TV Shows I Almost Missed and Breaking Bad Extra
Over the past couple weeks I was recommended a couple of shows, and I finally decided to check them out. I had actually never heard of either one (or more likely, I’d seen their ads multiple times, but was reading or working or just not paying attention), so I never even thought of watching/tivo-ing them. Thanks to NetFlix (and a couple other online “methods”), I was able to see the first couple seasons of each, and they were very entertaining.
The first show, Leverage, with Timothy Hutton, is a “Con-Artists go Good” show (ala A-Team), that is a LOT like the U.K. show “Hustle”. I enjoyed Hustle, but I think the back story for the characters in Leverage is better, and the shows stick together a bit more. I enjoyed both seasons.
The second show is Sons of Anarchy. How in the WORLD did I miss the first season of this show?! It’s like a Sopranos meets Hell’s Angels. It’s an amazing show – very well written and very well acted – on par with Breakin’ Bad – I don’t know why they don’t have any Emmy nominations. If you liked The Sopranos, you’ll really enjoy Sons of Anarchy as well. The second season started a few weeks ago, and it’s getting very intense.
On a side note, my half-day on the set of Breaking Bad went swimmingly. As an “Extra w/ car”, my job was pretty simple – walk down the street a bunch of times – sometimes talking (without making any noise), and sometimes alone. And definitely not taking notice of the two DEA agents discussing something in a Jeep. So, on episode 3 of season 3, keep an eye out for a dude in khakis and a light blue shirt walking with a back-pack and talking (but not). You may even be able to see the back of the 355 in the distance.
The crew of Breaking Bad – totally awesome. The set I was on only had a couple of the famous actors (Just Hank and Gomez pretty much) and the rest of the crew, but it was very well organized. The AD (that’s movie speak for an assistant director) in charge of “herding the extras” was really nice and helped us a lot. She mentioned that I’d be surprised at how many people can’t walk and NOT look at the camera and actors. She also answered a lot of questions and was really nice throughout the morning. If the casting company calls for more extras – I’m there. Janet was a bit sad that she didn’t get called, but they’ve got more episodes to shoot, so hopefully she’ll get the chance. Oh, and I made a whopping $89 bucks! BOOYAH! PURE PROFIT!
We got a slightly late start (mid season) for both Leverage and SoA but really enjoy both of them (especially SoA – Leverage sometimes gets a little silly or unbelievable).
Yeah – Leverage sometimes get that “A-Team” effect – but I think that’s part of what makes it so fun.