FX
NYFD fire-fighter Tommy Gavin is a complicated guy, in a complicated city, doing a complicated job. Tommy deals with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder stemming from 9/11 manifested in the form of an on-going relationship with his dead cousin Jimmy Keefe. Jimmy died at Ground Zero on 9/11. Tommy is a raging alcoholic whose lost his wife and family because of the booze and the job. But he still loves his ex-wife Janet and can't stand to see her with anyone else - even though he himself cannot seem to stay out of the pants of his dead cousin's widow Sheila. Tommy also worries about his kids who he believes need his guidance even though he's an out of control juice addict.
Tommy by himself takes the term "self-destructive" to a whole new level, but he is surrounded by a team of like-lunatics who seem to ground him in some strange way. They've been there, they are there, and they get it. The other fire-fighters include the hapless and often clueless Mike Silletti played by Michael Lombardi. This character is often the butt of the others' jokes, but he remains naive and almost innocent. His closest buddy is Sean Garrity, who is also fairly brain-dead most of the time. He often comes up with the most bizarre schemes with Mike, and the others look on in disbelief. Sean also gets mixed up with and marries Tommy's crazy sister Maggie (Tatum O'Neal). Hoo-Boy. Then there's Bart Johnston, a fire-fighter who relates with Sean "Puffy" Combs and wants to be called "Sean". So now we have two Seans. (What show has two primary characters with the same name?) So they are called "white Sean" and "black Sean". The suave, charming, handsome ladies man is Franco Rivera played remarkably by Daniel Sunjata. This is a great performance forming a character that can both be deep and shallow at the same time. And rounding out the inner core is Kenneth "Lou" Shea played by for my money the series stealing John Scurti. John Scurti is one of the greatest actors that ever graced the TV screen, making Lou an everyman - we all know this guy. And Mr. Scurti plays this effortlessly creating a character that we laugh and cry with. It's no wonder Lou is Tommy's best friend.
That's the inner core, but there are so many outstanding characters and performances here that they could never all be adequately be given credit due. There's the beautiful and talented Andrea Roth, as Tommy's ex-wife Janet, breathing angst and disgust, confusion and love into this crazy mixed up life they have. Wonderful. Callie Thorne as Sheila is perfect. James McCaffrey as the ghost of Jimmy Keefe, sure brought this dead guy to life for me. And I have to mention the hilarious Lenny Clark and Charles Durning as Uncle Teddy and Tommy's dad Michael respectively. These guys were spot on.
I was only in NYC once when I was an early teenager, and I've never hung around with fire-fighters, but I know these guys and I know this city. Maybe I've spent too many years with Corrections Officers, but I know how Tommy, Lou, white Sean, black Sean, Mike and Franco think. I know what makes them tick. And that's because the writers, the crew, and the cast are just that good. These fire-fighters wouldn't know how to act in a job that wasn't dangerous, and they don't understand why that should take a toll on anyone else.
Tommy is on this self-destructive collision course and it is apparent in the amount of booze he puts away. It's how he almost gets Janet to come back but then goes to spend the night with Sheila. But it's also in the subtle way he always has to be the first one in a fire and the last one out. He insists on being the guy that takes all the chances. He wants to connect all the dots again, but he just can't remember how. But please understand: amid all this pathos, this show can be one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. There is a lot of hysterical stuff going on here. Laugh out loud stuff.
Like I said, Tommy is a complicated guy, in a complicated city, doing a complicated job. And can I take a moment and say that Denis Leary is brilliant in this. He has become a truly wonderful actor who somehow brings his famous ranting nightclub act and his character's confusion, anxiety, PTSD, and all the rest and puts it into his pathological blender and pours it out for us to enjoy. And it becomes vintage wine before our eyes. And without ever saying it, his character Tommy Gavin begs the show's title: Rescue Me. His inner being cries out "Please, somebody, rescue me." And who knows? It may be possible.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Best TV of the Last 10 Years: # 3: The Shield
FX
This was a cop show like no other. It centered around a team of cops in the mythical town of Farmington, California. They are called a "strike team" and they are called in on much of the gang and drug violence in the city. The team is headed up by Detective Vic Mackey who is played by Michael Chiklis. This team is a bunch of dirty low-down scoundrels - a gang in their own right. And that is what separates it from other cop shows. Nothing like a bunch of money grubbing, stealing, crooked cops to shake up a genre.
