My TV weakness can apparently be summed up in a single premise summary:
Seekrit or specialized team goes on missions to save people/the world. Team contains a diverse assortment of very cool, recognizable characters who are deeper and more complex than their surface types. Team leader is strong and charismatic, but doesn't dominate--everyone on the team gets plenty of screentime and moments to shine. Team must include strong women and geeks/oddballs, preferably more than one of each. Each season/series has an umbrella plot arc that develops with each otherwise-episodic mission. Characters and their relationships with each other develop naturally over the course of the entire show. Bonus points if there's copious slashbait, gender-bucking characters and/or actual queer ones.
This describes:
Primeval
Leverage
W13
Sanctuary
Torchwood
Criminal Minds
Numb3rs
Robin Hood
To a slightly lesser degree:
Fringe (smaller team, more lead-focused)
CSI (less character development, more mainstream)
Eureka (more lead-focused, and the team isn't formalized.)
I do love many shows that don't follow this formula--Game of Thrones, BSG, Caprica, Lost, True Blood, Sherlock, etc., but yeah. This is a quick way to get me to watch stuff, so long as it's not too episodic or mainstream.
Incidentally, I think this is why I tried Chaos, but didn't get into it. It has a lot of the same elements, but it's lacking a few critical factors, strong women especially. And I'm probably going to pass on continuing with House and Supernatural. SPN is episode after episode of Bechdel Test fail, and House has grown very stagnant in terms of being way too formulaic and not doing any real character and umbrella plot development.
Seekrit or specialized team goes on missions to save people/the world. Team contains a diverse assortment of very cool, recognizable characters who are deeper and more complex than their surface types. Team leader is strong and charismatic, but doesn't dominate--everyone on the team gets plenty of screentime and moments to shine. Team must include strong women and geeks/oddballs, preferably more than one of each. Each season/series has an umbrella plot arc that develops with each otherwise-episodic mission. Characters and their relationships with each other develop naturally over the course of the entire show. Bonus points if there's copious slashbait, gender-bucking characters and/or actual queer ones.
This describes:
Primeval
Leverage
W13
Sanctuary
Torchwood
Criminal Minds
Numb3rs
Robin Hood
To a slightly lesser degree:
Fringe (smaller team, more lead-focused)
CSI (less character development, more mainstream)
Eureka (more lead-focused, and the team isn't formalized.)
I do love many shows that don't follow this formula--Game of Thrones, BSG, Caprica, Lost, True Blood, Sherlock, etc., but yeah. This is a quick way to get me to watch stuff, so long as it's not too episodic or mainstream.
Incidentally, I think this is why I tried Chaos, but didn't get into it. It has a lot of the same elements, but it's lacking a few critical factors, strong women especially. And I'm probably going to pass on continuing with House and Supernatural. SPN is episode after episode of Bechdel Test fail, and House has grown very stagnant in terms of being way too formulaic and not doing any real character and umbrella plot development.