TV: Even More Guilty Pleasures

I talked in this post about some shows that I enjoy watching, even though objectively they might not be very good or they might have certain parts that make you wonder what was in the minds of the creators. I felt like doing a follow-up, so here's some more guilty pleasures...

Battlestar Galactica

After watching about a half-dozen episodes, I can safely say that the reimagined version of BSG, while a good series, has its share of fanservice. How else can you explain the fact that most of the male stars are soap-opera attractive? I still mix up Anders, Apollo, and Helo since they're all square-jawed white guys who look like they could be on a beefcake calendar.

Of course, it's not just the men who are good-looking. While the series plays up the sexuality of Number Six early on (played by Tricia Helfer), there is plenty of eye candy to go around in the form of Starbuck and Boomer. Not that any of the actors or actresses are doing a bad job, or that the series is bad - it's just weirdly antithetical to the gritty realism elsewhere on the show that the leads all look, well, idealized. But that's Hollywood, I guess.

Project Runway

Another program that, while popular with most of my female friends, is not something that I suspect many guys watch. The biggest key to "Project Runway" are the outlandish challenges that come up (design a figure skating outfit for Sasha Cohen, design a women's wrestling outfit, design a dress made from plants). Without these challenges, the show'd quickly get boring.

Additionally, I'm convinced that the producers always make sure that someone you love to hate (or hate to love) makes it to the final three. The most recent winner, Christian, spared no one in his constant barbs towards other contestants. It's fun, up to a point, but grating commentary from some smirky 21 year-old can get old fast.

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

I used to watch this with the rest of my family, which is probably a big compliment to the series - there's enough superhero stuff for the kids, but older folks can enjoy the feisty on-screen relationship created by Terri Hatcher and Dean Cain. While this was sort of the high point of Mr. Cain's career, Terri Hatcher's still doing quite well.