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This may be a crackpot idea for a thread, but it struck me that as someone who doesn't actually watch much TV, and hasn't since the domestic introduction of the World Wide Web, there are huge swathes of cult fiction I only know about in passing, second-hand.
The difference between these and the films I haven't seen ~ which could be a new thread... I don't think I've seen The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now or One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, for instance ~ is that to "watch" the TV I've missed would involve a gigantic commitment. We're talking in some cases about 5 seasons of 24 episodes of 50 minutes each, aren't we: it's not the same as catching up on a movie. A TV show involves a major relationship.
Anyway, here are the shows that come to mind that I've never or rarely seen. I thought I might also add what I figured those show were "about", as a point of interest to demonstrate how much someone can pick up second-hand... or how much they can misunderstand.
NB ++ NO GOOGLE ALLOWED ++ THIS IS A CLOSED-BOOK TEST YOU MUST REVEAL YOUR OWN IGNORANCE
BUFFY: seen one episode of this. It was one, I think, where Faith is bodyswapped with Buffy. The payoff final line was "five by five," which I believe was meant to indicate that "Buffy" was Faith. I actually quite enjoyed this, and as you can see, I seem to have understood the episode.
Why didn't I make more effort to catch up with Buffy? To be honest, the fandom put me off. Or more specifically, the academic fandom. There are too many academic anthologies with bad puns about stakes and vamps, with too many (I suspect, perhaps wrongly) weak grad-student essays in them. There's even a Buffy-specific conference and a Buffy-specific scholarly journal. That's the only conference or journal I've heard of that's just about one show. I suppose I have a resentment towards Buffy because I feel it's been overrated in that sense.
What's Buffy about, in my understanding: erm... Sunnydale or something? Is the "Hellmouth", an entry-point for demons. Buffy is meant to be neither the prettiest nor the most popular, nor the most intelligent, nor the most athletic girl in her school, but she's designated a Vampire Slayer. Vampires look normal but they go through some kind of special effects phase and show their demonic side. Eh... she has a friend called, can't remember. I do know it, but honestly can't remember it. [++ GOOGLED: it was embarrassingly obvious with hindsight.] Played by Alison (sp?) Hannigan? From American Pie. Who is a Wiccan and was developed as lesbian. The show was radical in its depiction of same-sex relationships in this regard. Anthony Head is a ... Watcher? Faith is some kind of Bad Buffy. Spike has this bleach punk 'do and carved cheekbones. Also got together with Buffy, I think. In fact, the whole show seems entirely charged with barely-sublimated sex, which probably explains why there's a ginormous online library of slash exploring the various possible pairings between its characters. Finally, Angel is her way-older evil on-off enemy/boyfriend, who spawned a spin-off in LA, which I think ran for a surprising number of seasons that I also didn't see.
THE SOPRANOS: Have seen one clip of this because a girl I knew was in the episode "University", as a stripper who's beaten up. Why didn't I ever get to watch this show? Maybe it was on a digital channel I couldn't access, when it began. What do I think it's about? I seem to remember the original hook was that James Gandolfini's character was in therapy, like the concept behind the movies Analyse This/Analyse That. I suppose I expect it to be very much like The Godfather trilogy, about a family. They live in New Jersey, as I understand it.
SIX FEET UNDER: Seen a trailer, the logo, a DVD box. What do I think it's about? "Dark whimsy" (which is probably why I never watched it) about a family that runs a funeral business. "Ghosts" feature as characters. Whether these are the ghosts of the person who's being buried in that one episode, or longer-running characters, I don't know. I have some idea that this show was also recognised for its sensitive treatment of a gay character. [Sorry, that sounds very 1950s, as if gay = social issue and personal dilemma. I hope you know what I mean.] It ended recently. Apparently the finale was heartbreaking. What's it actually about? A... a family, I guess?
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Seen maybe four episodes of season 1. I think the idea that there would be a season 2 put me off. It seemed more acceptable as a finite drama (as indeed was the case with Lost, but I suppose I was more hooked on Lost, the one programme I do commit to, by the time I realised it was never-ending.) What's it about? Eh, is it set on Wisteria Avenue? Teri Hatcher et al are the titular housewives. One of them cheats on her husband. One has a teenage daughter. One of them (Alice... something?) died just before the start of season 1, and narrates from beyond the grave. I think the mystery was, who killed her.
That will do for now as I started doing CSI: NEW YORK, could only remember the main star's name as David Carradine, Googled it and realised it's not just Caruso but he's in CSI: MIAMI anyway. There is fascinating, acceptable ignorance, and then there's me embarrassing myself. Next! |
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