One Man's Meat

Favorite TV shows . . . that hardly seems like blog material. Nonetheless, I really loved It Takes A Thief.

Lately, though, I don't often think in terms of favorites. Given the question, Arrested Development is probably the answer. Although I can't say that I watch them, except incidentally, there's something quite appealing about JAG, similar to the way there was something appealing about Walker Texas Ranger; I think it's the off-kilter polish.

As to what we actually watch, I'd have to go ask the neighborhood dealer, or John Ashcroft Gonzales. Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bob Newhart, Ozzie & Harriet (that one probably doesn't count, though we did enjoy it recently). I'll occasionally do South Park or the Simpsons, though ColumbusGal usually won't have it. ("Matt Damon!")

We finished The Job last night, last three episodes, which somehow struck a false note. The show was still there, but something changed. It was the first time I started noticing tangential characters and plotlines carrying forward, and they started to develop the characters' storylines with drama in mind, instead of humor. That might have been a fine thing to do, but it wasn't The Job. More recency bias: Twice yesterday, once in the series' end, I heard Joey Ramone's "What A Wonderful World, when I couldn't say that I've ever heard it before.

LAGuy pops in: A few comments.

Interesting that you've had so much TV caviar (those high-toned HBO series) without most of the meat and potatoes the networks provide. Even Arrested Development, which just got picked up for a third season, is a rarefied show, watched by few, loved by critics.

If you like Six Feet Under, perhaps you'd like other HBO dramas, from the highly decorated Sopranos on down. And if you like Curb Your Enthusiasm, perhaps you'd like The Larry Sanders Show.

But the truth is, if you want to know what America talked about in the last decade, you'd watch the network hits. See the years-long romance of Ross and Rachel. (If you don't know who they are, you're in trouble.) It may grow tiresome, but Friends, at its best, was a witty series in the Mary Tyler Moore mold (though filled with more sex).

I'm surprised ColumbusGal has trouble with The Simpsons (though not with South Park--a brilliant show in many ways, but meant to be shocking). While the show has been demonstrating the law of diminishing returns for a while, I think The Simpsons, no matter what you may have heard from William Bennett, is widely and properly regarded as one of the high points of pop culture in the 20th century.

And one more thing. If you like Curb Your Enthusiasm, why not see the original Larry David concept (without swearing) in the excellent Seinfeld series? The leads are all fine, but Jason Alexander gives one of the greatest sustained performances in television history.