TV Roundup

OK here's what I'm watching and why I'm watching it:

Generation Kill - smartly written, produced and created by the same people who brought us the best television series ever, "The Wire," Generation Kill takes a similar uber-realistic approach to a touchy subject. This time, it's not the war on drugs in a torn-down city, its the war on terror in a torn-down country, i.e. the latest Iraq war. But yeah, I recommend it, though you should know that each episode in this miniseries is over 1 hour long and it does require a commitment. But like The Wire, the commitment pays off and you get ever further engrossed in it. And I like that the show doesn't use cheesy tactics like ominous music or character caricature to influence our decisions...it shows us the events and lets us use our own judgement to decide what we think. That is what separates good entertainment from popular entertainment. And remember - today's entertainment is tomorrow's art. Let's just hope our future generations judge us on shows like this instead of, say, American Idol.

Peep Show - I actually never saw this on TV because it's British and I've had to watch online. This was recommended to me by my brother/carbon copy and whaddya know, the kid has good taste. The funniest moments in this show are some of the most ridiculous, over-the-top, side-splittingly good scenes to ever grace your telly. Just watch for the crack-smoking, girlfriend-banging greaseball of perfection that is Super Hans.

Reality Bites Back - A show on Comedy Central that takes a bunch of low-name stand-ups and puts them in reality show rip offs, e.g. The Biggest Loser --> The Biggest Chubby, where contestants have to gain weight. Hardly thought-provoking or groundbreaking, but The Biggest Chubby featured this line by the contestants' personal trainer: "Get that hamsicle in your mouth, bitch!" And yes, a hamsicle is exactly what it sounds like.Fantastic. If you're not going to stretch the limits of art, at least stretch the limits of decency and they do in spectacular fashion.

Mad Men - A show that decidedly veers artistic instead of orgiastic. But yes, I like it a lot because it harkens back to a time (1960) when men were men - they smoked, cursed, drank, and slept around. Women? They were exactly what men told them to be. Now I know that sounds misogynistic but I don't really intend it as such. That's because the show takes place at the point in American history where the old school and new school collided in a way that wasn't seen again until the landmark case of AI vs. Jordan's ankles. But don't get me wrong, there's definitely a twinge of longing from me. A wish that, if only for a day, we could go back to the old rules and that attractive secretary I've had my eye on not only could be mine, but would have to be mine because that was part of the job description. Ah, everybody talkin' bout the good ol' days...

Shabadu (Lead Couch Potato)