The 2009-2010 television season has officially started, and I’ve been doing a little research on what new shows will replace the defunct ones, or those that I simply bumped off my schedule. I’ve decided that I will mostly stick to comedy – for academic reasons and because I still think comedy usually has more to offer.
First of all, I’ve decided not to keep watching Private Practice, considering how dismal the end of season two was. I think the show has finally embraced its nature of Grey’s Anatomy’s younger sibling, which it had successfully concealed for almost two seasons. Consequently, I really don’t care what happens to those people.
More room has been made in my personal schedule since Samantha Who? and Reaper have been canceled – the former with a somewhat finalizing episode, the latter completely mid-story. Again, all I can say is, “Too bad,” and “Next!”
I’ve tried to come to terms with the premature death of Pushing Daisies, which was the one true star of the last two seasons. If not in terms of ratings (had that been the case, the show would still be on), but in terms of creativity and ability to combine different narrative styles. Not to mention its ability to make people crave pie. I think it will remain a touchstone of American television.
But before I started shopping for new shows, I decided it was time to catch up with what I’d been missing in the past few seasons. Believe it or not, one of the shows that I had never gotten around to watch was 30 Rock, so I decided it was time to make up for that. Three seasons in one week. I don’t think my research would have been complete without it. (Am I going to add a chapter about it to my book? No, although it would make sense.) I’m not even going to comment on it – after all, I’m so behind I think I’m first – not even to say how brilliant Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are. The Emmys are there to prove my point.
Just over 10 days ago some friends mentioned another show I’d never heard of, The Big Bang Theory. In order to overcome my shame, I decided to have a look at season one. I discovered that CBS is still sticking to old-school sitcom, with laughter and all that. I thought I was watching a 21st-century Three’s Company, whose unusual element was that, for once, the geeks were the main characters and not the occasional oddballs thrown in just for laughs. I must say that the whole thing grew on me, and the last few seconds of the finale made me want to watch more.
Nonetheless, The Big Bang Theory puts the situation back in comedy, and seems to be made for casual viewing. The repeated jokes about bowel movement (the real constant throughout the series) become a sort of inside joke only if and when the series is watched as a whole, and do not really contribute to making the show any more self-aware than if it had been produced in the ‘80s. Maybe classic sitcom still has a place on contemporary television. I guess casual viewers must have a place too. Will I get to season three? Probably. Bowel movement is kind of funny, after all.
Last Thursday was also the premiere of NBC’s new comedy, Community, which apparently had been pre-premiered on Facebook. I did not know that. I reserve the right to judge it better after another couple of episodes. For now I will only say that I didn’t think the pilot was all that funny. I thought it tried too hard, a bit like the characters try too hard to be whoever they are. It feels a bit like watching a silly college movie that’s been cut to fit the 20-minute format: visually impeccable, but you’d want your money back. I might not watch more than the next couple of episodes.
After that, watching the season-six premiere of The Office was a huge relief. Just when I thought all the juice had been squeezed out of the show, I realized I had actually missed it.
On the other hand, I thought Greg Daniels’ new creation (well, new for me, as it’s one of the shows I had missed from the last season), Parks and Recreation, was an embarrassing mockery of The Office. As good as Amy Poehler may be – and she is – she’ll never be as annoyingly comical as Steve Carell playing Michael Scott, and the whole show ends up feeling like a huge déjà vu. But again, I shouldn’t judge after watching only the pilot.