Monday, April 25, 2005

I've been storing up the entire season of Desperate Housewives. Not because I want to burn it to DVD. Because I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it since I first watched, like, the second or third episode. I know I'm supposed to. I know that. It's a hit show. A massive hit show. Everyone's speccing it. But I don't like it. The truth is, I've been recording it so I don't have to watch it. As Neil Gaiman said: "TiVo. It's watching TV so I don't have to."

We watched the pilot tonight, saved since December 26, complete with pictures of snow in Boston, or wherever the channel comes from. (Canadian channels don't bother with pictures of snow. We know what it looks like.)

It's a hell of a pilot, and I can see why they bought Marc Cherry's spec, but damn, I'm sorry, Jeff. It's too arch. It's too transparent. It's just a blatant mix of truth and outrageous silly falsehood. Painstakingly observed suburban lives mixed in with murders and spies and secrets and who knows what all else. You can see where things are going, except when you are plainly Not Supposed To Know Yet.

Perhaps just as importantly, I never grew up in the suburbs. I hated American Beauty too. Having grown up in New York City, I always assumed that the suburbs were vain and shallow and awful and mean and backbiting. That was pretty much an article of faith at my high school (Dalton). So to see shows where people in the suburbs are revealed as petty and backbiting, well, they don't thrill me so much.

Well, I can't watch it. Just can't watch it. Which means I can't spec it. Which means I can take the damn shows off my PVR! Hah hahhhhh!

UPDATE: Lisa points out that DH is sort of what life in the suburbs would be like if every rumor were true... the neighbors do have a dead body in their swimming pool, Mrs. so-and-so is sleeping with her gardener, So-and-so is hiring her neighbor the plumber just so she can ask him out on a date... That seems about right.

UPDATE: You got hooked after six episodes? Wow, you're patient! Good, 'cause, Charlie Jade really hits its stride around ep 12...

Labels: spec pilots

10:30 PM

2 Comments:

I, too, was left cold by the pilot of Desperate Housewives. But my wife liked it, and kept watching it, and by maybe episode 6, I was hooked. As often happens, it took a few episodes to hit its stride; by now, the writers have figured out what the show does well and what it doesn't do well, and I'm finding myself looking forward to it every week. Give it another shot... unless you've already pulled the trigger on your PVR, of course.

By  Anonymous, at 9:43 AM  

It's not so much that I'm patient as that I like hanging out with my wife, and ever since the series started airing in the UK, the place to find her from 10PM to 11PM on Wednesday nights has been in front of Desperate Housewives... So, basically, you need to make sure that Charlie Jade captures the all-important Jacob's-wife demographic, and you're all set.

By  Anonymous, at 1:39 PM  

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