The seasons do blend in, one to another, but one can never forget that in the very first episode, Vic Mackey shot one of his own strike team members. So our "hero" or rather 'anti-hero" is a cop-killer from the beginning. And no matter how much good he does from then on, I, as a fan, could never get that out of my mind.
The seasons took many twists and turns, but it always seemed to center around the corruption from the strike team and the lengths they would go to making the sick seem reasonable.
Let me introduce the strike team members besides the aforementioned Vic Mackey: Det. Shane Vendrell played by Walton Goggins (the only guy who could ever do the "Jack Nicholson Story" and the reason I started watching "Justified"). Then there is Kenneth Johnson as Det. Curtis Lemansky more commonly known as "Lemonhead" or mostly just "Lem". Lem was one of the boys but he at times displayed something the others never did: a conscience. The remaining Det. was Ronnie Gardocki (David Rees Snell). Oh, occasionally others were sent in to attempt to spy on the team, but they never lasted long.
The strike team is truly a brotherhood of corruption, but none more passionate in his loyalty to it and its members than Vic Mackey. He would kill for these guys and in fact does. The fact that these guys love living way over the line is apparent to the rest of the department, and there was more than one Captain sent in to try and catch the strike team wrong. But the team thrives on management's hair-splitting last second near misses. Glenn Close was a Captain for a season. Forrest Whittaker was very memorable as a cop sent from Internal Affairs to get them. He nearly does but then is outsmarted in how to play on the field of lies, cheating, and corruption. The most notable Captain was David Aceveda played impeccably by Benito Martinez. Captain Aceveda gets caught up in a twisted storyline of his own.
And there are other great cast members and other interesting storylines too. CCW Pounder as Det. Claudette Wynns and her partner Det. Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach. Catherine Dent and Michael Jace as Officers Danni Sofer and Julian Lowe respectively are wonderful. These were the good cops. And there were a slew of bad guys, even worse than the cop bad guys.
This show won a Golden Globe in 2002 for Best TV Series Drama, and Chiklis won a Golden Globe that year for Best Lead Actor in a Drama. So it was getting it's share of respect. And I think that the show just got better from that point. Some might say the writer Kurt Sutter was a part of that. He went on to create "Sons of Anarchy."
Occasionally there were references to Chiklis and Vic Mackey in the TV show "Weeds" (see my #11). There was a problem and Silas suggested to his younger brother "WWVMD?" Mother Nancy asks, "WWVMD?" and young Shane answers "What would Vic Mackey do?"
Whatever he would do, take it from me, it would be corrupt, underhanded, but oh so interesting.
This was a cop show like no other. It centered around a team of cops in the mythical town of Farmington, California. They are called a "strike team" and they are called in on much of the gang and drug violence in the city. The team is headed up by Detective Vic Mackey who is played by Michael Chiklis. This team is a bunch of dirty low-down scoundrels - a gang in their own right. And that is what separates it from other cop shows. Nothing like a bunch of money grubbing, stealing, crooked cops to shake up a genre.
The seasons do blend in, one to another, but one can never forget that in the very first episode, Vic Mackey shot one of his own strike team members. So our "hero" or rather 'anti-hero" is a cop-killer from the beginning. And no matter how much good he does from then on, I, as a fan, could never get that out of my mind.
The seasons took many twists and turns, but it always seemed to center around the corruption from the strike team and the lengths they would go to making the sick seem reasonable.
Let me introduce the strike team members besides the aforementioned Vic Mackey: Det. Shane Vendrell played by Walton Goggins (the only guy who could ever do the "Jack Nicholson Story" and the reason I started watching "Justified"). Then there is Kenneth Johnson as Det. Curtis Lemansky more commonly known as "Lemonhead" or mostly just "Lem". Lem was one of the boys but he at times displayed something the others never did: a conscience. The remaining Det. was Ronnie Gardocki (David Rees Snell). Oh, occasionally others were sent in to attempt to spy on the team, but they never lasted long.
