The X Files plus Friday The13th The Series equals suck, in my estimation.
"The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules." - E. Gary Gygax
you took the words right out of my mouth.
The show had good progress as far as potential (The second and third episodes were both much improved over the pilot), but then the show gets a Wesley in the form of Claudia and the show just kind of drowns in all the crappiness.
To an extent, it relies too much on Fridge Logic and stock tropes. Artie basically knows everything about everything (unless he doesn't) so it's mostly about the two trying to hunt things down in really round about ways and Artie not telling them things because... he doesn't want to. In Implosion, for instance, they have to prevent a sword from being given to the President of the USA. Rather than simply inform the President and have the sword detained while they check it out (or replace it with the harmless replica they already have), they are instructed to intercept it without warning anyone. So... yeah.
I think it's actually pretty entertaining. It seems like it's smoothing out as the season goes on and as the character's relationships become a little more developed.
I agree with you in a sense, though I find the idea more interesting than the characters who just seem like boring and overused cliches. It's so formulaic I was already immediately interested in Arty and Claudia, not for what they are, but the mold they fit I happen to enjoy.
Nitpick: It does make sense for Houdini to have an item that lets you talk to the dead; he was known for his skeptical interest in spiritualism, and he and his wife had a code phrase so that if she tried to contact him through a medium after his death she'd know if it was really him. Not that they ever mentioned this, and I would not be surprised if their getting it almost right was sheer coincidence, but there it is.
I was skeptical of the show when it first aired. I went to watch one or two episodes to see if it interested me and I ended up watching every episode for each season. I'm now a huge fan, I agree that the show did start off shakey but I think it has since found its footing. YMMV but I really can't complain about the plot, characters, or delivery. Maybe I just have a higher tolerance for ham & cheese shows than other more high brow tropers. Anyway I think the shows creaters did wonders with what they had and made a generally entertaining show.
Doin' what I can with what I got.
While I do agree that the show has flaws-particularly the character of Pete Latimer who is just awful- I do think that the show has been steadily improving since the choppy first season. The cast additions, primarily Claudia Donovan, have improved the overall quality and the arcs have become more interesting. No, it's not groundbreaking television-those days on Siffy died with "Farscape" but it's fun, and quite enjoyable, if a bit predictable. It's worth it just to see Saul Rubinek every week although I wish we'd see more of C.C.H. Pounder's wonderfully dry Mrs. Frederick.
I think this show is really great for what it is. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It's just fun. I think all the main actors do a great job playing off each other and keeping viewers invested in their relationships. It's not trying to blow your mind. It's trying to give you a nice, flowing, and entertaining hour of tv infused with a little scifi and a lot of nerdy pop culture shout outs! Just what I want on a Monday night.
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Warehouse 13- Not as interesting as it sounds.
This show had a lot of potential, but it's not all that engaging. It lacks the depth, internal consistency, and/or a sense of whismy it is so desperately in need of. When a show takes itself relatively seriously, but everything from plot to prop design seems utterly arbitrary, it is very hard to care about any of it.
Additionally, given that it is in the mold of shows which have mixed the paranormal, supernatural, and extraterrestrial without too many qualms, the excessively nonsensical and lame "scientific" explanations for the various macguffins are utterly unnecessary. It'd be far better if when the characters were confronted with something that defy science and history and fit supernatural tropes to either have the characters themselves have no idea why things work the way they do, or just have it be magic. JUST HAVE IT BE MAGIC, dammit*! This misplaced desire to make things seem more mysterious and cool by throwing out random bad explanations extends even to the historical aspects. The show is always trying to invoke historical figures and hint at secret histories...without having done any even superficial historical research. That sort of thing only works when you at least loosely base it off actual historical details and characters. It doesn't have to all that accurate. Just enough that it isn't an instant wallbanger. For example, it makes no sense to have the bio-energy golfcart designed by Thomas Edison for Henry Ford, and then covered up. Nor does it make sense for Houdini to have something that actually lets you talk to the ghosts of dead loved ones.