For All Ages: Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb spend each day coming up with some crazy invention or idea to enjoy their summer vacation and while they and their friends enjoy whatever odd thing they've come up with, their older sister Candace obsesivly tries to "bust" them by revealing their creations to their mother, only for the evidence of the day's activities to vanish before her mother can see them. Meanwhile, a platypus secret agent, who happens to pose as the brother's mild mannered platypus pet, battles the "evil" Dr. Doofensmirtz whose diabolical schemes range from truly frighting to completely petty. It's as ridiculous as it sounds, but it works in a big way.

This animated show is still running on Disney Channel and has been a big hit with kids. It also has a strong adult following, mostly for its clever writing and humor, and for songs so silly and wonderful you can't help but love them.

If you have kids older than 6 or 7, and they're not watching this already, it's one of the best children's shows out there. It's positive, friendly, uses absurd comedy to stress wholesome values and is not nearly as heavily merchandised as most other shows aimed at that demographic. It also features a platypus secret agent.

As an adult, I appreciate the fact that the show does not take itself too seriously, doesn't treat its viewers like idiots and many jokes stem from the expectations of the viewer being subverted, twisted, or otherwise played with. It's a show that really rewards frequent viewers with subtle background jokes, callbacks to previous episodes, and lots of self-referential humor. Despite this, it remains watchable in almost any order. Episodes are normally only 11 minutes long (although there are some 22 minute 2-parters) which makes it a great show to put on when your time is limited. Episodes in Netflix are grouped in sets 0f two (as they aired) but in most cases the second episode is not connected to the first, so you can turn it off midway through an not miss anything.

The cast features a wide variety of recognizable names and voices, and the songs are all original and very fun, catchy and well done. There's at least one song per episode and occasionally more. I dare anyone to listen to Gitchee Gitchee Goo from the episode "Flop Stars" and not have that song stuck in your head for a few days.

Availability: The complete 1st and 2nd seasons (with the sad exception of the TV movie "Summer Belongs to You"), and 16 episodes of the 3rd season as of this writing. More episodes are being added, normally a few weeks after they air on Disney Channel. The made-for-TV movie "Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension" is also available on Watch Instantly, although it's listed separately from the series.

Total Running Time: 28.5 hours for the series.
When to Watch: You want some zany fun and catchy music to fill up a short break.

To Boldly Go...Part 1

This will be the first in a four part post about modern Star Trek, all of which is conveniently available on Netflix.

Let's start chronologically with Star Trek: The Next Generation.

This is a marquee show for Netflix. It was very popular during its initial run, has a large number of episodes, and is remembered fondly by both twenty-somethings who saw latter seasons as kids and by older audiences for its many strong episodes. This is precisely the type of show that Netflix should be looking at to draw in subscribers.

That is not to say the show is beyond reproach. The first two seasons are, to put it nicely, terrible, with a few exceptions (Measure of a Man, for example). If you're skeptical about science fiction in general or Star Trek in particular, I would recommend skipping the first two seasons and starting with the generally better 3rd season. The only real item of importance you miss is the introduction of Q, a nigh omnipotent being who pops up over the later seasons, mostly to annoy Captain Picard.

One thing to note is that many of the special effects have not aged well. Most of the big ships are done with models, rather than CGI, which has let them age gracefully, but many smaller effects on away missions or involving non-humanoid aliens really show off the poor quality of cutting edge of early 90's technology.

A final negative aspect is that, mostly because of the creator's wishes, there is very little in the way of character development. Some actors grow into their roles a little bit better as the series progresses, but there are very few changes in the personalities and motivations of the main cast. To an audience used to Battlestar Galactica or other character heavy shows, this can be very disappointing.

I'd suggest looking at the show as a tour of the Federation and the universe of Star Trek and appreciating some of the very interesting ideas the show suggests about humanity and our future. Episodes focused on the Prime Directive, first contact with new species, and recognition of artificial life tend to be though prevoking, while episodes focused on the Klingons, Romulans, and Borg generally deliver tense stand-off and good action.

What The Next Generation does exceptionally well is provide a very optimistic view of the future of humanity. Indeed, the first and last episodes of the series turn on humanities ability to transcend the crimes of our past and prove ourselves worthy of living among the stars. It's a very uplifting vision of the future and one I personally find inspiring.

The series is generally well acted and Patrick Stewart, no surprise, does a fantastic job throughout the series' run.

I suggest watching it like a prime-time soap opera, playing one episode every weeknight, with the exceptions of the two-parters, which I suspect you'll want to watch together. It'll last a while and hopefully propel you into watching Deep Space Nine or Voyager.

Availability: All 7 seasons on Watch Instantly.

Running time: 133 hours. It's a major commitment.
When to Watch: You want a hopeful view of the future that's light on petty personal conflicts and heavy on ideas.

Lost in the Crowd: 18 to Life

Two charming seasons about two 18 year olds who get married. The leads, Michael Seater (of Life with Derek) and Stacey Farber (of Degrassi) are an adorable couple and their relationship is one of the most grounded, realistic portrayals of a teenage relationship on TV. The one gripe about their characterization is that they are far too grounded to actually get married that young, but considering that's the premise of the series, I'll give it a pass. The supporting cast (the character's parents and siblings) were all played by people I hadn't seen before, but they all do a fantastic job providing context and conflict for the newlyweds. The show has a sincerity to it that makes it stand out from most other shows about people that age.

While some of the supporting characters have their personalities taken to extremes, this is mostly played for laughs and doesn't distract from the overall story about the life changing decision these two teenagers have made. After all, although 18 to Life has more heart than most shows of its genre, it is fundamentally a comedy. I found it to be very funny, but it derives most of its comedy from character interaction and situations that logically flow from the characters personalities. It's less overt than most comedies, but it really works in the series. As with all comedies, it might just miss your comedic sensibilities, so be aware that its humor is not for everyone.

18 to Life only ran for 6 episodes in the United States before the CW pulled it. The remaining episodes were broadcast on CBC in Canada. Thanks to Netflix, us Americans can now enjoy the remainder of a really great, albeit short running, series.

Availability: Both seasons available on Watch Instantly.

Running time: 25 episodes at 22 minutes each. About 9 hours for the entire series.

When to Watch: You want a short lighthearted comedy with fun and charming characters.

Ode to Television

Our TV, who art in Comcast,
hallowed be thy broadcasts,
thy high definition come,
thy programing be done,
in my living room as it is in Tivo Central.
Give us this day our daily dramas.
And forgive us our commercial breaks,
as we forgive those who advertise against us.
And lead us not into MTV,
but deliver us from reality television.
Amen

This is a short riff on the Lord's Prayer I wrote about 7 years ago, just after my family got a TiVo. It was a revolutionary moment in my TV watching history. A similarly monumental shift in my viewing occurred in 2010 when we subscribed to Netflix Watch Instantly. We recently got a Roku streamer and have cancelled our cable and gone to internet TV only. It's been an interesting experience, mostly a positive one.

So welcome to Instant Gratification, a general purpose TV blog with a special focus on content available on Netflix Watch Instantly.