The strike team is truly a brotherhood of corruption, but none more passionate in his loyalty to it and its members than Vic Mackey. He would kill for these guys and in fact does. The fact that these guys love living way over the line is apparent to the rest of the department, and there was more than one Captain sent in to try and catch the strike team wrong. But the team thrives on management's hair-splitting last second near misses. Glenn Close was a Captain for a season. Forrest Whittaker was very memorable as a cop sent from Internal Affairs to get them. He nearly does but then is outsmarted in how to play on the field of lies, cheating, and corruption. The most notable Captain was David Aceveda played impeccably by Benito Martinez. Captain Aceveda gets caught up in a twisted storyline of his own.
And there are other great cast members and other interesting storylines too. CCW Pounder as Det. Claudette Wynns and her partner Det. Holland "Dutch" Wagenbach. Catherine Dent and Michael Jace as Officers Danni Sofer and Julian Lowe respectively are wonderful. These were the good cops. And there were a slew of bad guys, even worse than the cop bad guys.
This show won a Golden Globe in 2002 for Best TV Series Drama, and Chiklis won a Golden Globe that year for Best Lead Actor in a Drama. So it was getting it's share of respect. And I think that the show just got better from that point. Some might say the writer Kurt Sutter was a part of that. He went on to create "Sons of Anarchy."
Occasionally there were references to Chiklis and Vic Mackey in the TV show "Weeds" (see my #11). There was a problem and Silas suggested to his younger brother "WWVMD?" Mother Nancy asks, "WWVMD?" and young Shane answers "What would Vic Mackey do?"
Whatever he would do, take it from me, it would be corrupt, underhanded, but oh so interesting.
Monday, August 13, 2012
The Best TV in the Last 10 Years: #4: Arrested Development
FOX
This one sneaked up on me. I watched this show on DVD on the recommendation of a nephew, and I didn't know what to expect. But I found it to be pure joy.
First off, for an Andy Griffith Show fan like me, just having Ron Howard as the narrator had me ready to like this show from the opening frame. But oh, how much better it became.
Justin Bateman plays the level-headed Michael Bluth, who seems to be confused about the family he's been born into. Not unlike the aforementioned Andy Griffith, he finds himself the only sane one in the midst of a slew of lunatics. Michael is called to take over the family business once his father is indicted and ends up in prison over shady business practices. Once Michael begins to dig into the family dealings the more complicated it becomes.
Michael has a son, George-Michael Bluth played by Michael Cera. They live together in the attic of one of the model homes constructed by the father who is now in prison. Michael often visits his father in prison, and dear old dad is played by none other than Jeffrey Tambor. Mom is Lucille Bluth brought to life perfectly in a twisted, money grubbing kind of way by Jessica Walters. Michael's siblings are: brother George "Gob" Bluth and wannabe magician, "Buster" Bluth (Tony Hale) a mama's boy, maturity stunted whatever, and a sister Lindsay Bluth-Funke, another of the spendomaniacs blessed with a company credit card. Lindsay is married to the hilarious David Cross who plays Tobias Funke. Tobias goes from being a "never-nude" ( a person who can't bear to be naked and showers in cut-offs) to being a nudist, to finally joining Blue Man Group, because he thought it was a self-help group for depressed guys.
This show is chuck full of sight-gags, and wonderful writing. But it is the subtle performance of this cast that pulls it off. George-Michael working at the frozen chocolate banana stand with such wonderful confused native makes it work for me.
There are just too many wonderful story lines and goofy happenings about this show to go into. But just know, like all great shows, this is character driven. Not just Hawkeye-Pierce quipping. That is so dull. This is so good.
Arrested Development is this high on my list for a reason. (A little bit because Freaks and Geeks was longer than 10 years ago, but still...) In fact, there was such a buzz about this show, that even though it ended a few years ago, there is talk that there is going to be a new season and even a movie.
This is wonderful, twisted, funny stuff and I have no problem having it this high on my list.
This one sneaked up on me. I watched this show on DVD on the recommendation of a nephew, and I didn't know what to expect. But I found it to be pure joy.
First off, for an Andy Griffith Show fan like me, just having Ron Howard as the narrator had me ready to like this show from the opening frame. But oh, how much better it became.
Justin Bateman plays the level-headed Michael Bluth, who seems to be confused about the family he's been born into. Not unlike the aforementioned Andy Griffith, he finds himself the only sane one in the midst of a slew of lunatics. Michael is called to take over the family business once his father is indicted and ends up in prison over shady business practices. Once Michael begins to dig into the family dealings the more complicated it becomes.
