Weeding out that Family Guy in a Community like Smallville: TV Part 3

Admittedly, my love and consumption of television is a slightly more than what should be consumed by the average bear, or even the average human. Even more ridiculous, I imagine, is the way that it becomes a part of my life. I don't think I could go for more than a few hours without some clever reference or quip directly linked to one of my favorite shows. And, having read my short novella on television for my last post, you're likely getting the idea. It's important to me and to the connections that I have in my life. It's an instant smile. And I thrive on smiling. So without further ado, let's wrap this up...


Smallville - I know this is a strange thing to share, but I was in the shower before I settled in to write this and I was trying to come up with things to say about why I love this show. It's kind of hard to do at first glance because so many people will dog this show. And, really, for good reason. It's in its ninth season, they've killed off a central character to the Superman story, and Smallville is just now growing into Clark Kent - star reporter. It's not as easy to swallow for everyone...but it is for me. I love this show and there are several reasons why. The first is that I enjoy the usage of the inside joke for the show. The show's premise all just an insider look. We all know Clark Kent, but no one else does. And the writers love this. There are great throw ins - like comments about how great he looks in blue and red, or random "S" logos all over the place, or even jokes that Clark is unrecognizable in glasses. I love the inside jokes in the show. I also love how the show has had to keep changing. The feel of the show in season 9 is drastically different than the feel of the show in season 3. This is due, mostly, to an ongoing shift in characters. But it's also due to the fact that Clark Kent grew up. Of course he dealt with high school issues in high school. And now he's dealing with saving the world issues as a 23-year-old. It's not a perfect show, but it's one that has slid by and still managed to keep my attention. It's a comfortable show, it fits well, and the honor and values in the show remain the same - despite the shift in mood and pace. It sounds preachy, but it's true. Clark Kent will always do the right thing - and you have to admit that it's pretty super.



Supernatural - Speaking of super...let me tell you about this show. This show, more than any other, reminds me of the Trio. It took their pushing to get me to watch it and I don't ever enjoy it more than when I am watching it with them. It's premise is, well, just a little far-fetched. I mean...demons and monsters and djinns...oh my! But there is something so real about Sam and Dean and their relationship...it's a piece of human instinct and nature in the middle of some of the most fantastic situations. They make the show, their interactions, their idiosyncrasies are the back bone of why people keep watching. I mean sure, it's nice to see what it would be like if Bloody Mary really existed or if angels and demons decided to fight in a war. It's a fun look into the "What if...." part of our brains. But the real brilliance in the show is that you connect most with what's human, what the natural, albeit bad-ass, reaction would be. You can't help but fall in love with the boys. They are flawed, but dreamy. And yeah, it is a little fan-girl-esque of me, but it's true. The other amazing thing about the show is its ability to laugh at itself and at its actors. Jared and Jensen must be the ABSOLUTELY best people in the world with whom to work because they seem to be just...fun. And the show, despite its dark moments, always brings the fun. Even if it is somewhat twisted.



The West Wing - I've long debated whether or not I would love this show as much if I hadn't spent a semester in DC. You see, this show has been a part of my life for years. I can remember this being the first show that my parents actively taped and watched together. They loved it and I loved the idea that it would bring them together. And then I saw "The American President" for the first time - which, push come to shove, might be my favorite movie - and fell in love with the writing. I loved it, especially President Andrew Shepard's final speech about what it meant to be an American. I mean really - how could you not be inspired. Fast forward years later to a girl in her makeshift DC apartment on a federal holiday. Every morning Bravo played (and probably still does play) a few episodes of the West Wing. And one time I caught one...and it was awesome. I mean I had no idea, plot-wise, what was going on, but the writing was so on point. And I had been there. I had driven past the Kennedy Center just the other day. I knew I had to invest some time in this. And so I did. I spent most of my summer watching the show and missing DC and feeling proud to be an American. I missed being a reporter and longed to be a politician and even aspired to be president all in the course of an hour of television. But it's a powerful show. It made me thrilled to be an American each episode, thrilled to be a writer each episode. I can, without a doubt, see why The West Wing was a show that captured the hearts and awards of the late 90s and early 00's. And part of me really wishes that I had been along for the ride. But I think I can say, definitively, that I would not have loved, understood or connected to this show if I hadn't, even in just a small part, lived it.



Weeds - There is a part of me that will never really be able to understand this show. It's that angelic part of me that doesn't get the risque nature of the show. But damn do I love the Botwins. They are a family who just keeps digging their life in a little bit deeper each season. Did I at all anticipate that we'd end up in Mexico when I first saw Nancy Botwin sell pot to her uppity friends in Agrestic? No. No I did not. But I'm there. Any look into the world unknown is worth it. And Agrestic put right up against Conrad's world of drug producing and selling is unknown to me. That is why I think the show works. It takes so many things that don't belong together and throws them in some sort of upper-class, ghetto gumbo. But it works. And our heroine is so frustrating but captivating that you can't help but ride along with her as she gets herself into one situation after another. Much like the rest of the shows on my list, the show thrives even when you want to ring our main character's neck because of the supporting cast. Her kids are amazing - even more amazing than you would originally suspect. And Lord love Andy Botwin for making the show just...wow. You will hate Celia. And you will sometimes even hate Nancy. But you will love the show - and its theme song. And if you ever find yourself in suburbia, you will have a recipe for how to make those little boxes interesting.



