TV Shows You Should Be Watching

I love a good TV show, one where you can get to know complex and interesting characters, where the writers surprise you but you never feel like they're losing control of the plot. There's nothing worse than finding a great TV show and then watching it unravel (I'm looking at you Lost). I thought I'd compile a small list of my favorite TV shows that I'm currently watching.

Dexter

I just saw the season 6 finale, and it is honestly the best season finale I have ever seen. The writers of this show have proven that they're not afraid to take the characters in a completely different direction. The character of Dexter is really complex. He is a serial killer who kills serial killers. He does not connect with human emotions like we do and yet there's a side to him that is very protective of the ones he loves. Season four with the Trinity killer is the best season of this series so far. That doesn't mean the others aren't brilliant, it's just that no show I've ever seen has kept me as enthralled as that season did. Season 6 was probably the least exciting in terms of plot, except for the finale which completely blew me away. If you aren't watching this show you should be.

Fringe

I love Fringe. Each season is so different that there's never a risk of getting bored with the story. The characters are really intriguing. I like that the female lead, Olivia (Anna Torv) is strong and complex with a history that is relevant to the story. My favorite is Walter (John Noble), he is such a great character, conflicted in so many ways and yet always endearing. The relationship between Olivia and Peter (Joshua Jackson) is interesting because the things that keep them apart are supernatural (Alternate universes, alternate personas, time line rifts). They want to be together and yet each season there is some great thing keeping them apart. See if you can spot an observer in each episode, they're always there somewhere.

Game of Thrones

This show seemed to come out of the blue and it's a huge success. My husband is currently reading the series and he loves it. I really enjoyed the first season and look forward to the second, and hopefully many more after that. In the first season the writers killed off an important character, proving that no one is really safe. It was completely unexpected but also integral to the story. There are a lot of characters in the show but each has an intriguing plot line and they all weave together. I think season two is going to be just as good if not better than the first.

The Walking Dead

A show with zombies, how can you go wrong? The first episode was so awesome it's possibly my favorite pilot episode for any show. The first season was great. I really enjoy how the story followed Rick as he fought masses of zombies to reconnect with his family. The second season wasn't as good unfortunately. I felt as though the writers lost hold of the story for a while. There were also some terrible sound issues. The atmos track was so loud and then when characters would speak it would disappear until they stopped. The season finale was excellent though and has sparked my hope for a better third season.

True Blood

Vampires, they're so hot right now. I like how True Blood has taken the vampire craze and made it more interesting. The whole idea of vampires living out in the open with humans is different from the majority, which focus on them lurking in the shadows. The main character Sookie is fun and she has a pretty cool telepathy skill. The first two seasons focus on her love story with Bill the vampire, but by season three that had ended. I loved what they did with Eric's character in season four, it was a bit of a game changer. The show is on HBO which means nothing is really off limits. This is definitely a show that takes advantage of that. I loved the first season, wasn't as impressed with the second and really didn't like the third that much. The fourth however was great. The writers finally seemed to figure the plot out. Each character had an important part to play in the story. I hope they can keep it going in season five.

The Vampire Diaries

This is my favorite show. You can probably tell that I'm a vampire genre fan. When I first saw this show I thought it looked ridiculous and was just riding the Twilight wave. One day out of boredom I gave it a chance and have never stopped watching. The show is really well written. You can tell that each plot point has been carefully planned out. Nothing happens without a reason, and no one is really ever who you think they are. The main character, Elena, is nothing like co-dependent Bella. She's strong and a fighter which makes her much more enjoyable. The love triangle between her and vampire brothers Stefan and Damon is never stretched out. The writers seem to know what the audience wants and they deliver. If you like Vampire or Supernatural genres then check this out, you won't be disappointed.

The Vampire Wars

For the past few years Vampires have become Hollywood's hottest commodity. When Twilight was released back in 2008 it started a craze that no one could have anticipated. Since then there have been countless Vampire movies and TV shows. The most popular of these are:

The Twilight saga

True Blood 

and

The Vampire Diaries

What's interesting is that all three began as books. The Vampire Diaries  is written by L.J Smith and was originally published in 1991. In 2007 a second series was created called The Vampire Diaries: The Return. In 2009 the books were turned into a TV show which has proven to be highly successful. The Sookie Stackhouse Novels is written by Charlaine Harris and the first book was released in 2001. The book series has since been renamed The True Blood Series after the success of the TV show which came out in 2008. The Twilight series is written by Stephenie Meyer, the first book "Twilight" was released in 2005. In 2008 the film Twilight was released, New Moon followed in 2009, Eclipse in 2010, Breaking Dawn: Part One in 2011, and Breaking Dawn: Part Two will be released in 2012.

I've read many comments on the internet claiming that shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries are copycats of Twilight. As you can see however the Twilight Series was written well after the others. What is true is that Twilight's success led the way for these shows. It sparked an interest for Vampires on screen and so far that interest has not died down.

I thought it would be interesting the take the three mentioned above and do some comparisons. They may be about Vampires but each one is so different from the other. Before I go into those differences though I would like to point out their similarities, aside from the obvious one being that they involve Vampires.

