Mainly, TV Sucks

I grew up on television like almost everyone else has. My parents may have been unusual in many ways, but we always had a TV in the house and I always had access to it. Since my parents both preferred to read rather than watch TV I found that I could generally watch what I wanted to watch. So, like most Americans I watched way the hell too much TV.

As I got older I became less and less interested in the old boob tube. It was rare that I liked anything enough to anticipate it and work my schedule around it. I pretty much stopped paying attention to television when I was in my mid 20s. It just wasn't my bag.

However, over the years, I would occasionally stumble upon something that I liked that was made for television audiences. And sometimes those shows would surprise me with particularly good writing and singular performances and productions.

Here are two such productions that did so:

The first one I want to mention was a two-part episode done for a TV show that I seem to have watched alone, in all of the USA. It was called FRANK'S PLACE and starred Tim and Daphne Reid (real-life husband and wife) who own a restaurant in downtown New Orleans. When I mention this series to anyone they don't know what the hell I'm talking about. I never encounter anyone who has heard of it, much less watched it.

By Jove, I watched it. There were only 22 episodes and I don't think I missed but one or two of them. And, yes, I was bummed out when it was canceled.

The most powerful episode was actually a two-parter. It was called "Cool and the Gang Part 1" and "Cool and the Gang Part 2". The thrust of the story dealt with the experience of one of the

Frank's Place employees, the youthful Cool Charles portrayed brilliantly by William Thomas, Jr. In this two-parter the kid becomes involved in drug dealing and soon finds himself with lots of money. But things do not go well. He descends quickly into a hellish life but realizes before it's too late that he has a good way out--toward his friends who love him. The acting is spectacular. Some might call it hokey and false, but they'd be wrong. I found it to be the best of what drama can offer.

Not from that episode, but a brief clip from FRANK'S PLACE.

The other TV production that stunned me was an episode of THE X-FILES. I will assume that most of the readers here are familiar with the alien-chasing FBI agents of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. So I will dispense with explaining such familiarities.

There had been a number of really well-written episodes of the show. I should know, because I watched most of them, since it was one of the few horror/fantasy oriented TV shows on prime-time television in those days.

The episode that amazed me and showed me how good TV could actually be was written by Darin Morgan, directed by David Nutter. That episode was "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" and co-starred Peter Boyle as a life insurance salesman who can sometimes see the future deaths of people he encounters.

Although dealing with the darkest of dramatic elements (murder, suicide, loneliness, despair),
the telepaly is punctuated by wry humor and is wonderfully played by all of the actors, most notably Peter Boyle who portrays the most unfortunate Clyde Bruckman of the show's title. As I watched that story unfold I knew that I was seeing something special and brilliant and that I would not likely see this kind of thing again. And I was right. Since that show I don't think I've seen anything that has come anywhere close to the quality of that episode of that particular TV series.

The late Peter Boyle.

Five TV Shows I Liked

I am one of those folk who doesn't watch TV very much. It just doesn't appeal to me, mainly. It's not that I'm a snob about it, but I just can't stand most television shows.

However, there have been a few things that I like. I'll list them.

FRANK'S PLACE. This was a show that got cancelled. I'm not sure if it even lasted an entire season. It was well written and had wonderful performances and starred Tim Reid (best known these days as a semi-regular from THAT 70s SHOW). I wish it had caught on. One episode still haunts me--the show was technically a comedy (and it was indeed very funny) but the best episode dealt with a young person on the show descending into drug use and then climbing back out. That one was spectacularly effective and was pure drama.

Tim Reid

DEXTER. I don't subscribe to premium TV channels. However, we once got Showtime as part of a promotional cable pitch. So for two years I got to watch DEXTER as each episode premiered. To me, it was the best "real" superhero done as cinema. Because to me, that's what the character Dexter really is. He's a superhero with secret identity and everything. Nifty. Of course I haven't seen it in a few years. I'll pick up the DVDs as they get cheap.

Dexter. Everyone's favorite serial killer.

THE SOPRANOS. See above. I only saw these on DVD. I still haven't seen the sixth and final season. It's on my Christmas list. Great acting, superlative writing, only rarely falling off the tracks into soap opera land.

The Boss.

BREAKING BAD. To my way of thinking, this is the best writing I've ever watched on television. It's just good on every level. I've seen most of the episodes (there are a few I haven't seen), and it's rare that I have any quibbles with the logic of the scripts. And of course the performances by every single actor on the show is just flawless. I really, really love this series!

Walter White, anti-hero of BREAKING BAD.

THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW. This is one that I would catch when I was on the road. Usually the hotels where I'd stay in those days had cable and I could catch this series. The writing here was the best! And it was generally so funny that my stomach would hurt from laughing so hard. And of course peppered with enough drama to keep things interesting. It's probably the best comedy show I've ever seen.

Two of the funniest actors I've ever seen on TV: Garry Shandling and Rip Torn.