Save the Cheerleader, save the world

Two new US TV dramas are going from strength to strength across the Atlantic. Heroes is continuing to build its audience, thanks to a recent catch-up episode marathon and strong word of mouth. All the promotion in the world might get people to watch the opening episode of a new show [witness the success of Torchwood on BBC3 in the UK], but it's word of mouth that encourages people to sample subsequent episodes. The first chapter of Heroes is good but by the end of chapter two it's got you hooked. Having worked in comics for a long, long time, this is what I've always wanted superheroes to be but have never found in print - compelling, exciting, human and gripping. Doesn't hurt that Heroes has got the best cliffhangers on any show on TV at present, bar none.

Regular British readers of this blog will probably be bored to death of me pimping for the other breakout hit of the new US TV season, Ugly Betty. Will, not long until you too get to see what all the fuss is about. Channel 4 is scheduling the show for Friday nights in January, probably using Celebrity Big Brother as a hammock to help the series get established and build its audience. No doubt there'll be lots of carping about how it's not as funny as people expected, but I think they'll grow to love the characters and care what happens to them. Ugly Betty has its big kitsch moments and plot threads, not unlike the first season of Desperate Housewives, but I also think it's got more focus. Anyway, you can see for yourselves come January.

On the UK TV front, I've managed to miss conspiracy thriller The State Within, a shame as its exactly the kind of show I like - guess I'll be waiting for the DVD on that one. Enjoyed the final episode of The Amazing Mrs Pritchard last night, but was frustrated by the cliffhanger ending to the series. Ratings for the series weren't huge, so I have my doubts it'll be recommissioned. That means I'll never know what she decided to do about her husband's old crime. Sigh. Guess now I know exactly how some people felt about being left hanging by the last episode of my Sarah Jane Smith audio dramas. Such is life.

In other news, I finished my first piece of course work for year two of my screenwriting MA yesterday, and did the final tweaks on my Warhammer novel. Today I need to write a three minute scene in prep for the BBC Radio drama lab I'm returning to tomorrow. Plus I could do with progressing some of my other, ongoing projects. Busy, busy, busy - still, that's a good thing, right?