Ahh, long I have waited for a show to come along to compare to the glory days of television in the early nineties. You know the time period...Saved by the Bell ruling the Saturday morning slate...Beverly Hills 90210 tackling the issues that we all cared so much. And now, soon to be added to this outstanding list is the stellar new Fox drama The O.C. For those of you who somehow weren't tempted by the overwhelming advertising blitz, let me give you a brief synopsis of the first few episodes:
Sandy (Peter Gallagher), a kind hearted public defender, takes pity on 16-year-old Ryan (24-year-old Benjamin McKenzie), a troubled, but intelligent and sensitive youth, from the wrong side of the tracks. When Ryan's mother abandons him, Sandy lets Ryan move in with his uber-wealthy family in Newport, better known as Orange County (the OC, for us hipsters). The arrival of a poor deliquent teenager scandalizes upper-class society, but not that much since he's good-looking and nothing too scary like a Hispanic or, god forbid, a black. His arrival is of particular interest to the hottie next door Marissa (Mischa Barton) and a large thorn in the side or her boyfriend Luke (Generic Handsome Abercrombie Model). Drama ensues.
Granted, the premise is contrived, hokey, and more than a little played out, but the show is surprisingly good. The leads have good chemistry, the adult characters are fully developed and have real storylines (which is rare on any teen-centered show), an Adam Brody steals scene after scene as Seth, Ryan's adopted brother/best friend/ comicrelief. Sure, the show is soapy, but the acting is good and the
8-28-03 - Hari's Guest Column
8-19-03 - NBA Western Conference Preview
8-18-03 - NBA Eastern Conference Preview
8-17-03 - Friend Thoughts
8-15-03 - Reader Mail
8-14-03 - American Pie
8-13-03 - Party Recap (w/ Pictures)
7-29-03 - More Random Thoughts
7-27-03 - Hypocrisy and the Dying Truck
7-24-03 - Party Invite
Archives
1) "Instant Pleasure" - Rufus Wainwright
2) "Allison" - Elvis Costello
3) "Man and Wife, The Latter"- Desparecidos
4) "Can't Get No Better" - Cody Chestnutt
5) "I Want You To Want Me'" - Cheap Trick
6) "A Peak You Reach" - Badly Drawn Boy
7) "The Slow Descent" - The New Pornographers
8) "Thin Line" - Jurassic 5
9) "Calling You" - Blue October
10) "The Ballad of the Sin Eater"- Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
The O.C. is great, but it isn't the only show that makes Tuesday television great. Here are two other shows that keep Rob and my asses glued to our respective couches. Couches that are across the room from each other:
The Real World - Ok yes, The Real World is in its forty-ninth season. Yes, the characters have pretty much become trademarked (the jerk, the slut, the gay guy, the all american boy, the minority, the jerk, the princess). And the continuing story lines this season have been pretty uninspired (Will CT ever get along with Leah and Christina? Can Adam find a girl and some self-respect? Will Ace and Mallory ever consumate anything,?Will they ever give Simon more than twenty seconds of airtime). Despite all of these flaws, there have been a few moments that were absolutely fall-out-of-your chair funny. For example:
1) The first episode, when Adam tells an obviously smitten Leah that Ace is out of her league and that "(Ace) wouldn't fuck you with my dick!" This one only gets funnier as the weeks go on and we see how self-absorbed Leah is and what a huge crush Adam obviously has on Ace.
2) Ace and Christina are "roomates" and occasionally "snuggle" at night. One night, the headboard mike picks up this conversation:
Ace: I want to kiss your stomach.
Christina: No!
Ace: Please, it'll be quick.
Christina: No, you have a girlfriend.
Ace: C'mon, I really want to! (Ace dives his head under the covers)
Christina (writhing in bed): Ooohhhh....you are the best roomate ever.
3) The time that Leah got flowers on Valentine's Day and CT claimed they were from him...only to be busted later.
4) Any time Adam tries to rap.
The Joe Schmo Show - Take one part Truman Show, one part Big Brother, and mix it with a healthy dose of Christopher Guest- style parody (Waiting for Guffman, Dog Show, A Mighty Wind) and you will come up with the premise of this fantabulous new show on Spike TV. The set-up is so simple that it is genius: One guy believes that he is one of nine contestants on a Big Brother style reality show. What he doesn't know is that all of the other contestants, guests, and the host are all actors playing the stereotypical roles often found on reality shows (the schemer, the gay guy, the virgin, the grizzled veteran, etc.) This show may sound like it has limited potential, but the writers come up with scenarios that are outrageous enough to be hilarious but just realistic enough to be believable. Watch it once (if you can find Spike on your cable tv) and I guarantee you'll be a convert.