TV Meme Days 18 and 19: Two for the price of one

Day 18 | Favorite title sequence

I have a deep and abiding love for the Showtime series Dexter. When I first heard the premise of it, I knew immediately that this was a show I needed to watch. My weird proclivity for all things serial killers pretty much insisted upon it. It was just an added bonus that Julie Benz also had a role.

Everything about this title sequence is fabulous. Activities that are done every single day are made to look so extraordinarily sinister. Who knew cutting ham was so macabre? And wow, do I eat my eggs with such carnivorous vigor? And could I suffocate pulling a shirt on in the morning?!

The music is also fantastic. The first notes are a little sinister, but then it rolls out into this sort of happy go lucky type of music. It's what I would expect from a show that truly is a dark comedy.

My only complaint? Good grief, that is a big breakfast for one human being.

Day 19 - Best TV show cast

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucckkk youuuuuuuuuuuuu meme.

That's fine. I'm adding a caveat to this.

Day 19 - Best TV show cast that is not Whedon-made

Because it's truly unfair to do this to me.

Dead Like Me

This is another show I didn't get to watch while it was being aired. I managed to catch one episode during a Free Trial Weekend, and it did leave quite an impression. But I wasn't paying the cable bill at the time, so I didn't get to see the entire series until post cancellation.

What amuses me so much about this show is that three members of the cast were huge parts of my growing up pop culture.

Mandy Patinkin, who plays Rube, is not only Inigo Montoya, he's also 88 Keys from Dick Tracey, a movie I adored growing up. He's got a singing voice that could lull a rabid pit bull to sleep, and his speaking voice is nothing to shrug off. I cannot imagine anyone else playing Rube with the same amount of hardass and heart.

I grew up watching Jasmine Guy on A Different World. I LOVED that show, and it made me want to go to college so badly. Not that I did, but maybe it's because the show ended too far a time before I became disenchanted and bitter. As Whitley, Jasmine was a spoiled southern bitch, and I loved her. She wasn't my favorite character (that would be Dwayne Wayne), but I loved when she was on screen. As Roxy? Oh, god, let's not kid ourselves. Effing awesome.

In 1990 I was eight years old. Nickelodeon was my channel, and every show on it was my show. This was especially true for Fifteen. It didn't matter that I was eight and the age of fifteen was as foreign to me as anything outside of my small hometown. This show was DEEP! There was alcohol being imbibed, and (gasp!) kissing being done. I was a grown-up when I watched that show! And Laura Harris played Ashley. I hated the way she talked then, and she didn't improve on Dead Like Me. But I was still thrilled to see her.

I didn't recognize Ellen Muth at all. Turns out she's a Canadian actor who was in the movie Dolores Claiborne, which I had seen. Didn't remember her. But it kills me that this chick hasn't been in more movies and TV shows. As George, she is FANTASTIC. Sarcastic, bitchy, and gorgeous, I wanted to be reaped by her. Just fantastic.

And last but not least, an actor I didn't know at all, Callum Blue. No clue who he was, but I LOVED him, from moment one. He's the screw up, and he plays it with humor and realism. It would be really easy to make him this tragic character. Callum plays drug addled hobo-esque Mason with such "who gives a fuck" casualty that there is no distraction from the humor.

The side actors, such as Kiffany the waitress and George's parents are also fantastic. This show didn't have a weak link in the bunch. It really should've lasted a lot longer than 2 seasons.