Michael has a son, George-Michael Bluth played by Michael Cera. They live together in the attic of one of the model homes constructed by the father who is now in prison. Michael often visits his father in prison, and dear old dad is played by none other than Jeffrey Tambor. Mom is Lucille Bluth brought to life perfectly in a twisted, money grubbing kind of way by Jessica Walters. Michael's siblings are: brother George "Gob" Bluth and wannabe magician, "Buster" Bluth (Tony Hale) a mama's boy, maturity stunted whatever, and a sister Lindsay Bluth-Funke, another of the spendomaniacs blessed with a company credit card. Lindsay is married to the hilarious David Cross who plays Tobias Funke. Tobias goes from being a "never-nude" ( a person who can't bear to be naked and showers in cut-offs) to being a nudist, to finally joining Blue Man Group, because he thought it was a self-help group for depressed guys.
This show is chuck full of sight-gags, and wonderful writing. But it is the subtle performance of this cast that pulls it off. George-Michael working at the frozen chocolate banana stand with such wonderful confused native makes it work for me.
There are just too many wonderful story lines and goofy happenings about this show to go into. But just know, like all great shows, this is character driven. Not just Hawkeye-Pierce quipping. That is so dull. This is so good.
Arrested Development is this high on my list for a reason. (A little bit because Freaks and Geeks was longer than 10 years ago, but still...) In fact, there was such a buzz about this show, that even though it ended a few years ago, there is talk that there is going to be a new season and even a movie.
This is wonderful, twisted, funny stuff and I have no problem having it this high on my list.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
The Best TV in the Past 10 Years: #5: Band of Brothers
HBO
Okay, I must confess something. When I first decided I wanted to do a series on my blog about the best TV in the last ten years, it was 2011. And as I have begun to write the series time has marched on, as they say. So I am telling on myself right up front that Band of Brothers originally aired on HBO in 2001, just missing my 10 year parameter. But I'm keeping it. Because it was still legal when I made the list.
Band of Brothers is an amazing recount of several men that were part of "Easy Company" (of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army). This is World War II. These were real guys - kids, really. Who needs "super-hero" movies? Just watch this and be amazed.
The executive producers were none other than Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks who had collaborated together to produce Saving Private Ryan in 1998. Easy Company began to intrigue them during the making of that film and the book Band of Brothers by Steven Ambrose, was the basis of this mini-series.
This wonderful mini-series followed these guys from Jump Training School at Camp Toccoa Georgia, on to their parachute drop in Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Siege of Bastogne, all the way to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Yes, there was a lot of artistic license taken in embellishing the facts here, but the gist is there.
One thing I loved is that during the course of the episodes, they would often stop and get the comments of the real life men who were there. These were the real life heroes in the series. I would choke up hearing them speak. I remember one man commenting that now, on very cold nights, climbing into bed, he will often comment to his wife, "I'd still rather be here, than in Bastogne." Bastogne - commonly referred by us as the Battle of the Bulge, had these guys trapped in a small area for three of the coldest months on record in France without winter clothing. WITHOUT winter clothing. How they survived at all is a miracle. And a tribute to the character of these men.
This mini-series consisted of 10 episodes, 11 if you count a special feature at the end. At the time it was the most expensive mini-series ever produced, costing a whopping 12.5 million an episode to make. Luckily the BBC bought in, and they were able to show it too.
Episode 11 was the special feature. We got to see the real-life men we'd just seen depicted in 10 episodes. And they were regular, unassuming guys. I wanted to shout "Don't you know how great you are?", but they were fighting for a real cause, under a real leader, and were really doing something. Just like our best and brightest are doing in Afghanistan right now - but I digress. Listening to the Band of Brothers talk was so moving to me, that I began sobbing like a baby. At that minute, my girlfriend called. I was blubbering. She asked, "What is wrong?" I told her that if she hadn't seen the 10 episodes, I'd witnessed, she just wouldn't understand.
But maybe the greatest tribute to the Band of Brothers is my friend Jennifer Beardslee. Jennifer was diagnosed with cancer during this time frame, and it was serious. She had lost all her hair, the whole bit. She was pretty much figuring that this was it. And then she saw Band of Brothers. And she told me, "you know, if they can go through that, I can beat this." Jennifer is alive today, and she totally credits Band of Brothers for that.
