What surprised me most during my discovery, was that had you asked me which show I thought I'd like more going in - I would have gotten it wrong. Going into this season, I was predisposed to liking one show more than the other...and it still managed to fail me.
As a vampire fan (I read vampire books before Twilight made them the cool new thing), I fell in love with Mick St. John, aka Alex O'Laughlin on Moonlight.
I was of course, devastated when CBS made the fatal decision to cancel the show after its first season (and I'm sure whoever made that decision got fired after True Blood and Twilight have gone on to super fandom). So when I saw ads for Mick St. John's new show as a doctor on Three Rivers, I was so excited that even called my mom to tell her about it (she's a vampire fan too).
And yet, the characterization on Three Rivers (in addition to poor scheduling by CBS - seriously, how can a show succeed if the show before it constantly runs overtime and ruins my DVR plans?) has been done so poorly up to this point that as I sit here, I can't for the life of me think of Alex O'Laughlin's character's name. (I googled it, and it's Dr. Andy Yablonski).
And I was predisposed to like him, I anxiously awaited the debut of his new show, and I watched both ER and Grey's Anatomy for several seasons each before losing interest. CBS couldn't have asked for a more primed viewer than me, but the show's focus on technical medical jargon and procedure, the philosophical and moral benefits of organ donation (a little too preachy for my tastes), and actions scenes (how many times can watching a helicopter fly to pick up an organ be exciting?) have left me bored and uninterested. Where are the great character stories that made ER and Grey's such big hits?The show I am loving right now?
I recorded it on the DVR on a whim since the Fiennes brothers are usually pretty awesome. And I have to admit that I'm totally hooked. After several episodes, I feel like I know every character, and I might not know their entire backstory. But I know what will happen to them on April 29th for two minutes, and I know how they're handling - or not handling - dealing with that futuristic knowledge.
And, though this isn't characterization, I have to say I'm a sucker for television shows that have a master plan (X-files was the first show I followed with a religious intensity).
I've always said that it's characters and voice that make or break a manuscript or a book for me. If a character comes alive to me, sucks me into their story, makes me think about them for days after I've closed the book (I still love you Prince Brigan despite the fact that you've given me unrealistic expectations in men), I'm sold. Good characters can trump plot holes for me. I don't question inconsistencies other people noticed in Time Traveler's Wife because I'm too caught up in the characters to notice.
Good characters even hide their own unrealistic - and maybe not healthy habits - from me. It took me a few months after I first read Twilight to really think about Edward's creepy sleepstalking behavior and admit to myself that Edward Cullen is not the kind of boyfriend I want (extra thanks to Nick for raising his hand in class that day and saying "Wait. I just don't get the obsession with Edward. I mean, he's kind of creepy." It did spawn a twenty minute tangent discussion, but it did pull all us girls out of the book long enough to think...oh yeah, he is kind of creepy).
Without good characterization, it's just hard to care about the story.