The first thing that Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries have in common is a love triangle. It seems you cannot have a Vampire story without one.

In Twilight Bella is a human girl who falls in love with Edward, a vampire. However when Edward leaves Bella in the second film she turns to her friend Jacob for support. Jacob then finds out that he's a werewolf. Bella has to make a choice between Jacob and Edward in the second film. She chooses Edward and goes to Italy to save him. When they return back to Forks they get back together. Somehow Jacob hasn't quite gotten the message though because he continues to pursue Bella, telling her that it's much more healthy to be in a relationship with a dog than a dead person.

In True Blood Sookie is a human who also happens to be telepathic. She falls in love with Bill, a vampire. Their relationship is strong for the first two seasons of the series but in season three they are no longer together. Eric, also a vampire, has always wanted Sookie and he gets his chance in the fourth season, much to Bill's dismay. By the end of the fourth season Sookie is forced to make a choice between Bill and Eric.

In The Vampire Diaries Elena is a human who falls in love with Stefan, a vampire (seeing a pattern yet?). His brother Damon, also a vampire, shows up. Damon and Stefan used to be in love with a vampire named Katherine a hundred odd years ago when they themselves were turned by her. Elena is Katherine's doppleganger and this is what originally drew Stefan to her. Elena and Stefan's relationship was strong during the first two seasons even though it became obvious to all that Damon was in love with her too. In season three Elena and Damon have become closer. There will come a point where she will need to choose which brother she truly loves.

The second thing I noticed that Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries have in common is that they all have an on-screen and off-screen couple:

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewert aka Edward and Bella

Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin aka Bill and Sookie

Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev aka Damon and Elena

The third thing I noticed about Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries is that they love showing their male leads without shirts.

In regards to Twilight it's become a joke as to how many times Jacob will take his shirt off. In the latest installment of the series he took his shirt off in the first 8 seconds. The director really wasn't wasting time. Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob, had to spend a long time getting physically ready for the role after nearly losing it for not having enough muscles. If only they'd spent that much time working on the acting, the script, the story...

True Blood is aimed at an adult audience and caters to more adult topics and imagery, teenagers should avert their innocent eyes. In True Blood nudity has come to be expected. If you've gotten half way through an episode and haven't seen a shirtless man or woman then chances are you're watching the wrong show. Fortunately they hire beautiful actors. No matter how long Taylor spends at the gym I don't think he'll ever reach the potential of True Blood's resident werewolf Alcide.

The Vampire Diaries, like Twilight, is aimed at a teenage female audience so they are a little more PG. However like True Blood they have a beautiful cast and we do get to see some great body shots of Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Unlike Twilight the producers seem to understand that teenagers have sex and so don't shy away from sexual content in the show.


Alright, now that I've got your attention I want to focus on the differences between Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. Let's take a look at eating habits.

In Twilight they have recreated Vampires and not in a good way. The Cullen family refuses to feed on human blood choosing instead to eat small fluffy innocent animals. They also play baseball as a family, spend their immortal lives constantly going to high school, and refuse to have sex before marriage.

True Blood vampires are much more predatory. They prefer to drink human blood but since the creation of Tru Blood, a synthetic blood drink, they can "come out of the coffin" and integrate with humans. There are many fangbangers (Vampire fanatics) who are happy to let vampires feed on them though. Sookie lets Bill and Eric feed on her and her blood becomes an integral part of the story. Humans also drink Vampire blood or "V" which is like a drug.

In The Vampire Diaries all the vampires drink human blood except for Stefan who has a bit of a drinking problem. He survives on animal blood because once he drinks human blood he can't control himself. Damon drinks human blood from a blood bank after Elena made him promise to stop killing people (a fair request no?) In Season three Stefan is back on human blood and all kinds of crazy.

The last comparison I want to make is in regards to Werewolves. It seems you can't have a film or TV show about Vampires without having werewolves in them.

In Twilight Jacob is a werewolf. He comes from a werewolf bloodline which runs in the Quileute tribe. Vampires and werewolves are sworn enemies and the werewolves see themselves as protectors of the humans. They can turn at any time, are not limited by the moon and are much larger than regular wolves. In other words they're not werewolves.

In True Blood the werewolves are said to be afflicted with lycanthropy, which causes them to turn. They hunt in packs and under a packmaster. In season four Alcide doesn't want to be part of a pack and this causes problems for him. True Blood werewolves are not stronger than vampires, even if hunting in packs. However if the werewolf is on "V" then they can challenge a lone vampire.

The Vampire Diaries has taken a more traditional approach with their werewolves. By season two Tyler has discovered that he has the curse in him which explains his intense anger outbursts and passion for fighting. However to become a full werewolf you have to kill someone. Once you have you will be bound by the moon, turning without control. The show recently added a hybrid storyline which combines werewolf and vampire.

So there are a few of the similarities and differences between Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries. Obviously there isn't a complex formula for creating a show about vampires. Simply take one human girl, add a vampire as a love interest and throw in a third supernatural being to complete the triangle. The rest you can just make up as you go along. You may be a fan of vampires, or you may be one of the many wishing they would disappear from the screen entirely. Either way you can't deny that they are a producer's gold pot which means they aren't going away anytime soon.