I always wanted to write to Dick Winters and tell him that. But I never did. He died in 2011. And another of the Band, Shifty Powers, died the same day as Michael Jackson. A real hero like Shifty dies, nothing. A pedophile with a hit record? All the ink for a month. What is wrong with this picture?
And to you surviving Band of Brothers my hat is off to you. I am on my feet. And that is why Band of Brothers stays on this list.
Okay, I must confess something. When I first decided I wanted to do a series on my blog about the best TV in the last ten years, it was 2011. And as I have begun to write the series time has marched on, as they say. So I am telling on myself right up front that Band of Brothers originally aired on HBO in 2001, just missing my 10 year parameter. But I'm keeping it. Because it was still legal when I made the list.
Band of Brothers is an amazing recount of several men that were part of "Easy Company" (of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army). This is World War II. These were real guys - kids, really. Who needs "super-hero" movies? Just watch this and be amazed.
The executive producers were none other than Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks who had collaborated together to produce Saving Private Ryan in 1998. Easy Company began to intrigue them during the making of that film and the book Band of Brothers by Steven Ambrose, was the basis of this mini-series.
This wonderful mini-series followed these guys from Jump Training School at Camp Toccoa Georgia, on to their parachute drop in Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Siege of Bastogne, all the way to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Yes, there was a lot of artistic license taken in embellishing the facts here, but the gist is there.
One thing I loved is that during the course of the episodes, they would often stop and get the comments of the real life men who were there. These were the real life heroes in the series. I would choke up hearing them speak. I remember one man commenting that now, on very cold nights, climbing into bed, he will often comment to his wife, "I'd still rather be here, than in Bastogne." Bastogne - commonly referred by us as the Battle of the Bulge, had these guys trapped in a small area for three of the coldest months on record in France without winter clothing. WITHOUT winter clothing. How they survived at all is a miracle. And a tribute to the character of these men.
This mini-series consisted of 10 episodes, 11 if you count a special feature at the end. At the time it was the most expensive mini-series ever produced, costing a whopping 12.5 million an episode to make. Luckily the BBC bought in, and they were able to show it too.
Episode 11 was the special feature. We got to see the real-life men we'd just seen depicted in 10 episodes. And they were regular, unassuming guys. I wanted to shout "Don't you know how great you are?", but they were fighting for a real cause, under a real leader, and were really doing something. Just like our best and brightest are doing in Afghanistan right now - but I digress. Listening to the Band of Brothers talk was so moving to me, that I began sobbing like a baby. At that minute, my girlfriend called. I was blubbering. She asked, "What is wrong?" I told her that if she hadn't seen the 10 episodes, I'd witnessed, she just wouldn't understand.
But maybe the greatest tribute to the Band of Brothers is my friend Jennifer Beardslee. Jennifer was diagnosed with cancer during this time frame, and it was serious. She had lost all her hair, the whole bit. She was pretty much figuring that this was it. And then she saw Band of Brothers. And she told me, "you know, if they can go through that, I can beat this." Jennifer is alive today, and she totally credits Band of Brothers for that.
I always wanted to write to Dick Winters and tell him that. But I never did. He died in 2011. And another of the Band, Shifty Powers, died the same day as Michael Jackson. A real hero like Shifty dies, nothing. A pedophile with a hit record? All the ink for a month. What is wrong with this picture?
And to you surviving Band of Brothers my hat is off to you. I am on my feet. And that is why Band of Brothers stays on this list.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Best TV in the Last 10 Years: # 6: Modern Family / The Simpsons
Okay, I admit, ties are quite a crummy cop-out. But honestly, I couldn't decide. 20 plus years of proven hilarity against 3 great seasons of laugh out loud fun. And so, dear readers, there is a tie. But it is the only one.
Modern Family
ABC
This wonderful sitcom is about a family; three families, but one family in reality. This family is headed by Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) and his second (and some would say trophy) wife Gloria. Jay is a very successful (with a capital S) businessman and he and his first wife grew apart (the first wife played with total hilarity by Shellie Long in a few episodes). He now has married the incredibly beautiful and much younger Gloria ( Sofia Vergara). She brings to this family a son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) who believes he is Don Juan reincarnated. Manny is about 11.
