Thursday, January 06, 2005
1.06.05 - Sorry Sitcoms
I've had a little more time lately ... work is slow and class has yet to start. So, I had a chance to sit down and watch the premiere of Committed on NBC. I'd read about it in various newspapers over the holidays - the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel to be exact.
The pre-pub had been strong enough for me to make an appointment with the show. Appointment television for me is a thing of the past. I only check in regularly with NYPD Blue (down to about 8 episodes) and the Sopranos. I've watched Blue since my senior year at UW and Tony Soprano is in the HBO lineup about as often as James Carville consults a democratic presidential candidate - every four years it seems.
The appointment came and it's an appointment I won't make again. I'm glad I had the Texas Monthly with Jessica Simpson on the cover open. The characters are uninteresting - mostly artificial and not compelling. The story was weak. The jokes were typical of a Y2K sitcom - let's laugh at gay people, black people, and physically-challenged people. Nate's character wasn't one that can carry a show like Frasier Crane or Jerry Seinfeld. Plus, the girl was simply annoying.
The one compelling factor about the show was the creative use of Tom Poston and Bob Newhart. I'm not sure how relatable to a young audience either of these cats are, but to me, an old school TV fan, their appearnace made my half-hour less of a failure.
Their appearance also reminded me that all the good sitcoms are still on TV. They're on stations like TV Land and Nick at Night. Check your cable listings for the time and availability in your area. It also made me think about the last great sitcoms: Cheers, Newhart, The Cosby Show. And, we may never see another one of these greats on a traditional network, but the folks at TV Land can keep us hoping for another groundbreaking sitcom by showing us the greats that got us to where we are.
And, before I go, I realize I haven't mentioned Everyone Loves Raymond because I don't really love Raymond. I can't suspend reality enough to understand how a guy who covers sports is always home. He's never at a game. Even Mike Lupica attends a game every now and then.
-30-
The pre-pub had been strong enough for me to make an appointment with the show. Appointment television for me is a thing of the past. I only check in regularly with NYPD Blue (down to about 8 episodes) and the Sopranos. I've watched Blue since my senior year at UW and Tony Soprano is in the HBO lineup about as often as James Carville consults a democratic presidential candidate - every four years it seems.
The appointment came and it's an appointment I won't make again. I'm glad I had the Texas Monthly with Jessica Simpson on the cover open. The characters are uninteresting - mostly artificial and not compelling. The story was weak. The jokes were typical of a Y2K sitcom - let's laugh at gay people, black people, and physically-challenged people. Nate's character wasn't one that can carry a show like Frasier Crane or Jerry Seinfeld. Plus, the girl was simply annoying.
The one compelling factor about the show was the creative use of Tom Poston and Bob Newhart. I'm not sure how relatable to a young audience either of these cats are, but to me, an old school TV fan, their appearnace made my half-hour less of a failure.
Their appearance also reminded me that all the good sitcoms are still on TV. They're on stations like TV Land and Nick at Night. Check your cable listings for the time and availability in your area. It also made me think about the last great sitcoms: Cheers, Newhart, The Cosby Show. And, we may never see another one of these greats on a traditional network, but the folks at TV Land can keep us hoping for another groundbreaking sitcom by showing us the greats that got us to where we are.
And, before I go, I realize I haven't mentioned Everyone Loves Raymond because I don't really love Raymond. I can't suspend reality enough to understand how a guy who covers sports is always home. He's never at a game. Even Mike Lupica attends a game every now and then.
-30-
