I love television. I think even more than movies, because I
rarely go and see movies anymore. I will wait for them to come to VUDU or
Netflix. And I won’t deny that over the years there has been some truly amazing
television both of the weekly series and mini-series variety. But, it seems to
me that in the last 5 to 8 years, I have noticed a Renaissance of sorts
happening on the small screen. There seems to be a glut of excellent television
the like I have never quite seen before. It started with HBO and Showtime
realizing that they can do original programming as good if not better than its
commercial counterparts, mainly because they didn’t have to watch their
language or nudity. Out of this came shows like Deadwood, The Sopranos,
Six-Feet Under, etc…This was only the beginning though once it was realized
what this format could do. I didn’t
watch many of these shows when they were on, but they were universally praised
and earned lots of awards. For me, the cable shows first grabbed my attention
with the introduction in 2006 of the lovable serial killer Dexter on Showtime. Wow,
I loved this show and never missed an episode. Then 2008 rolled around and I
was enthralled all over again with the adventures of a telepathic waitress and
the vampire who loved her in True Blood. For a while, I could not get enough of
this series and would watch the DVD’s on loop. It is not as good as it once was
but the first 2 seasons are fan-fucking-tastic!! So much so that I will
continue to watch and find myself looking forward to the next season coming up
here in just a couple of months. Then it seemed that everywhere I looked there
were these amazing shows. Mad Men is one of the most compelling dramas I’ve
ever had the good fortune to watch. This season has taken such a dark and
discordant turn that watching it makes me feel off-kilter and uneasy although
this show is not violent. It is just that well-written that it strikes these
internal chords that can leave you breathless and thinking about it long after
it is over. Network television threw in Fringe, who owes a serious debt to The
X-Files, but has found its own voice and every season shocks and amazes me and
seriously, somebody give John Noble an award already.
Starz came along and
decided that they were going to take their freedom to up the ante of sex and
violence and introduced us to Spartacus. Instead of a silly series, this was
used to maximum advantage and it turned out to be (insert superlative here, I’m
running out). Fascinating stories with a strong cast made this show another not
miss weekly appointment. Even though I enjoyed this last season and Liam
McIntyre did a valiant job of replacing Andy Whitfield, his baby face just
lacked the gravitas that Andy brought to the role and makes me long for how
good it could have been. But seeing the four gladiators (Spartacus, Onemaus,
Crixus, Ganicus) fight together always gave me chills. It was like a super
group of badassery. And the list just keeps going with shows that are still on
and some that are gone--Walking Dead, Life on Mars, Breaking Bad, Torchwood (fun fact: Torchwood
is an anagram of Doctor Who and was the name used for filming the first season
to keep it secret), The Borgia’s, Grimm (which gets better with every episode),
Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Mildred Pierce, American Horror Story, Boardwalk
Empire, Hell on Wheels, Lost, the 1st season of Heroes, and so on.
The talent, the writing, the creativity is boundless. I will include in here 2
sitcoms that I feel are some of the best of this genre that has ever been. How
I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory. HIMYM is foundering and needs to
wrap it up, but the early seasons were legen-wait for it-dary and is one of the
quirkiest, quotable and downright funny shows I’ve ever seen while BBT is just
hitting its stride and keeps getting funnier. The amazing thing about all of
this is the show that inspired this post. It is a little British drama that has
only been on for 2 seasons of 12 episodes each and aired on PBS of all things.
It has no nudity, very little violence but I dare you to watch one episode and
not get sucked in. The show seems to be such an unlikely contender to enter
into pop culture the way it has and to have gained such a loyal and dedicated
following that it is almost a religion. Of course I am talking about Downton
Abbey.
I had this show on my Netflix cue for a while fully meaning
to watch it as I like these types of shows. They are usually slow and stately
and not (pardon the expression) everybody’s cup of tea. But, I didn’t get
around to it for quite a while as there was always something else I wanted to
watch. Then something curious happened. I started to notice this show popping
up in conversation in unlikely places, then people whom I would never think
would like a show like this started singing its praises, and finally it entered
pop culture. I like to watch an hour drama while I work out on my elliptical.
Some I can keep interested in them enough to get through but I always usually
want the show to end so I can get off the blasted thing. Recently, I decided to
start Downton Abbey one afternoon as I climbed aboard. I didn’t realize the
first episode was an hour and a half. I made myself stay on until the end
because I did not want it to stop, it was that good. And it just kept getting
better in its presentation of a microcosm of a world that is ending (Edwardian
society) and the growing pains that accompany such change. Part soap part old
time Masterpiece Theater it has it all. Characters that you were introduced to
in the beginning that you think you won’t like become beloved (I’m looking at
you Mr. Carter and Mrs. Hughes who have this wonderful Remains of the Day
dynamic going on), villains that you hate and never really are redeemed, the
growth of these people over the course of the show, a lovely coupling of a
valet and a housemaid, death, war, heartache, unrequited love, and a simply amazing Maggie Smith who steals
the show and gets all of the best lines. There I would be, spinning away on my
elliptical, laughing, cheering, talking at the TV, and crying. This show made
me cry a lot, especially Bates and Anna.
Their story touched me profoundly and I am just rooting for these two
kids. A love like that is rare and once it is gone it can never be replaced.
Anna might go on to find someone else but it won’t be Bates and so would only
be a shadow. Watching her struggle when she thought she lost him had me bawling
and the way they left it at the end of season 2 has me worried, although this
show has a wonderful tendency to have things work out in the end. And what can
I say about Lord Grantham. The heart of the show and the very definition of a
gentleman and I think in the end he will forgive his youngest daughter her
elopement when she brings her first grandchild for him to meet. He is just too
good to hang on to resentment for long. I am so happy to see Elizabeth McGovern
again. I have loved her since She’s Having a Baby and she still looks
beautiful. It is nice to see an actress who hasn’t succumbed to too much
plastic surgery and appears to be aging naturally. I can’t say enough good
things about this show. It is shot like a post card, the costumes make me long
for the days when we dressed for dinner, the characters are all
multi-dimensional, and each episode is a fascinating snapshot of the lives of
these ordinary people living in extraordinary times. This show deserves all the
praise that it receives and then some. It really is a delight and next season
we have Shirley McClaine to look forward to as Lady Grantham’s formidable
mother. Here is a beautiful fan video of my favorite DT couple.
If I was a young actress going to Hollywood today, I would
skip trying to break into the movies. Television is where it’s at now.
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