From this previous marriage Jay had two children. First there was Claire. Claire is brought to life by Julie Bowen. Claire is one of those characters that doesn't jump to the front of the minds of fans, but she is one of the nuts and bolts that holds this show together. Her husband and children wouldn't be nearly as great if it weren't for her. Julie plays Claire flawlessly. Claire is married to Phil Dunphey. Phil is a realtor and the guy that thinks he is "the cool Dad." He gets why his daughter wants to spend a weekend away to see a concert. Hey when he was 18, he was a "Hall-raiser"...he spent the whole summer following Hall and Oates around the country. By the way, Phil and Claire have 3 children: Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter), and Luke (Nolan Gould). These three are all nuggets of gold in their own right. I could go on and on about what each brings to this wonderful, goofy family.
Finally, Jay also had a son. Mitchell (played incredibly by Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his partner Camron (played remarkably by Eric Stonestreet). And my hats go off to the producers and creators for casting Eric - a heavy set guy playing a gay. But of course, the creators of this show are the one and only sit-com icons Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. They seem to know what they're doing. They've only created hit after hit.....
By the way Mitchell and Cameron have adopted a baby girl in the first season and have named her Lily. Naturally since she's Vietnamese, Phil wonders if she'll even be able to pronounce Lily. But then, you have to know Phil...
So let me just say, that although there is great writing in this show, it really wouldn't work without this cast. I can't believe any other group of people could make this work. Okay, Manny is sometimes weak, but he'll get there. I had forgotten how really good Ed O'Neill is. And the others! I often sit and try and decide who my favorite character is, and I just can't. They are all so perfect and wonderful. (Okay, put a gun to my head and I'd say Phil).
Modern Family is a show that is guaranteed to have you throw your head back and laugh out loud at least three times and episode. But then so does...
The Simpsons FOX
There is a reason this show has been on the air longer than any prime time show in history. It is just plain funny. Maybe the funniest half hour on TV and it has been for well over 20 years. Besides just the Simpson family there have been so many great characters added in this show over the years that are wonderful. Some have even become as well known as the Simpsons themselves. Ned Flanders the religious neighbor, Crusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob, Moe, Mr. Burns, the Comic Book Guy (who just wanders around exclaiming "this is the worst episode ever"), the Reverend, and on and on and on. And we love each and every one.
Homer will always be my favorite. He is simple. He is motivated by simple things. Mostly food. Once there was a reference to the Burger Supreme Court, and he couldn't get past drooling about the word 'Burger'. Some of my favorite quotes were uttered by Homer. Such as "Rock Stars - is there anything they don't know?"
When watching the Simpsons one must always keep an eye on what is going on in the background. There are always hilarious signs, or names of places that shouldn't be missed. The DVDs should be had for that reason alone.
Another thing I love so much about the Simpsons is that if they need to suddenly fly to England, no big deal. The writers can dream up anything they want. It's "only" animation after all. The sky's the limit.
The Simpsons will be a part of American Culture from now until the end of American Culture. And what I have discovered over the years is that the only people who don't love and adore the Simpsons are the folks who've never watched them.
Modern Family
ABC
This wonderful sitcom is about a family; three families, but one family in reality. This family is headed by Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neill) and his second (and some would say trophy) wife Gloria. Jay is a very successful (with a capital S) businessman and he and his first wife grew apart (the first wife played with total hilarity by Shellie Long in a few episodes). He now has married the incredibly beautiful and much younger Gloria ( Sofia Vergara). She brings to this family a son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) who believes he is Don Juan reincarnated. Manny is about 11.
From this previous marriage Jay had two children. First there was Claire. Claire is brought to life by Julie Bowen. Claire is one of those characters that doesn't jump to the front of the minds of fans, but she is one of the nuts and bolts that holds this show together. Her husband and children wouldn't be nearly as great if it weren't for her. Julie plays Claire flawlessly. Claire is married to Phil Dunphey. Phil is a realtor and the guy that thinks he is "the cool Dad." He gets why his daughter wants to spend a weekend away to see a concert. Hey when he was 18, he was a "Hall-raiser"...he spent the whole summer following Hall and Oates around the country. By the way, Phil and Claire have 3 children: Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter), and Luke (Nolan Gould). These three are all nuggets of gold in their own right. I could go on and on about what each brings to this wonderful, goofy family.
Finally, Jay also had a son. Mitchell (played incredibly by Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his partner Camron (played remarkably by Eric Stonestreet). And my hats go off to the producers and creators for casting Eric - a heavy set guy playing a gay. But of course, the creators of this show are the one and only sit-com icons Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. They seem to know what they're doing. They've only created hit after hit.....
