Don’t get me wrong: I like that “The Office” can get serious and do it effectively. It is, in my book, the mark of a truly great comedy. If, even through all the hijinks, you can get people to truly feel compassion for the characters and become attached to them - that’s just great art.
Popularity: 5% [?]
There are a handful of TV shows that I think almost everyone could like, if they gave them half a chance. “Kings” isn’t one of them. I could never be angry with someone for disliking “Kings,” because it is…bizarre. NBC’s last big action/drama success, “Heroes,” at least had the kind of premise that really holds its own. When you try to explain “Kings,” you always find yourself wanting to apologize.
Popularity: 4% [?]
For a while now, HBO’s Big Love has marketed itself as a show about secrets. This became quite meta when the show’s writers decided to portray - quite accurately, it would seem - the most sacred and the most secret of all rituals in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Though it has been incorrectly identified as a “sealing ritual” in some articles, what the show actually portrayed was an “endowment.” In this ritual, members of the LDS church are anointed with a sort of priesthood (or priestesshood, as may be). Brigham Young said of the ritual: Read more…
Popularity: 4% [?]
Touché, Dollhouse. Just when I thought you really didn’t know what you were doing with yourself, you whip out an episode like “True Believer” and make me doubt my criticisms. Maybe you’re terribly clever, after all. And if nothing else, the familiar Mutant Enemy Productions screen at the end (”Grr, argh!”) at least makes me feel like I’m watching Buffy.
The show is still flawed, but this last episode made me believe something could really be done with it. When it comes to infiltrating a possibly dangerous cult, it actually makes sense to imprint a human-robot with the personality of a trusting blind girl (who, incidentally, has MAGICAL VIDEO CAMERA EYES oh hello Rhona Mitra in Doomsday) who won’t fall under suspicion as she infiltrates the cult. Since she can act as the FBI’s eyes and ears without being detected, she’s perfect.
Popularity: 3% [?]
It seems like every time I discover a show that I genuinely enjoy, it immediately starts to suck. I don’t know why this is. I don’t know why it’s impossible for a show to just maintain the same level of quality for more than a few seasons. I’m not paranoid by nature, but I’m starting to wonder if they’re just screwing around with us.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Is The Office formulaic? One might argue that this question doesn’t matter, as long as the formula works. But like many shows, its popularity depends almost entirely on a premise that needs to remain static in order to keep the fans pacified. We’re a fickle bunch: we don’t want anything to change, but we gripe when it remains the same. Luckily The Office is usually off-kilter enough to distract from the basic formula, which almost always involves Michael (and/or Dwight) doing something that could ruin their lives/careers, but it all works out ok in the end. Because it has to.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Chuck Norris is one of those actors whose popularity as a cult icon has far surpassed his actual claim to fame (acting, in case you’ve forgotten). After his role as Walker, Texas Ranger, he became known as the ultimate tough guy. People started coming up with sayings - things like “Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.” or “There is no such thing as global warming. Chuck Norris was cold, so he turned the sun up.” Before long, “Chuck Norris Facts” became an internet phenomenon. When 24’s Jack Bauer gained popularity, many of the same facts were attributed to him. But Chuck Norris was always the original.
Popularity: 4% [?]
I have a feeling that the premise of “Dollhouse” was supposed to wow us. I think we’re supposed to go, “gee, a secret organization that wipes people’s memories and imprints them with personalities and abilities and then rents them out for specialized jobs? I want to see how that plays out!”
My actual reactions to first hearing about the show were, in order:
Popularity: 4% [?]
For me, the most interesting part of Big Love is the way Mormons and ex-Mormons respond to the show. I’ve seen all sorts of reactions, from “it’s filth” to “it’s accurate” to “there’s no way a polygamist family could live openly in LDS” to “yes there is, and yes they do.”
Admirably, I think, the show takes pains to portray the members of the Henrickson family - and their friends - with 100% realist accuracy. Their flaws are there, but so are their strengths. Their strong sense of family and community keeps them grounded, even though at times it seems to cripple them in pursuing their own happiness. Read more…
Popularity: 4% [?]
For some reason, drug metaphors never stop being funny. If you’re not sure what do with your characters, make them hooked on something. The sillier the better. Chocolate is good. Hair gel is better.
“New Zealand Town” followed this winning formula, with Murray making a desperate attempt to up the guys’ cool factor via copious applications of hair gel. It works: audiences at shows respond better, showing their appreciation for the guys’ cool new look by not leaving the room as soon as they begin playing. The guys feel better too. A little…too much better. When the gel is gone, Bret and Jemaine become shifty shut-ins with terrible hair. And they will stop at nothing to get their next fix.
Popularity: 4% [?]
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