The Boob Tube

I am a critic at heart. Always observing, often remarking. Like any self-respecting critic, some of my judgements are harsh, perhaps too harsh - even unfair. A knee-jerk reaction morphs into a scathing commentary, an impromptu rant. Short-lived, quickly exhausted, but words that can't be unsaid.

 

In my younger years, I didn't give much thought to such thoughts. They blurted their way out and drifted downstream to join other aimless comments. But now that these musings exist more often in my conscious world, I want to cash in, put my spewings to work. So, my next career practically chose itself: Television Critic.

 

In the past, great acting, solid storylines, good writing and high production values were primarily found in movie theatres. Not always, of course, but more often than television, with its self-imposed network censorship. Even in the early 60's TV couples still had his and hers beds, the 70's witnessed artificial turf for backyard lawns and was Mary Tyler Moore celibate for the entire seven-year run of her show? I'm still not sure.

 

The three major networks began pushing censorship boundaries hard by the mid-70's. Interracial marriage was represented on shows like The Jeffersons, antiwar commentary was weekly fare on M*A*S*H and homosexuality - still only a TV punchline - was seen on a late night show called Soap. Production values soared in the 80's when iconic shows like Magnum, P.I. and Miami Vice began filming entirely on location, adding a dimension to TV viewing that had previously only existed on the big screen.

 

And then came cable.

 

The growth and increasing popularity of television can be directly traced to rise of cable TV, with its lack of censorship restrictions, 24 hour news and sports channels and innovative, risk-taking original comedic and dramatic programs. In fact, I believe (despite the God-awful existence of reality shows and absolute crapola like Two Broke Girls) television is in the midst of a new Golden Age.

 

Rather than sift through the thick layer of ick on TV (like the skin that forms on the top of a bowl of soup), I would like to highlight ten shows from the last ten years ( in no particluar order) that do what only movies once did - stay with you in an almost visceral way long after the closing credits have rolled.

 

1. Dexter - Yes, I know he's a serial killer (albeit, the vigilante kind). But Michael C. Hall's lead character deftly walks a fine line between likeability and revulsion so well that you find yourself rooting for his "Dark Passenger" week after week. And just when you think the show's formula is becoming stale, it sucker punches its viewers with one season-ending jaw-dropper after another. Flawed and very human supporting characters round out this Showtime series filmed in Miami.

 

2. Breaking Bad - I don't think anyone could have imagined that Bryan Cranston could carry a show about a cancer-ridden high school science teacher turned Meth cook/dealer when he was playing the bumbling father on Malcolm in the Middle. Watching Walter White's transformation from the weak, well-meaning school teacher is mesmerizing. As a viewer, I want him to find his way back from the abyss he is heading towards, but I'm afraid he is too far gone. Co-star Aaron Paul is easily Cranston's equal. Set and filmed in Albequerque, New Mexico.

 

3. The Wire - This HBO drama had no real identifiable stars or lead characters. The true star of The Wire was always the city of Baltimore. Never have I seen a city portrayed with such gritty realism. All of its corruption, bleakness and desperate humanity were continually on display. Viewers witnessed sides of the American landscape largely unseen on TV before - the intricate workings of a city's drug trade, an overwhelmed, ocassionally brutal police force and the "scratch my back" relationship between unions and local government. Probably the best show of its kind - ever.

 

4. Battlestar Galactica - Yes, I know it's a science fiction show. But this reboot of the lame, Lorne Greene-starring show of the early 80's is great because of its character-driven drama, not its science fiction action. The storyline is a classic one - a doomed race looking for its ancestral home. But along the way, the viewer is pulled in so many heartbreaking and hope-filled directions that by the show's ending exhaustion and relief are the primary sensations. And "frack" is just so satisfying to say.

 

5. Mad Men - Despite Don Draper's womanizing, excessive drinking and grim fatalism, most male viewers of this snapshot of a mid-60's New York City advertising agency probably would occupy his shoes in a heartbeat. And that is certainly one reason the show works. You root for Jon Hamm's character even though you know he is unlikely to ever truly experience lasting change.  And I've never seen a show communicate so much to its viewers simply by the actors' facial expressions, rather than words.

 

6. Rescue Me - I strongly suspect Dennis Leary, co-creator and principal writer of this FX drama about post-9/11 NYC firefighters, did not have to stretch himself to play the role of lead character Tommy Gavin. Gavin is a crude, alcoholic, narcissistic but wholly dedicated firefighter continually grappling with 9/11 survivor's guilt. The show's dark humor and "boy's club", fire station mentality is not for everyone but seeing New York City through a first responder's eyes was unique in television.

 

7. Futurama - No, that's not a misprint. Futurama is the best satire on television. Set in the 31st century, it skewers 21st century life in every episode. Centered around the witless escapades of outer space delivery boy Philip J. Fry, Futurama shreds every facet of modern American culture, ultimately displaying a future that doesn't look too different from the present, except for the constant parade of extra-terrestrials, including the delivery company's medical doctor (Dr. Zoidberg), who got his doctorate in Art History. 

 

8. The Office - I know, The Office is no longer popular or funny. But in its heyday, this spin-off of the British original, with a ground-breaking pseudo-documentary style, was the most quoted show in America, and always on top ("that's what she said"). Its quick demise only illustrates Steve Carell's comic genuis and awkward likeability as bumbling regional manager Michael Scott. Dunder Mifflin has overstayed its welcome, but left us with unforgettable characters.

 

9. How I Met Your Mother - I admit I am going through HIMYM fatigue (just meet her already!), but each episode of this CBS sitcom still has plenty of laughs. Loyal viewers are rewarded with an enduring storyline and unique, often hilarious flashbacks that set this long-running series apart from other sitcoms that are not subtle when it comes to overt references to sex. It still works on HIMYM, but I am ready to wrap it up. Still, it's hard not to root for a show who's funniest character, ironically played by Neil Patrick Harris - an openly gay actor - is such a womanizing pig. Legendary!

 

10. The Sopranos - Filmed on location in New Jersey, The Sopranos was - pun intended - the Godfather of the modern American drama. Brilliantly written, unflinchingly honest and employed with actors so identified with their roles that they have barely been seen since the show left the air five years ago. Interwoven with stories of organized crime was a grisly humor that made viewers laugh uncomfortably at the comic tragedy of it all. Holding the entire series together was James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano, an anxiety-riddled mob boss who - between panic attacks - tried his best (and worst) to keep his two families from falling apart.

 

In its infancy, television was derisively called A Vast Wasteland, The Idiot Box, The Boob Tube. Now and then that is certainly still true. But I believe the best storytelling, mythmaking, humor and suspense is on the small screen, and has been for years.

 

There is a lot more very good television out there that I didn't mention. Undoubtedly, you have your favorites too. What are they?