Great comments, if short and sweet. "Bones" sounds right up my street. The comments about smart women and dozy men made me laugh. Bet it's only on satellite, though. Anyone in the UK know?

SweetMarilyn | September 24, 21:35 CET

Yep- I have to agree, DB shines in his role, though the writing sometimes clunks along. I think Angela Montenegro deserves praise, too.

looking | September 24, 21:53 CET

"the state of American TV drama by saying men play flawed and women play strong"
Not only US TV, watch any advert here with a man and a woman and the man will be a simpering, lazy, feckless idiot while the woman is a capable, unflappable expert on everything from rocket science to emulsion paint.

However, as regards the TV shows, it's the flawed characters who are the interesting ones. House, for example, may have Hugh Laurie playing a drug-addicted, miserable, egotistical loner with the social skills of a drive-by shooter while his boss is a profesionial, diplomatic and capable woman, but be honest, who do we watch the show for?

zz9 | September 24, 22:11 CET

Actually dig a little deeper into advertising and you'll find all the comfortable stereotypes. Adverts like Kellogs Frosties focusing on sports and acheivement are aimed entirely at boys. Ads for cleaning products are aimed at women. Plus those ones that say 'Women: don't expect help on a Thursday" for those pseudo porn mags. Yeah, I know it's supposed to be a joke, but people don't find racism funny - why is sexism still ok to laugh at.
Rant over. Apologies all.

Having said that, yeah, the flawed characters are always the most interesting, which is why you gotta love Whedon. They're all flawed! I love that Joss can show women being sensitive without being simpering, and sexual without being one-dimensional. That men can try so hard to do the right thing but still be human - or have violence inside but still be caring. It's a shame that so few other TV shows have the guts to develops such levels of character.

zz9 - "social skills of a drive-by shooter" *snigger*

lone fashionable wolf | September 24, 22:23 CET

Bones hasn't reached UK TV yet. We're getting The Closer from this week, so it might be similarly soon - or it might take months...

Craig Oxbrow | September 24, 22:37 CET

Bones will be on Sky One and is scheduled for March/April next year

garda39 | September 25, 01:43 CET

the stories havn't been great, but David Boreanaz and... the female lead whose name I do not know, are quite good. Making it a tad better than most procedurals. I do however find the holographic recreations kind of lame.

rabid | September 25, 05:22 CET

I've taped and watched both Bones so far, and while I'm still on the fence about the show in general, I think DB was a good choice for the role. I don't see Angel in his performance (although when he exits a room he's still working that slow, greased stride our vampire hero made memorable). I also enjoy Angela Montenegro a lot; she's mostly believable as the team computer geek, and her line delivery is least likely to feel obviously rehearsed. ED and DB do seem to have some natural chemistry; I'd just hope the writers would eventually figure out how to write for it in such a way that it doesn't feel so orchestrated. DB's role is constrained to the point (even compared to Angel) that it's been hard to get a bead on where he thinks the guy is coming from. A sniper, I had figured, would have a little more angst, military background and all aside. Was he at all psychologically damaged by his past occupation? Some kind of more humanizing weakness or personal vulnerability would make him more appealing, at least for me.

Hugh Laurie playing a drug-addicted, miserable, egotistical loner with the social skills of a drive-by shooter

Oh now, that's hardly fair, zz9. You've only listed his best qualities -- surely he's got some flaws? ;) I just can't think of any at the moment, having become a House junkie in just the past month or so due to HL's irresistably irascible charm. *sigh* Is it just me, or does anyone else get a combined S2/S4 AtS Wes vibe from him? Maybe it's the cane and the 'tude?

Wiseblood | September 25, 09:41 CET