By the way Mitchell and Cameron have adopted a baby girl in the first season and have named her Lily. Naturally since she's Vietnamese, Phil wonders if she'll even be able to pronounce Lily. But then, you have to know Phil...
So let me just say, that although there is great writing in this show, it really wouldn't work without this cast. I can't believe any other group of people could make this work. Okay, Manny is sometimes weak, but he'll get there. I had forgotten how really good Ed O'Neill is. And the others! I often sit and try and decide who my favorite character is, and I just can't. They are all so perfect and wonderful. (Okay, put a gun to my head and I'd say Phil).
Modern Family is a show that is guaranteed to have you throw your head back and laugh out loud at least three times and episode. But then so does...
The Simpsons FOX
There is a reason this show has been on the air longer than any prime time show in history. It is just plain funny. Maybe the funniest half hour on TV and it has been for well over 20 years. Besides just the Simpson family there have been so many great characters added in this show over the years that are wonderful. Some have even become as well known as the Simpsons themselves. Ned Flanders the religious neighbor, Crusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob, Moe, Mr. Burns, the Comic Book Guy (who just wanders around exclaiming "this is the worst episode ever"), the Reverend, and on and on and on. And we love each and every one.
Homer will always be my favorite. He is simple. He is motivated by simple things. Mostly food. Once there was a reference to the Burger Supreme Court, and he couldn't get past drooling about the word 'Burger'. Some of my favorite quotes were uttered by Homer. Such as "Rock Stars - is there anything they don't know?"
When watching the Simpsons one must always keep an eye on what is going on in the background. There are always hilarious signs, or names of places that shouldn't be missed. The DVDs should be had for that reason alone.
Another thing I love so much about the Simpsons is that if they need to suddenly fly to England, no big deal. The writers can dream up anything they want. It's "only" animation after all. The sky's the limit.
The Simpsons will be a part of American Culture from now until the end of American Culture. And what I have discovered over the years is that the only people who don't love and adore the Simpsons are the folks who've never watched them.
Friday, August 3, 2012
The Best TV of the Last 10 Years: # 7: Sons of Anarchy
FX
Everything The Sopranos wished it could have been is realized in Sons of Anarchy. Whatever interesting elements The Sopranos might have had were never explored; the show was lost in being full of itself and spending way too much time with it's protagonist in his shrink's office. That is not an issue with Sons of Anarchy.
Sons of Anarchy combines a lot of similar elements but instead of wallowing in self-inflicted grandeur, Sons keeps finding ways to keep the story moving by using a wild assemblage of great characters in interesting ways.
First and foremost I credit Kurt Sutter, the creator and writer for this show. I recognized his name early on because he had been instrumental in another show I enjoyed; but more about that show in an upcoming installment. Mr. Sutter enjoyed so much success with that show that he was able to establish his own production company - Sutter Ink - thereby making SOA possible.
The Sons of Anarchy are a motorcycle gang...er.....I mean "club." (They're a little touchy about the word "gang") Or as Club President Clay Morrow once told an ATF agent, "We are automotive mechanics and motorcycle enthusiasts." The Sons operate out of the Teller-Morrow Auto Garage in the lovely community of Charming, California. John Teller and Clay Morrow not only opened the garage together, they along with seven others, formed the original club which since has spread worldwide (ala The Hells Angels). They must have been in a place called Redwood when the club was born, because they are often as not referred to as "SAMCRO" - Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original.
Although they do operate a garage, their main business is running guns - receiving guns via the IRA and selling them up and down the west coast in exchange for a big piece of the action. And that is why the ATF are involved - although the agent they have sent - Special Agent June Stahl (played Ally Walker) - brings the word corruption to a whole new level.
John Teller has died but he left behind three things. His son Jackson "Jax" (Charlie Hunnan) who is the Vice President of the club, a memoir - a written chronicle of the club describing where John hoped it was headed and his disillusionment when it started to become just a criminal operation. Jax has found the manuscript and is now confused about the future of the organization. John also left behind his widow who was quickly snatched up by Clay who is now her husband. Gemma Morrow is played brilliantly by Katie Segal (forget that she is Kurt Sutter's wife - she is wonderful in this). Watching her walk around in slutty clothes and handle a handgun effortlessly helps you to easily forget that she was once the wife Peg on "Married With Children".
