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Easy listening TV?

by Bob Sassone, posted Oct 25th 2006 12:28PM

What About BrianInteresting piece in Slate today, on all of the TV shows on ABC that writer Troy Patterson calls a "nauseating lineup of yuppie dramas."

Which shows is he talking about? You can probably guess: Men In Trees, Brothers & Sisters, What About Brian, and Six Degrees. I think that Patterson's whole viewpoint can be summed up with this paragraph:

These shows share a view of the human mind modeled on Dr. Phil's and an aesthetic sense shamelessly cribbed from a Pottery Barn catalog. When you watch them, you're mostly watching people feel bad over beverages. Despite it's pseudo-literary ambitions, the genre's got a certain soap-operatic streak, and the soap's an orange-lavender bath wash.

Ouch.

Now, though I don't agree with his snide remarks about soaps (soap operas are a very legitimate form of storytelling, and not just in the daytime - Lost and 24 are soaps too), I see his point. And I also welcome any dig at Dr. Phil (though his surprise dig at Studio 60? Way off base).

These shows seem to be all the same, with the same "feel" and the same tone. The video equivilent of Muzak, maybe.

Readers, do you agree with his viewpoint?

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4 Comments

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Doug

Should Desperate Housewives be included in the list? There all soaps that kind of ramble although I like Men in Trees.

October 25 2006 at 5:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
RadioScott

"These shows seem to be all the same..." I thought this was called a "genre."

October 25 2006 at 2:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sam

No, his swipe at Studio 60 was pretty spot-on, especially in regards to race. The last episode's whole Simon Stiles/Boyz N The Hood storyline -- aside from being about ten years behind the times -- was written with this weird mix of apologia and smugness. Very much a yuppie's take on race. And let's not get started on the clueless Midwesterners (I'm originally from Asia and live in a "real" big city, and *I* was offended) and their accompanying "if you don't care about TV history, you're clearly an uneducated, clueless prole" subplot/lecture. A big fat whatever.

October 25 2006 at 2:31 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
George

Did a Slate writer really misuse "it's", or did that happen in your transcription?

October 25 2006 at 1:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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