with great appetites for blood and remarkable powers to physically blend in among humans, but completely clueless to start about the human world.

The season got off to a bit of a slow start in my opinion, but Jewel’s episode was great – I’m just sorry that it was a one-off, and I loved “Defending your Life” with Alona Tal as Jo – I’m going to have to go back and find her original arc. I’m wondering when ‘Uncle Bobby’ became a more-or-less regular though.

Revenge

I love Emily VanCamp. (Ontario homegirl, yo!) I really like Nick Wechsler. This dark little show is giving them both great material to work with, as well as a fantastic supporting cast.

The only problem I have is being torn between rooting for ‘Emily Thorne’ to get her payback, or hoping that she manages to go back to being Amanda and finds some peace in forgiveness.

Covert Affairs

Now, this is a show that I haven’t quite caught up on – I just watched the season 2 opening episode last Friday.

I remember hearing people questioning before the show debuted whether Piper Perabo could quite pull of being a spy girl. The thing is, despite the way the show is advertised, Annie isn’t really the butt-kicking femme fatale spy girl. She’s the sweet little ingenue of the CIA world, and the show works great on that basis. She saves the day with her brains and her heart, not with nerves of steel and kung-fu action. (Though when she needs to, Annie can of course pull out a few Langley self-defense moves to hold her own in a fight.)

Lost Girl

I’m even more behind on this great show – despite my best efforts, I have 2 more episodes to watch on season one. But I’ll catch up yet! I just watched the episode where Dyson was framed for killing a dark fae, and loved it. I really am growing to like Dyson more as season 1 draws towards a close, and I’m looking forward to some of the big reveals that I know are coming up, especially about Trick, though I’m not sure what they are in detail.

But Kenzi’s still my favorite character on the show.

So, what about you guys – any recommendations for the new year of television, something that fuels up your imagination and informs your writing, perhaps? Do we have new die-hard fans of the Secret Circle, perhaps, or opinions on the new guy on “Two and a Half Men?” Opinions welcomed in the comments.