Non-Standard Operating Procedure

By: Jason Davis
Date: Monday, June 19, 2006

TV likes its trends. In the fifties, it was game shows. Prime time soaps were all the rage in the eighties. The early part of this decade was devoted to the accursed "reality" series. Now, we're in the age of the procedural. Of course, LAW & ORDER has been waving the flag since the sun coalesced and the Earth cooled, but the proliferation of the genre is really a twenty-first century phenomena. First, LAW & ORDER: SVU, then the rest. Add to that the CSIs and you've got half of any fall schedule quota for dramas. I don't watch 'em. Not my cup of tea, really. The ones I've seen are well done and there's no doubting they've a substantial audience (I mean, CSI pretty much tops the ratings every week it's on), but they just don't appeal to me. When I was a kid, my folks watched HILL STREET BLUES and DALLAS. So, that's what I watched. I think serialized narratives are addictive and I've always gravitated toward continuing stories and developing plots. Of course, I appreciate pre-DALLAS shows like TREK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, but from around 1980 on, I'm a tune in next week to see how things develop kind of guy. Imagine my surprise then, when I find myself gravitating toward a number of what could ostensibly be defined as procedurals.

Last week, I raved about MEDIUM. This week, I'm raving about its relatives in the TV family treea species I'm calling the pseudo-procedural. MEDIUM, NUMB3RS, HOUSE, MD, and even my beloved THE INSIDE fall squarely into the category. I think the phenomena is a byproduct of TV writers used to continuing story elements trying to be more commercial and exploit the networks' lust for LAW & ORDER/CSI ratings. Each of the shows deals with an intriguing profession and delves into the science (or in MEDIUM's case, psuedo-science) of that discipline and how it applies to that week's story. From that angle, it's all procedural, but then Allison DuBois goes home to her rocket scientist husband and three kids. Charlie Eppes hangs out with his dad and brother. Greg House shoots up some painkillers and ignores the world. Rebecca Locke...well, she never had a chance to go home because her series was cancelled, but there was an ongoing arc in the unaired installments. Each series has a character-based dimension above and beyond the standard archetypes employed by more traditional genre entries. As snallygaster sagely noted in last week's talkbacks, these shows might not require the attention we lavish on more intricately woven affairs like BATTLESTAR GALACTICA or DEADWOOD, but that's part of their appeal. Were I the kind of guy who could miss an episode of a show (as it happens, my DNA forces me to slavishly digest things in order without breaks...thank God for DVD), I could slip into any of these programs and enjoy my hour.


In a way, these shows are like going to your company picnics. Yeah, I can't believe I just said that either. We see the characters at work. We like them and it's nice to see where they come from and what they're like when the whistle blows and the mines empty out. For me, VERONICA MARS and LOST are like familyyou live with them week in and week out. LAW & ORDER and CSI are workgreat if you're into it, but hell if you aren't. The pseudo-procedurals are like work with a side of socializing with really cool people who I'd like to get to know, but don't feel like I have to live with. And that's where I'll wrap things up lest the metaphor police surround my domicile and cart me off to the crazy house. The summer season is coming into its own with THE DEAD ZONE and THE 4400 revving up. The STARGATEs will be back shortly. I'm enjoying HEX on BBC America, though wishing the censors weren't so scissor happy. Courtesy of Costco, I'll soon be diving into RESCUE ME to see what all the fuss is about and you all owe it to yourselves to take a look at NUMB3RS' first season on DVD...it's like STAND AND DELIVER with a badge (and Lou Diamond Philips, come to think of it). Write me at wastelandjason@hotmail.com with comments, complaints, and colorful language.


MONDAY, JUNE 19

MEDIUM (10 PM PST, NBC) "Dead Aim" Buffy's Harry Groener, forever immortalized as the sanitation-obsessed mayor of Sunnydale, California, guest stars in this week's "encore presentation" (I remember when we called 'em re-runs) of this pseudo-procedural.
SAVED (10 PM PST, TNT) "Lady and the Tiger" Last week, Cinescape reader daforce recommended this new entry from TNT...alas, my recording yielded only static, but give this one a look in this week since TNT seems to be moving into interesting territory when it comes to original programming.


TUESDAY, JUNE 20

VERONICA MARS (9 PM PST, UPN) "Rat Saw God" The week this episode aired, I interviewed Joss Whedon onstage at the LA Convention Center...I fear the cosmic repercussions of its repeat.


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

LOST (9 PM PST, ABC) "Everybody Hates Hugo" Can't go wrong with Hugo Reyes is you ask me. I always look forward to episodes centering on Locke or Hurley and this one didn't disappoint.
LOST (10 PM PST, ABC) "...and Found" A lovely Jin-centric hour follows with everyone's favorite ESL student trying to woo the woman of his dreams.


THURSDAY, JUNE 22

HEX (10 PM PST, BBC America) "Deeper Into the Darkness" I've just finished watching the pilot of this series as I write thisnot sure where it's going to go, but I was bloody well impressed with the look of the thing! No one does atmosphere like the Brits and the cast led by Christina Cole was quite good. Nice to see Colin Salmon back on TVif you've not seen him as the Police Superintendent in the Fox-aborted fish out of water with chips vehicle, KEEN EDDIE, go thou to thy Netflix queue and shuffle! Jemima Rooper's a laugh as well!


FRIDAY, JUNE 23

NUMB3RS (10 PM PST, CBS) "Double Down" Card counting anybody? Imagine Charlie Eppes in Las Vegas...wait. Hold on a minute. I think I've just devised a cross over for sweeps...I'm gonna go phone my agent!


SATURDAY, JUNE 24

DOCTOR WHO (7:15 PM GMT, BBC1) "Fear Her" Last week's "Love & Monsters" was a marvelously off-the-wall romp akin to Vince Gilligan's best work on THE X-FILES. This week, LIFE ON MARS co-creator Matthew Graham takes up the pen for something I'm hoping will be quite special.


SUNDAY, JUNE 25

THE 4400 (9 PM PST, USA) "Gone Part 1" Maia gets a visit from her younger sister. This'll be fun...
DEADWOOD (9 PM PST, HBO) "True Colors" After Al got the sharp end of Mr. Hearst's pick in last week's episode, I forecast a stormy hour indeed.
THE DEAD ZONE (10 PM PST, USA) "Independence Day" A few weeks early, but I'm always up for celebrating the fourth of July...this way, I can watch DEAD ZONE without it interfering with my annual screening of 1776.
ENTOURAGE (10 PM PST, HBO) "Dominated" With Vinnie riding the wave of Aquaman's success, the series turns its attention to Ari's home life and his daughter's interest in an up and coming young actor. Poor Ari.
HUFF (10 PM PST, Showtime) "Which Lip is the Cervical Lip?" No comment.