Glow Worm

I'm halfway through the third season of GLOW, and so far I have to say it's the weakest.  GLOW, if you didn't know, is a sitcom based on the story of the actual GLOW--Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling--show that was popular in the 1980s.  GLOW stars Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin as Ruth and Debbie, two of the wrestlers and Marc Maron as Sam, the director of the show within the show.

The first season was great--funny but also dramatic.  Ruth was an actress having trouble getting work, so this wrestling gig was a lifeline.  Same for the more cynical Sam, who was an exploitation filmmaker whose life had fallen apart.  Meanwhile, Debbie was somewhat more successful in show biz, but then found out her husband was having an affair with her friend Ruth.

But the bigger story was trying to create this TV show about women's wrestling--what would it be like, what sort of characters would it have (Ruth became the evil Zoya the Destroya while Debbie became the all-American Liberty Belle, and there are a number of others), would it get on TV and so on.

The first season ended with the troupe finally getting the show on the air.  The second season was about the continuing ups and downs of the TV show.  It ended with the show getting canceled.  Except they had a new offer--they could do their wrestling show as an act at a casino in Vegas.

And that's the problem.  Who cares if they've got a show in Vegas?  The arc about trying to turn women's wrestling into a hit TV show worked.  But even if the show does well in Vegas--well, good for the ladies, but it's just not the same thing.

Of course, I'm only halfway through.  Maybe they'll realize they took a wrong turn and right it.  And if not this season, maybe the next.  Anyway, even if it's not as good, I still like the show and will keep watching.