ICYMI

I can talk about the Sopranos for hours on end if I get a sympathetic ear. I’ve ended relationships with people who have never seen it. I mean, that’s a deal breaker right? This is to say, I like big blockbuster TV shows as much as the next couch potato. There are a few hidden gems though that people may have forgotten they liked, and might ignite some much needed nostalgia from simpler times when trickledown economics and yuppies ruled, when the internet first came into your home, and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall was the news lead, and Tiger Woods was still winning the British Open and only had 1 mobile phone to call hookers with.

The following shows hit my radar last month and I forgot for a minute that the world sucked right now:

THIRTYSOMEHTING

Before there was Mad Men there were 2 yuppies from Philadelphia trying to keep their small ad agency running while navigating burgeoning families and their whiny single friends. Thirtysomething was originally on ABC, but can now be streamed on Amazon Prime. It was the beginning of a politically correct narrative juxtaposed with successful baby boomer angst. I was whiny on the inside in my thirties, but these guys are whiny on the outside, it’s oddly cathartic and deliciously dramatic. I remember watching this in the late 80’s and early 90’s and thinking, it’s about time television shows a real house with all the clutter and mess. Until that time I thought everyone but me had perfectly blended families with a maid named Alice living off their kitchen, or lived in a tastefully decorated cul-de-sac house in Knots Landing. The original creators and writers, Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, have climbed on board and confirmed that a sequel is in the works with members of the original cast signing on. We will get to see Michael and Hope as grandparents, and Elliot and Michael as old retired guys doing pro bono ads for social activist groups. Thirtysomething is the guilty pleasure that reminds me how much things can change and how much they stay the same.

TWIN PEAKS

Who killed Laura Palmer? This was the question on everyone’s lips in 1990. This is by far the most original and stylistic murder mystery ever put on TV, but this is David Lynch we are talking about, and there are very few filmmakers that can create a mood like Lynch. This series is a study in originality and texture of mood. The music and haunting marriage of quirkiness and violence is mesmerizing. I suggest you put on a large pot of coffee and snuggle on your couch with a dozen donuts or cherry pie and watch all 3 seasons of brilliance with the 25 year leap between season 2 (ABC) and 3 (Showtime) picking up where our FBI agent Dale Cooper left off. As with all David Lynch vehicles, there are more questions than answers. With the added science fiction element of alternative worlds of good and evil, David Duchovny in drag, and special musical appearances by Nine Inch Nails and Eddie Vedder who could resist?

EXTRAS

I think a lot of us went down the Ricky Gervais wormhole of comedic brilliance after the release of his new Netflix series “After Life”, which I really enjoyed. I dug out his 2005 comedy, also on Netflix, “Extras” that followed his and Stephen Merchant’s brilliant mockumentary “The Office”. This show follows Andy Millman and his witless, but lovable best friend Maggie through their experiences as extras on movie sets. Their encounters with real life movie stars are bloody brilliant. The disdain for the brutal unforgiving industry that breeds the monster known as fame is the underlying conflict for his main character who wants so badly to be famous and a true artist. It creates lovely moments of friendship and loyalty as well as comedic moments from some of the most famous artists in the industry satirizing their own fame. A young Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) pulling out a condom and hitting on every older woman on set, and Kate Winslet giving phone sex advice is just a snippet of the fun. Plus, the added bonus I got introducing British words like, “bollocks” and “cheers” into my vocabulary.