The show is very much about being torn between two worlds. The love interest of Jax is his old high school girlfriend Tara Knowles (Maggie Siff) who has returned to Charming after becoming a Doctor. She is torn between her professional life and the motorcycle club. Police Chief Wayne Unser (Dayton Callie) has cancer and is torn between being a police officer and being a friend to the club that he secretly wishes he was a member of. The list of colorful and wonderful characters goes on and on.
There have been some unforgettable moments on the show. One was when a former member had been a snitch and was tossed out of the club. It was discovered that he still had his club tattoo on his back. He was lured into the garage, hung up and given the option to have it removed: "Fire or knife?" He chose fire and club sicko Tig Trager (Kim Coates) lit up the blow torch. Another was a moment at the end of season three when I literally jumped out of my chair in disbelief whooping it up. But that's all I can say about that.
Sons of Anarchy is a show for anyone who likes an out of the ordinary story with characters that are totally unpredictable. I personally can't wait to see where the gang...er....club... is headed next.
Everything The Sopranos wished it could have been is realized in Sons of Anarchy. Whatever interesting elements The Sopranos might have had were never explored; the show was lost in being full of itself and spending way too much time with it's protagonist in his shrink's office. That is not an issue with Sons of Anarchy.
Sons of Anarchy combines a lot of similar elements but instead of wallowing in self-inflicted grandeur, Sons keeps finding ways to keep the story moving by using a wild assemblage of great characters in interesting ways.
First and foremost I credit Kurt Sutter, the creator and writer for this show. I recognized his name early on because he had been instrumental in another show I enjoyed; but more about that show in an upcoming installment. Mr. Sutter enjoyed so much success with that show that he was able to establish his own production company - Sutter Ink - thereby making SOA possible.
The Sons of Anarchy are a motorcycle gang...er.....I mean "club." (They're a little touchy about the word "gang") Or as Club President Clay Morrow once told an ATF agent, "We are automotive mechanics and motorcycle enthusiasts." The Sons operate out of the Teller-Morrow Auto Garage in the lovely community of Charming, California. John Teller and Clay Morrow not only opened the garage together, they along with seven others, formed the original club which since has spread worldwide (ala The Hells Angels). They must have been in a place called Redwood when the club was born, because they are often as not referred to as "SAMCRO" - Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original.
Although they do operate a garage, their main business is running guns - receiving guns via the IRA and selling them up and down the west coast in exchange for a big piece of the action. And that is why the ATF are involved - although the agent they have sent - Special Agent June Stahl (played Ally Walker) - brings the word corruption to a whole new level.
John Teller has died but he left behind three things. His son Jackson "Jax" (Charlie Hunnan) who is the Vice President of the club, a memoir - a written chronicle of the club describing where John hoped it was headed and his disillusionment when it started to become just a criminal operation. Jax has found the manuscript and is now confused about the future of the organization. John also left behind his widow who was quickly snatched up by Clay who is now her husband. Gemma Morrow is played brilliantly by Katie Segal (forget that she is Kurt Sutter's wife - she is wonderful in this). Watching her walk around in slutty clothes and handle a handgun effortlessly helps you to easily forget that she was once the wife Peg on "Married With Children".
The show is very much about being torn between two worlds. The love interest of Jax is his old high school girlfriend Tara Knowles (Maggie Siff) who has returned to Charming after becoming a Doctor. She is torn between her professional life and the motorcycle club. Police Chief Wayne Unser (Dayton Callie) has cancer and is torn between being a police officer and being a friend to the club that he secretly wishes he was a member of. The list of colorful and wonderful characters goes on and on.
There have been some unforgettable moments on the show. One was when a former member had been a snitch and was tossed out of the club. It was discovered that he still had his club tattoo on his back. He was lured into the garage, hung up and given the option to have it removed: "Fire or knife?" He chose fire and club sicko Tig Trager (Kim Coates) lit up the blow torch. Another was a moment at the end of season three when I literally jumped out of my chair in disbelief whooping it up. But that's all I can say about that.
Sons of Anarchy is a show for anyone who likes an out of the ordinary story with characters that are totally unpredictable. I personally can't wait to see where the gang...er....club... is headed next.
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