Veronica Mars - I thought this show was about an alien girl when I heard it mentioned in passing. I mean, she had mars in her name. She was technically from Neptune. As it turns out, though, Veronica Mars was just another television show about high school life in southern California...or not. The show is everything but the drama-filled ridiculousness that southern California high schools can be. It's just so. effing. clever. Kristen Bell - henceforth to be known as K-Bell - nails this character. I tried so hard to find the perfect quote for this selection, but there isn't one that really works because it's all in her delivery. The title character is the reason to watch the show. She has the rare ability to be completely likable in nearly every situation - something that shows with a central title character sometimes find issues with. But they manage to capture what it means to be a title character perfectly in Veronica. She's a blonde, pint-sized, detective teenager with the witty comebacks and dorky side to boot. She's everything I wanted to be in high school and more. I totally lacked the balls or private eye detective father to pull it all off, though. And the reason that they are able to make her so wonderful is that she's got the best supporting cast. Keith Mars, Wallace, Logan, Mack and Weevel are just brilliantly written and placed throughout the show. And it's not just those main-supporting characters. Even the less-important characters are right on point. It's just a sharp show. It's so underrated and really was cut too short. It's hard to expand on the show without just quoting endlessly. And it's a hard show to quote, because it's so situational and character-based. I find myself stumbling over how best to dote on this show, but I think it's simply because I can't imagine anyone not loving this show. It's a show that, I think, often falls into the 'guilty pleasure' column of television viewing because it's set in a high school. No one wants to own up to loving a show about high-schoolers. But it does manage to transcend those walls into a genuinely funny, poignant and well-written slice of life. Veronica Mars is a show of mine. So, Ha! Take that high school guidance counselor!


And our honorable mentions:

The Big Bang Theory - This is the one show that I would likely bump up into full-blown favorite status if I hadn't already cemented my list. This show is great for one reason - Sheldon. Sheldon Cooper is the best part of the show. Match Sheldon up with anyone on that show and he will shine - especially Penny. I read somewhere that their dynamic is the rare non-sexual male-female relationship that just shines. The whole premise is great, though. It's beauty and the geeks, but beauty isn't a bitch and the geeks are so freaking adorable. Their chemistry is great and the show can put any of the five featured characters together and it will work. The reason, though, that the show remains off the list for the time being is that it fails to deliver the plot excitement that so many of the shows I love seem to have down. I want to keep watching because I love the chemistry of the characters, but I am not driven to watch week to week because I don't know for sure where these characters are going, or if I will necessarily NEED to know what will happen. That being said, I usually laugh harder at this show than any on television. The one-liners are great and I love that I often love the dorky things that these four nerds indulge in. And the show also contains one of my favorite moments in television history in a Christmas gift exchange for the ages. I, too, would like to grow my own Leonard Nimoy. All I need now is an in with The Cheesecake Factory....



Community/Modern Family - I have no doubt in my mind that after one or two more seasons these shows will find their place firmly on the top of the list of my favorite shows. I group them together and slide them on the short list because between the two of them, there have been less than 20 episodes - and I don't want to jinx them quite yet. However, each one of the shows has managed to shine. They both have a very distinct feel to them and they both are ridiculously hilarious. They are not afraid to venture outside of the box of reality where most sitcoms live. Community has a cast of characters that work together unexpectedly well. It's looking at the common un-commonality of the collegiate experience from every different age and perspective - and it's managed to pull in two big names (Joel McHale and Chevy Chase) for the show without bringing them down. And the show has done a great job of sticking to pairings that work time and time again. And then Modern Family - well I am in love with this show. It borrows from the mockumentary style of The Office but focuses on one family that comprise three smaller families and how today's family actually works. Each episode takes a familiar situation and adds the spin of the ensemble to it. From extension cord belts to coal digging, the show rarely hits a sour note - an impressive feat for a show that hasn't even made it into 2010!



Family Guy - This show is more of an old favorite than a current flame, but the history is unmistakable. There are so many references and connections to be made with this show. I don't crave it like most of my plot-driven shows, but I do love it every time it's on. And it's genius in its complete lack of long-term plot. I love the random nature of the show. It feels very thrown together but that's very easy to relate to. Who wouldn't want to create a story line about Medieval Times but still be able to use some great references from the Hulk and old school Superman. The show works a lot like my train of thought - in tangents. It says here's what I'm about to tell you. It should take fifteen minutes, but I'm going to stretch it out to thirty because there are some other, slightly unrelated, things that you need to know too. Yes, it is kind of disorganized. But it's hilarious. And, more than anything, it knows its audience. It knows that the characters won't be going anywhere. It knows who the characters are and isn't afraid to keep them as those people. We saw Stewie grown up, and it was scary. Let's keep him as an effeminate toddler forever!


And so there you have it. You have successfully seen just how my crazy brain looks at the boob tube. It's not normal, but it is so sublimely happy. These shows, this writing is indeed comforting. It's a background to life. It's a snapshot of the world. It's a guide book for nearly any situation. And yes, perhaps, it sets some unrealistic expectations for life. But it is a common denominator and a great unifier and every other cheesy expression you can throw at something to just simply say that it brings people together. 

I was looking for some zinger of a quote - a bazinga, if you will - to add to the end of my blog. Unfortunately, the only quotes that I could find painted television as a negative - either a mind-controlling machine or Hollywood's rejects. Milton Mayer, for example, said "The marvels of film, radio and television are marvels of one-way communication, which is not communication at all." I totally disagree with this. True - TV doesn't outright encourage communication. You cannot physically speak or interact with that box. But you can take what you get from it and go out and talk. Talk in references. Talk news. Talk that amazing speech that President Bartlett gave. Talk the idea of being the master of space and time. Talk which superpower of Clark Kent's you'd want. Just don't keep it to yourself - make it social and make it your own. Make it you :-)