Jericho: Storytelling in a time of Fear-Mongering

July 09, 2007

I was pretty sure I wasn't ever going to watch the final 15 episodes of "Jericho," but that's the thing about a summer cold -- it's a great time to catch up on the television stored in my DVR. I work for an organization called "Brilliant But Cancelled" -- so my DVR is full of things like this. I'm a huge fan of the grassroots effort that convinced CBS to bring this show back for another try. It makes me feel like all the crazy petitions I sign are not in vain.

But watching them all in a row like this, makes me wonder -- why "Jericho?" Why not "The Class" or "Studio 60?" And I think it comes down to the peanuts. But we'll get to the peanuts.

"Jericho" has a lot to recommend it, don't get me wrong. These are moments that are rare to TV these days -- moments of real pathos. "Jericho" moves along the same vein as "Battlestar Galactica" -- this is a show that asks about reality in a post-apocalypse setting. The residents of Jericho, Kansas are, for the most part, a calm, collected, and surprisingly clean bunch. And though nuclear winter has set in upon them, they remain hopeful and optimistic, while continuing to trade with the hustlers and black-market crime lords that have inevitably cropped up.

READ MORE > >

Veronica Mars

May 22, 2007

What went wrong with “Veronica Mars?” She went to college this year. Was that it? Were viewers turned off by the Hearst college rapist plot thread, which ran through the first half of this season? Did Logan turn too sullen? They changed the theme music … I mean, same song but different mix. Was that when the shark jumped?

Here’s your answer. Nothing went wrong with “Veronica Mars.” It jumped the shark … never. We’ve been there since day one and it has never felt any less smart, or funny, or unexpected as it is now. There’s no dramatic drop off in quality here. This is pure math -- ratings math; network math. This is the sum of an easy equation, whose two parts are: a major network merger and a far too extended hiatus.

There’s no coincidence that “The Gilmore Girls” is ending its run at the same time this season. When the WB and UPN merged into CW there were glowing expectations about rating success for the new network, factoring in the two channels collective ensemble of urban sitcoms and teenage-dreamy dramas to create a singular prime-time schedule.

Shows like “Smallville” and “One Tree Hill” were best suited to hold the moniker of “the new ‘Dawson’s Creek’” for the new CW. “Gilmore” and “Mars” had many of the same elements: attractive teens, precocious, quick witted dialogue … but both seemed a cut above. The humor, acting, writing, even the mall hip soundtrack music were intangibly different -- better.

READ MORE > >

The Gilmore Girls

May 16, 2007

We all read how the end was coming -- that it was time. How the show was not itself this past season without Amy Sherman-Palladino leading the helm. We could go on and on about how great “The Gilmore Girls” really was but we don't want to bore you. Instead we've written goodbyes to some of our favorite characters below.

Rory: What is there to say? You are Rory. Everything is perfect for you and the most amazing thing is that we want it to be perfect for you. Even when you had your doubts, like when you dropped out of Yale, we always knew you'd find your way back. The one thing we do wish for you is that while you are traveling around with Barack you by chance run into Dean somewhere along the way. We always did like you the best Dean (that's right, we didn't say Jess). Also, we just want to add that it always threw us off a little when someone called you Lorelai … just a little freaky.

Lorelai: You were one of the best TV moms ever. We truly believe that every teenage girl either wanted to have you as their mother, wanted to be a mother like you someday, or … quite frankly … thought you were the mother they’d most like to date. The best part is that you are still so young and can be a mom all over again with Luke's kids and remain just as cool. We also have to say we’re very impressed that your jeep still looked great in the last episode -- that thing never aged.

Luke: We know you are a man of few words, so we'll just nod and say good job.

READ MORE > >