THE TV COLUMN : Ex List premiere intrigues; Nanny, Swap wearing thin
Posted on Thursday, October 2, 2008
We’ve made it into October and that means it’s time for all those frantic season premieres to slow down just a bit so we can catch our breath.
There are just a few more to go, with seven shows arriving Friday. Only one is a freshman. They include Wife Swap, 7 p. m., ABC Ghost Whisperer, 7 p. m., CBS Everybody Hates Chris, 7 p. m., The CW The Game, 7: 30 p. m., The CW The Ex List, 8 p.m. CBS Supernanny, 8 p. m., ABC Numb 3 rs, 9 p. m., CBS Full disclosure — I haven’t been able to sit through Wife Swap and Supernanny for some time now. I realize that they are the very most favorite programs for some, but for me they are so predictable as to have become boring.
On Swap, we get two diametrically opposed women chosen for the drama that will ensue. One or both are horrified at the living conditions or the kids or the husband at the other wife’s house.
At least one of the husbands will rebel and remind the exchangee that it’s his home, by gawd, and he’ll do exactly what he wants. (No, he won’t — read the contract he signed. )
Then there will be tears and hugs and at least one horrified mother when she’s read the riot act about how she’s raising her children.
It’s all designed to remind us how fortunate and superior we are not to be those people.
And it’s the same way with Supernanny.
Nanny Jo parachutes into the first circle of hell that is the home of a typical family on the edge of the abyss. The little monsters are running around screaming; parents are on the verge of nervous breakdowns; kids are sleeping in their parents’ bed; chaos reigns.
Jo tells everyone what to do. There’s resistance. One or both parents backslide, but before the hour is over, all is sweetness and light and hugs all around. Thank you Nanny Jo. Thank you.
It’s entertainment that doesn’t require a lot of intellectual investment and there’s room for that on TV, too. Looking for love. Friday’s lone freshman is The Ex List at 8 p.m. on CBS following Ghost Whisperer.
TV is all about the packaging and this will give the network two back-to-back programs staring strong, comely women.
The Ex List is also lighter fare leading into the murder and mayhem of Numb 3 rs at 9 p.m.
The new comedy / drama stars Elizabeth Reaser. If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, Reaser, 33, is the actress who played Ava / Rebecca in a most memorable story arc.
In her new series, Reaser portrays Bella Bloom, a successful, single businesswoman in her 30 s who’s not really looking for love, but maybe is starting to hear that ol’ clock ticking and wouldn’t be averse to love stumbling upon her.
Here’s the premise. During a bachelorette party for her sister Daphne (Rachel Boston ), Bella learns from the gypsy psychic lady that she has already dated the man fate has decreed will be her husband. However, if she doesn’t discover who he is within one year, she’s doomed — doomed — to be forever single and alone.
Thus the soul mate search begins. Bella must re-examine every boyfriend, every relationship, every fleeting liaison she’s had.
Wacky, quirky friends along for the adventure include college chum Augie (Adam Rothenberg ), Augie’s girlfriend Vivian (Alexandra Breckenridge ) and the unemployed Cyrus (Amir Talai ), who’s full of wry and sardonic observations.
Let the quest begin. Comedy and not a little poignant drama ensue. Jerry Van Dyke alert: Fans of adopted Arkansan Jerry Van Dyke can catch up with the former star of Coach when he turns in a guest appearance on My Name is Earl today at 7: 30 p.m. on NBC.
Van Dyke plays a widowed former Green Beret who once had his RV stolen by Earl. Earl can’t return the RV to cross it off his Karma list because Randy blew it up. In setting out to find what else might make the curmudgeon happy, the boys accidentally turn him into a 75-year-old killing machine. While I’m away: The TV Column is taking a week off to regroup after all the premieres. That means there will be no column Sunday when The CW debuts the night’s lineup it farmed out to Media Rights Capital, an independent studio that does film and TV.
Scheduled to debut Sunday are Valentine and Easy Money. The former, airing at 7 p. m., is about a family of Greek gods acting as matchmakers. The latter, airing at 8 p. m., is darker and deals with a family of loan sharks. That’s all I know. The CW had no panels for the programs on the press tour. They have sent me no publicity about the shows and as of deadline for this column, no preview DVDs have been forthcoming. I’ve watched the short trailers on the Web site, but otherwise we’re on our own. Maybe one of the pokey publicity problems is low expectations. Both new programs are up against fierce, established competition. For example, Easy Money is opposite Desperate Housewives and Cold Case. I’d be daunted, too.
In praise of women: If your cable or satellite outfit carries Sundance Channel, make a note to check out 14 Women airing at 8 p.m. Monday. The documentary comes from Sen. Blanche Lambert Lincoln’s movie director sister, Mary Lambert. It features Lincoln and 13 other women elected to the United States Senate in the first two election cycles of the century. The film offers “an intimate portrait” of the women at home and on the job. Annette Bening narrates. The TV column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail mstorey@arkansasonline. com
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