As the spring television season wound down, I was wondering what would capture my attention for periodic television watching over the summer. We decided to order the movie package from Verizon FIOS, as we thought it might be cheaper than pay-per-view and blockbuster late fees. With that package came HBO.

I’d heard rumblings from TVSquad about this new show, John from Cincinnati, that was made from the producers of Deadwood (which I’ve never watched, but heard it was very good) so I made a point of watching the first episode about this guy that shows up in Imperial Beach, California and starts to work/observe positive changes in a circle of relationship surrounding a very dysfunctional family of surfers.

That synopsis doesn’t give the show justice. I’m really liking the show, and have become a fan of David Milch, the creator of JFC and Deadwood just from the concepts portrayed in the show. But, word of warning, this is a show on HBO, and as such, the language and themes are not what you’d find on the networks. Both in a good a bad way, perhaps. If you pale at the use of strong words starting with ‘F’, then you’ll probably be put off by the show. A word of advice, the language is there for a reason, and the advice from Milch is watch the actions, don’t listen to the words. And after hearing that and re-watching the episodes, there is some real gems and some great acting.

The great thing about HBO is that there are lots of options for watching the show, it airs at many times, and it is available on VOD. But for now, I’ve got the HD version of it airing Sunday night locked in on my DVR. Though I have to find alone time to watch it, since Angie doesn’t care for the language, and it probably shouldn’t be heard by the kids either. Also, it being on HBO, the amount of people I know that might watch it is reduced as well.

It is hard to describe the amount of wonder, confusion and then satisfaction I get from this show. It has taken its time in setting up the stories the show will tell. The characters aren’t always likable, or ever do or say the right thing. The themes are redemptive in nature, oddly reminiscent of some themes from The Shawshank Redemption (a wonderful movie… go watch it).

So while my water-cooler talks with friends might not occur about JFC, there are a few online places I can turn to: wiki, podcast, forums, blog and more blogs. What about you, do you watch John from Cincinnati?