Stop watching that! It saddens me to make such a statement about television shows I used to love, but sometimes the quality of the writing declines and the creative juices run dry. Gone are the days of Hollywood fantasies, of a clever outlook on whitecollarhood, and of ridiculous, funny, but coherent plot twists in the everyday life of pot growers. I wish the following shows had stopped while they were ahead—while they still had some dignity:
- HBO’s Entourage: The last few seasons have introduced peripheral pursuits for all the characters, romantic drama, and dark plot twists. This would usually add growth to an otherwise shallow premise, but what the writers of Entourage failed to do was integrate these new elements with the things that made the audience addicted to the show in the first place (making movies, money, and the funny going-ons of living large). HBO announced that the next season would be the last; I say that’s two or three seasons too many.
- NBC’s The Office: The original series (UK version), on which NBC based their hit, is turning in its grave at the sight of what has become of this show. Don’t get me wrong; there are still some funny bits and pieces, but it just seems so contrived. Steve Carrell announced that he would be leaving the show after the current season, and that is a big indication of how mundane The Office has become. Am I the only one out there who couldn’t care less about Jim and Pam’s baby? Or Andy and Erin’s drawn out romance?
- Show Time’s Weeds: I don’t even know where to start with this! Things change so quickly and frequently in this show, I can’t even keep up. Some of the dialogue is pretty funny, but I don’t care about or sympathize with any of the characters because they’re so overdeveloped, unrealistic, and plain ridiculous. It feels to me like Weeds started out with enough plot for three or four seasons, and now (in it’s sixth season) nobody—including the writers—knows where to go with it.
So what can one do with the time saved? Well, beside a million more productive things, there are a few new shows with great potential that you can tune into. Start watching this:
- NBC’s Outsourced (Thursdays): This show is seemingly made up of stereotypes, and while some viewers may be offended, I find it to be in good taste and lighthearted fun. As the title may suggest, it is about a call centre in India run by a young American expat whose company manufactures novelty items. The critics cannot seem to look beyond the ‘racial insensitivity,’ but I think there’s more to Outsourced than that. There are elements of cultural introspection and self-deprecation, starting with the very idea of outsourcing and moving on to the people that get their kicks from fake vomit and dog poo. The show can stand to be funnier, but the potential is definitely there.
- Fox’s Running Wilde (Tuesdays): This show was created by Mitchell Hurwitz, the genius behind Arrested Development, and it features Will Arnett and David Cross who are both hilarious guys and former cast members of AD. Though I have doubts about whether this show will reach the same level of success as AD (and find it unfair to even make the comparison), I can’t help but feel optimistic. Running Wilde is about an oblivious oil company heir billionaire reuniting with his highschool crush, an environmental activist. The writing is clever and the characters seem well developed, two things we’ve come to expect from Hurwitz. I’m excited to see where this goes.
- HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (Sundays): The most noteworthy of this line-up is a show created by Terence Winter of the Sopranos, and produced by Mark Wahlberg and the gangster genre master, Martin Scorsese. Boardwalk Empire is period drama set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition Era. It deals mainly with the intertwining worlds of organized criminals, bootleggers, and crooked politicians. The characters are based on real historical figures, and the casting of their roles is second to none. The score, cinematography, and set design are incredibly rich and sophisticated. Scorsese even directed the pilot episode, setting the bar high from the start and making it one of the strongest ever intros to a television series.
That’s all I have for now. Please feel free to contact me if you have comments; I’d love to hear your thoughts. Lastly, here are two things I am eagerly looking forward to: a new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm (due spring 2011) and the Peep Show (Nov 2010).
See you next time.
