Remember when you stayed in on Thursday nights because the shows from 8 o'clock until the 11 o'clock news came on were all good? Now, of course, in the age of TiVo and DVRs no one has to stay in anymore, but there are a few shows you want to watch before going to work the next day so some blowhard doesn't ruin it for you, and so you can take part in the quote game with friends, recalling the funniest scenes from the night before. This season, I decided to give some new (and new to me) television shows a try. Here are some of my Faves, Skips, Guilty Pleasures, The Jury's Still Out, and Watching CSpan or the Book Channel Would be a Better Bet ...SKIP:
The Mentalist - admittedly, I DVR'd it because Simon Baker is hot, but the premise of a psychic-slash-hypnotist is a little ridonculous; otherwise it is a formulaic cop show with bad dialogue and easy-to-guess plot lines.
How I Met Your Mother - not very funny. I gave it a chance with The Best Hamburger in New York, but didn't laugh out loud once. I didn't chortle or snicker or smile. I was antsy, waiting for the payoff. When Barney said that "this hamburger is so good, I want to sew my ass shut," I didn't get it at first, and then was just grossed out thinking about that line. It's a Friends re-hash, and not a very good one at that. I still don't get the premise. Who IS the narrator?
WATCHING CSPAN OR THE BOOK CHANNEL WOULD BE A BETTER BET:
The Ex-List - I never liked Elizabeth Reaser when she was on Grey's Anatomy, so I didn't hold out much hope for the show, but thought I could bypass my dislike and thought it could be funny, smart, sexy ... something. Not. She and her sister call each other "dude" and she prances around in tank tops and short dresses -- whom exactly is this show supposed to attract? It's on Friday nights -- need I say more?
Grey's Anatomy - this Jumped the Shark in Season 2, about the fiftieth time Meredith and Derek broke up. McDreamy? Yawn. McBoring. Bring back Denny, and maybe I'll watch his scenes and fast forward through the other ones.
ER - is this show still on the air? I think I stopped watching it when that guy from Top Gun died.
GUILTY PLEASURE:
Gossip Girl - a much more realistic version of teenagers than Juno, although it's about rich ones who live on the Upper East Side. But sometimes we want that from a soapy television show -- remember how we wanted to live like the rich kids on the original 90210? I knew kids like the kids on Gossip Girl at the swanky boarding school I went to, but I was like Dan, the poor kid from Brooklyn on a scholarship.
THE JURY'S STILL OUT:
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - I watched the episode about them eating human meat. It was weird, but I was oddly entranced. Two of the guys were obsessed with hunting a man and talked about teabagging each other, and other such pranks. I'm not sure, but I'll give another episode a try ....
FAVES:
The Office - still funny, but tread carefully, writers. Don't turn Jim-and-Pam into a Sam-and-Diane. They're cute, but we don't want them to be the focal point of the show (thanks, Jenny). We like all the characters.
New Adventures of Old Christine - a solid comedy. True, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a version of Elaine in that she's self-centered and ironically, completely un-self-aware, but the writing is smart and the main characters -- old Christine, Richard, Matthew, Barb and new Christine create a tight ensemble. It's very refreshing, like a Junior Mint.
Mad Men - my latest favorite. It is wickedly sexist and very sexy. Don Draper is a guy I should hate, but I'm fascinated by him. He has a gorgeous wife, yet he has flings every other show. My friend Scott and I talked about how the show's title is sort of a misnomer in that it is less about the men than it is about the women. Plus, it's really cool to see the 60s through the lens of 2008. Watch it.
COULD BE INTERESTING IF:
Life on Mars - it is just as good as the British version. Is Hollywood all out of ideas? Also, my friend Maurin has a great idea. Instead of Dancing with the Stars, there should be a reality version with regular people. Dancing with Regular People, like a cop, a teacher, a construction worker, etc. Hear that Hollywood?
I'm counting the days until L O S T 4-8-15-16-23-42 (early 2009-damn! I'm really hoping it doesn't Jump the Shark, too, but I'm afraid of where they'll take the latest twist) and 30 Rock (Oc
tober 23) ...
