2008 Woodie Awards
Get Turned On: Television shows worth the chance
Fernando Madrigal
Arts | 4/24/08
I've really enjoyed writing about television over the past few months. There have been plenty of shows past and present, that I wanted to touch on but never got the chance. For this article, I'm touching on some shows I never got a chance to do a full column on, but would have loved to.
"The Office" - Both the British and American versions are pure comic genius. They see dreary, dead-end office culture that is sucking the life out of these people and they also manage to capture the little moments that spending so much time in one space with your co-workers can bring. Everything from getting your boss's chair when he gets a new one to playing pranks on the office geek to acting like the boss you hate when he leaves you in charge hits the nail on the head.
While the British version ended after only two seasons and 13 episodes, the American version has more than tripled their episode count covering much more ground. While the fourth season started out spotty in the fall, it's still a smart, insightful look at the world of office politics.
"Top Gear" - Sticking to the shows from across the pond, a show like Top Gear would never be made in America; it doesn't categorize easily as it's a car reality show with goofy challenges and interviews with stars.
The three hosts are blue-blooded car enthusiasts, testing everything from the Bugari roadster (the fastest road car in the world) to Alfa Romeros to Toyota pickup trucks. They test and review new cars (brutally honest and eloquent reviews) while coming up with insane challenges for regular cars (turning a Pinto-like car into a space shuttle, turning cars into workable boats, finding the world's best driving road, driving from Florida to New Orleans in cheap cars under $2000, etc).
Most shows I review have some sort of deeper social, political and ethical meanings. At its core, it's an honest car review show, but really fun and goofy; and who says you can't do both?
"Ghostwriter" - Don't front like you didn't have a "Ghostwriter" pen around your neck. This is by far my favorite kid's show of all time because it didn't talk down to kids. The very structure of the show (one mystery spread out over four or five episodes) assumed that we could follow the show for more than half an hour. It also tackled some themes better and more seriously than most adult entertainment (drug abuse, chemical waste disposal, gangs, smuggling animals, etc.).
Casting decisions on this show were remarkable to me even at the age of 8. For most of the show's run there is no strong, white male character we can sympathize with (except for Lenni's dad, but I bet you can't even remember him now). Set in Brooklyn, the multi-racial cast showcased diversity rarely seen in other Big Apple productions (save for the occasional mugger or sports star). This was the coolest show ever; Jamal even had Internet access in his own room. In 1992!
"The Office" - Both the British and American versions are pure comic genius. They see dreary, dead-end office culture that is sucking the life out of these people and they also manage to capture the little moments that spending so much time in one space with your co-workers can bring. Everything from getting your boss's chair when he gets a new one to playing pranks on the office geek to acting like the boss you hate when he leaves you in charge hits the nail on the head.
While the British version ended after only two seasons and 13 episodes, the American version has more than tripled their episode count covering much more ground. While the fourth season started out spotty in the fall, it's still a smart, insightful look at the world of office politics.
"Top Gear" - Sticking to the shows from across the pond, a show like Top Gear would never be made in America; it doesn't categorize easily as it's a car reality show with goofy challenges and interviews with stars.
The three hosts are blue-blooded car enthusiasts, testing everything from the Bugari roadster (the fastest road car in the world) to Alfa Romeros to Toyota pickup trucks. They test and review new cars (brutally honest and eloquent reviews) while coming up with insane challenges for regular cars (turning a Pinto-like car into a space shuttle, turning cars into workable boats, finding the world's best driving road, driving from Florida to New Orleans in cheap cars under $2000, etc).
Most shows I review have some sort of deeper social, political and ethical meanings. At its core, it's an honest car review show, but really fun and goofy; and who says you can't do both?
"Ghostwriter" - Don't front like you didn't have a "Ghostwriter" pen around your neck. This is by far my favorite kid's show of all time because it didn't talk down to kids. The very structure of the show (one mystery spread out over four or five episodes) assumed that we could follow the show for more than half an hour. It also tackled some themes better and more seriously than most adult entertainment (drug abuse, chemical waste disposal, gangs, smuggling animals, etc.).
Casting decisions on this show were remarkable to me even at the age of 8. For most of the show's run there is no strong, white male character we can sympathize with (except for Lenni's dad, but I bet you can't even remember him now). Set in Brooklyn, the multi-racial cast showcased diversity rarely seen in other Big Apple productions (save for the occasional mugger or sports star). This was the coolest show ever; Jamal even had Internet access in his own room. In 1992!
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