What I've Been Watching - TV

Its been a while but I'm back. So let me catch you up on what I've. been up to on my unofficial sabbatical.

Once Upon a Time

From the first episode, this has quickly become one of my favorite shows! I've always been a fan of fairytales and I've been enjoying trying to figure out who the residents of Storybrook really are.

The show provides a wonderful mix of action, romance, intrigue and mystery. Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen and especially Robert Carlyle as Rumplestilskin are fun to watch and seem to relish in their bad guy roles. Representing good is Jennifer Morrison, the daughter of Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin). Her 'parents' don't know of their great romance they had in Happily Ever After. They only know of their inexplicably strong attraction to one another.

In the final episode before the holiday hiatus, they actually killed off a popular (and kind of hot) character. That takes guts and I like a show with guts.

The next new episode airs this Sunday January 8 at 8:00 PM (ABC).

American Horror Story

The first season of American Horror Story recently concluded on FX. The brainchild of Glee and Nip/Tuck went into an entirely new direction with AHS and it paid off.

Watching the Harmon family (Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Taissa Farmiga) as they navigate the tricky terrain of a house overrun by ghost (most of them malevolent). And, then there is the nutty neighbor Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange) who knows many of the house's horrors.

Watching the story evolve was a treat every week and the ending was surprising to me. Although in retrospect, I should have seen it coming. I guess what was most shocking was Ryan Murphy's revelations after  the finale. He revealed that Season Two would be completely new!

Murphy said, "Every season of the show will be a different haunting. That’s always been the plan. Every season of the show will have a beginning, middle and end, and all new characters and setting. There are all kinds of different American horror stories to tell. There are serial killing stories, prison stories, true crime stories…Each year of the show is designed to be a little miniseries unto itself. The only thing we’re not open to doing is a season on vampires.”

Murphy also said that it's possible that some of the actors will come back for Season Two in completely different roles. While I would love to see McDermott and Britton again, I know there has to be a role for the scene-stealing, Golden Globe nominated Jessica Lange!