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4 comments:
Totally agree with you on Grey's, yet I still DVR it every week. Also agree on Gossip Girl & Lost (best show ever, crossing my fingers that it never JTS). How I Met Your Mother is, in the words of Barney, AWESOME! But it may be b/c they are my exact age and when I see the flashbacks to college, I think Holy Shit that really is dorm life in 1996. I love that they end up at the same bar all the time. I also love the premise and I hope the show lasts long enough for us to find out WHO the mother is and how Ted met her. So mad I didn't get into Mad Men from the beginning...I feel like it's too late to jump in.
Couple things...
First of all, you are being a complete How I Met Your Mother HATER!!! Of course you don't like that show! You went in with the INTENTION of not liking the show. I applaud How I Met Your Mother for a couple of reasons. 1) Sitcoms, with their banal fat guy marries a hot girl and then perpetuates guy/girl stereotypes, are difficult to be good. But it's what people want out of TV and that's why they consistently get made. So this one is a bit different and while often predictable and cheesey, it is also hilarious. And also, the show KNOWS it is a friends rip-off/copy cat. In fact, they make jokes about it ALL THE TIME (I love self awareness), including one where they silently drink at a coffee shop out of big mugs and then hate on it because it isn't a bar. 2) I applaud the show for getting away from "uncomfortable comedy." I don't know where I read it, but I read an article talking about uncomfortable comedy being played out and I agree. There are basically four types of shows you can make: sitcoms, crime/legal drams, medical dramas, and hip things on cable that pretentious people can talk about. Which brings me to Mad Men...
Like you hating on HIMYM, I knew I wasn't going to like Mad Men. The setting is cool, as is the idea that nothing changes much, but the overly deliberate acting is too much for me. The show, like The Sopranos before it, KNOWS that it is making a "cultural statement" and that it has become part of the hip intelligencia. And that's it's achilles heel. It THINKS it's supposed to be important and so everyone involved with the show deals with it as such and when I watch it, that self importance oozes throughout every scene. I can't knock it for it's production value, but you're a flash in the pan Mad Men... I hope you quit after season three...
As for The Office, I laugh, but I'll miss Toby not being on the show.
(BTW, no way Mad Men doesn't show up on stuffwhitepeoplelike within the next four weeks)
Big G -- If I am being a HIMYM Hater, then you are being a MM Hater. I can admit it: I am maybe too old to appreciate its humor (as my last commenter pointed out, it reminds her of her college days -- probably a solid ten years after mine), but, and I really hate to be the one to tell you this: you are white. Since when did the guy who writes SWPL become the go-to authority on all things uncool and unhip? Maybe "Liking SWPL" should show up on SWPL's site? There is oh so much more to write, but I'll leave it at that ...
Gilly,
I know I'm white (and by the way, I'm convinced that he will end his blog with that exact post: stuffwhitepeoplelike... stuff white people like!) and I know that he is not the AUTHORITY on it, but I reference it so frequently because it is very introspective and pushes one to think. More importantly though, I do think there are parts of our pop culture (Little Miss Sunshine, The Strokes) that people say they like because it gives them credibility. And this is usually pretentious white people. No one questions the people who say that Wilco and My Morning Jacket are their favorite bands because they have the much beloved qualities of being great musicians but also being JUST fringe enough to be credible. If I say I like Coldplay, I'm hammered, yet they are unbelievable musicians who just happen to sell out 30,000 seat arenas. Anyone our age is afraid to say they like Dancing With The Stars or Snow Patrol because they will be HATED on by the pretentious.
And I put Mad Men in that category much beloved category. If someone asks you at a cocktail party what's your favorite TV show and you say Two And A Half Men or Alf or CSI, you'll be crucified. But if you say Mad Men, well then, you can sit at the cool kids table because that is a great show AND just fringe enough to be acceptable!
And that's all I'm saying... Listen, I should take the white person list test. As a guy that loves breakfast places and netflix, I'll probably score higher than any of you. But it would have been nice if you liked Mad Men AND a ridiculously stupid (yet extremely well written) 22 minute sitcom called How I Met Your Mother. Now if you'll excuse me I have to change into my gym clothes which consist of an American Apparel TV On The Radio shirt which I purchased with all the other hipsters at the show last night...
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