Have you heard about the new TV series House of Cards?  Or, I guess I should say, the new not-quite-a-TV-series?  It’s a political drama starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, and all 13 episodes (or, to be correct, they’re called “chapters”) are available now on Netflix (yep, even Netflix Canada has it).

There’s been a lot of discussion in the media about this show, for a few reasons.  Number one – this is the first time Netflix has created/produced content (instead of just being a distribution service for existing stuff).  And number two – the idea of releasing all the episodes in one big dump (instead of slowly dispensing them, week after week, like traditional TV serials) is challenging the way we produce and consume media.  Interesting.

We’ve watched the first two chapters and thought they were great.  They’re directed by David Fincher, and the sets and lighting are gorgeous.  Have you seen the show?  What do you think?

[image via Salon.com]

Yep, I’ve been blogging about TV a lot lately.  John Doyle wrote a controversial piece in The Globe and Mail a couple weeks ago stating that television has killed the novel.  While I don’t necessarily agree with that, I do agree that television programs have come a long way, and are one of my favourite forms of storytelling.

Anyway, theory aside, have you heard about the new show that starts next weekend on HBO?  It’s called Girls, and it’s about twenty-somethings living in NYC.  Based on the trailer (above) I think it has potential.  And Judd Apatow is behind it, so that might help things.  The first episode airs Sunday April 15 on HBO.

I’m an Aaron Sorkin fan, for sure. Anyone who can turn a story about a nerdy college kid writing code (or how to build a baseball team based on statistics) into something I’d care about is alright in my books. Have you seen the trailer (above) for The Newsroom, Sorkin’s new show on HBO?  It looks quite good.  And I love the way the titles are displayed.  Check it out.