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TV

Mockingbird Lane, the Election, and Why I Haven’t Been Blogging

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Nobody ever tells me anything. Apparently Bryan Fuller (the guy behind Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me) has been working for years (YEARS!) on a pilot for a Munsters reboot called Mockingbird Lane.  I’d heard someone was doing something Munsters-related but didn’t know it was Bryan Fuller, and didn’t know that EDDIE IZZARD was involved in the project as Grandpa.

Eddie Izzard as Sam Dracula
Will Mockingbird Lane be picked up for 2013 or will the one-hour pilot be the end?

Of course now I’m super excited but bummed at the same time, since the pilot cost $10 million, NBC is airing it on Friday, October 26 2012 as a stand-alone 1-hour special, and nobody but Bryan Fuller seems to think the show has any chance of being picked up for 2013. So the question is – do I watch it and have my heart broken when it doesn’t get picked up?

What makes me so sure I’ll even like it? Well, Eddie Izzard, for one. Some criticize his acting and say he should stick to stand-up, but I enjoyed him in Dmitry Lipkin’s woefully short-lived FX series, The Riches and I liked his roles in Mystery Men and that awful flick My Super Ex-Girlfriend. I’m a rabid fan of his comedy.

I also like Portia De Rossi, and not just because she’s married to Ellen DeGeneres. I loved her as Nelle on Ally McBeal and Stigmata is a guilty pleasure..

I’ll watch it.

Now, the Election. I know, I know. How could I go on and on about a TV pilot when there is so much to talk about in the political space? Bottom line? I choose to talk about TV because politics depress me, this election depresses me and I don’t have anything constructive to say. I continue to be surprised by the vitriol spewed in the media, through political ads, even (especially) in my Facebook news feed. I’ve seen good people say terrible things, and on more than one occasion I’ve found myself agreeing with people I don’t normally agree with. Ultimately, I will be glad when the election is over, and that’s all I’ll say about it. Yes, I will vote. Yes, I have been doing my homework so that my vote is based on knowledge rather than sensationalism, rhetoric and propaganda.

I mentioned that politics depressed me. Yeah, about that. I have been going through some life changes, coming out of a pretty deep dark depression, trying to do a great job at work and sort of finding myself all over again at 35. Unless I wanted to make that journey public (I didn’t) and unless I wanted to air my dirty laundry on the damned internet (I didn’t) I had to take a break for a while to get my head on straight. It’s still a little flewy (say it out loud – it’ll make sense) but I just had to pay to renew this domain name and thought, “why not start blogging again?”  All three of you missed me, right?

Until next time.

Blogging, TV

Jeremy Sisto’s New TV Show – Suburgatory

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I’ve stated before that Jeremy Sisto is creepy.  He has a new TV sitcom called Suburgatory, so I watched it to see if he was still creepy.  Here are my reactions as I watch it.

suburgatory

So far it’s a biting commentary on life in suburbia – but it has ALAN TUDYK and I LOVES HIM MY PRECIOUS.

BTW, Cheryl Hines.  Love her.

The teenage female narrator adds a current flavor to the show (in a totally non-current My So-Called Life kind of way) and the narrator character is not TOTALLY irritating.  Or maybe she is.

OK, it’s a commercial break, so I’ll take a chance to comment re:  the creepiness of Jeremy Sisto.  He is certainly not as creepy as in Hideaway (not a Satan worshipper, so therefore a no-brainer there) but I can’t shake the residual creepiness because of his work on Six Feet Under.  What if this was a sitcom that was an offshoot of that show?

“Honey, your Mom wandered off a long time ago.  It’s because it turns out she’s your uber-smart but maladjusted AUNT, my sister who I’m in love with.”

Red Bull, apparently, is a sponsor of this show.

See?  He just did stabby motions.  Still creepy.

The show is obviously a mockery of suburban life and suburban values, based on appearances and financial gain.

Cheryl Hines said “Ute-tay-tay” in reference to her neighbor’s uterus.  The creepiness is spreading.

Shout out or mockery of GLEE! with the snapping and the guy in the wheelchair?

Yay Allie Grant!  I love her on Weeds.

Allie Grant

Apparently they have already wrapped taping on at least 8 episodes of this show, according to IMDB.  Will it get worse or better?  My bet is worse, but BETTER, because of the creepiness.  They’re trying to put Jeremy Sisto in a lovable, single Dad, Tom Hanks-type of role, and it clearly isn’t going to work, though I do find myself falling into the hypnotic thought that “maybe he won’t be so creepy.”  Or, maybe other things about this show will be creepier.  Because Cheryl Hines?  She can be creepy when she wants to.

They just said “Vagitarian.”

So “George,” Jeremy Sisto’s character, just pulled up and creepily picked up the daughter character.  But now he’s all freaked out by the Junior’s department at the mall.

Cheryl Hines – her character is over-the-top.  Time will tell if it ends up being hilarious and brilliant, or just stupid.

This is lame.

FYI, the EOnline poll shows 55% of readers saving this show.  Things have gone downhill, for sure.  Or not.  Maybe I’m not giving this a fair shot.

OK, the passive aggressive reference books bit was kind of funny.  And Jeremy Sisto is slightly less creepy with the stupid Van Dyke facial hair.

Cheryl Hines’s lines in this show are crazy.  She brings a bra to the bra-deficient main character, who I’m having hard time accepting as a protagonist.  But, the show is attempting to end on a philosophical and heartfelt note.

But, I think the watering of lawns was a sexual reference.

And, they brought the overly-forward waitress on to offset the creepiness of Jeremy Sisto.  So far, I think they may be successful.  Let’s check back DVR-style next week to see if the show solidifies and becomes something.

To sum up:

Creepy Jeremy Sisto moments:  at least 4
Red Bull Plugs:  at least 3
References to Lady Parts:  at least 3
Accusations of Lesbianism:  at least 5
Gangster Rap moments:  at least 2

Further thoughts:  I, in no way whatsoever, am able to relate to teenagers or TV teenagers anymore.  What does that say about me?

CHRISTINA RICCI HAS A TV SHOW?  What is UP with that?