Television Review - 2017 (Part 4): #3 Viewing Experience of 2017, Cheers, Season 1-4+

When I picked up Alan Sepinwall's TV book, in which he ranked the top 100 shows of all time, I expected to see The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, and The Sopranos in the top five.

I did not expect to see Cheers.

I was born in the mid-80s, and as a friend of mine put it, Cheers is that show that you had to wait for to end so you could watch Full House or whatever else was going to come on afterwards. It's a show that has been regarded as a classic, along the lines of stuff like All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Happy Days, etc. In other words, it has always felt to me like pure Nick at Nite fodder, the kind of show that you might expect to enjoy somewhat if you watch it, but nothing over-the-top great.

Then, I read that damn book.

If two reputable TV critics are going to throw Cheers up there with four of the very best shows I've ever had the pleasure of watching, then I simply had to check it out. As of this writing, I'm in the middle of Season Five of Cheers, and intend to continue to plow through until the end. I was a skeptic because it was set in the 80's, and ugh, old TV must be bad! I was a skeptic because it was a sitcom. I was a skeptic because of the main Season One cast, I had never heard of any of them except Rhea Perlman, whom I actually mistook for Frau from the Austin Powers series. That's right, I've seriously never heard of Ted Danson before late 2017.

And well, yeah, it's sort of an imperfect show. There's occasional episodes where the plot is actually pretty uninteresting. There's total flops that distort the characters into ridiculous caricatures of themselves. In particular, the Halloween episode in which Cliff extremely awkwardly courts a similarly extremely awkward woman was hard to watch, because people that bad at speaking to people of the opposite sex legitimately don't exist. Many of the plots can be of low emotional stakes, Diane is occasionally written to be unrealistically (and annoyingly) weird/artsy, and sometimes the dialogue can be so mean-spirited without redemption that it's fair to wonder whether the show even likes some of its own characters. Specifically, I've wondered that quite a bit about Cliff, until the Season Five episode ""House of Horrors with Formal Dining and Used Brick", which presents what is by my count as the first positive interaction between Cliff and Carla after years of nothing but one-sided verbal abuse.

That's about where the negatives end. I'm only halfway through, but I'm acutely aware that I'm watching what is one of the best sitcoms of all time -- possibly the best.

As a sitcom, the discussion begins with the quality of the comedy, and even though it's been off the air for 25 years, the wit is still extremely sharp. A running gag like Carla picking on Diane has the potential to become tired fast. Instead, thanks to the writing and the acting, I find myself eagerly anticipating those lines when they're set up. The humor is simple, but executed far better than what you'd remember from any of the beloved 90's sitcoms. Cheers is similar to any show that goes for this form of comedy, but it takes the formula to perfection.

Since I've consumed more than four seasons of this show, there's almost too much to talk about. I was a big fan of Harry "The Hat", the con artist that kept returning to screw the Cheers gang out of their cash and possessions. The old guy who sits at the rear of the bar and delivers one-liners a couple times per season is a nice repeat gag. Carla's ex-husband Nick always provides great material for an episode here or there as well.

Norm Peterson, the accountant barfly, is one of the best sitcom characters I've ever seen. Every time he enters the bar, the staff and customers greet him with a resounding, "NORM!" (while Diane says a more polished "Norman").  There were a few moments in the middle of Season Three in which I thought the gag was waning, and they would say his name less enthusiastically. When the "NORM!" was less fervent, I actually got a little sad watching the show, because I love that gimmick. Cheers is all about a place where one feels happy, comfortable, and among friends. That Cheers was actually able to make me feel a little down when they wouldn't yell a sitcom character's name all that loud is a testament to the sense of community that they've created in that bar. The viewer feels it too.

Back on Norm, one of the strongest episodes was in Season Four, when Norm is up for a promotion against a co-worker, whose wife has been sleeping with the boss (who must make the decision as to who will be promoted). Norm becomes very tempted to use the information, even more so after it's revealed that he doesn't get the job and that the reason is because the executives' wives don't get along with his wife, Vera. Still, despite being a noticeably flawed man, Norm passes the trial of character and keeps the rumor to himself. It's one of several times that he's tested during the first four seasons and he usually finds himself on the right side of morality. Norm can be gruff, insulting, rude, and something of an absent husband, but Cheers makes him one of the two most likable characters anyway because of great writing and George Wendt's outstanding performance.

The other of the show's most likable characters? That'd be the lead, Sam Malone (Danson). The character is drawn and played perfectly by Danson. He's a total ladies man who, despite his many relations with beautiful women, is fighting himself over his attraction to the brainy, often grating Diane. Sam is often portrayed as unintelligent, but it's clear he has a good heart and that he's there for his friends. It's obvious how much he loves his bar without him ever having to come out and say it. His charisma and wit often carries the show, and the will-they-won't-they relationship he has with Diane is often at its heart (and inspires many subsequent TV shows). Sam is treated like a hero by the bar's patrons and Carla. Despite Diane's highlighting of his issues, he sort of feels like one to the viewer, too (albeit for different reasons).

Cheers had to deal with a tragedy early on in its run, as Nicholas Colasanto's (the actor portraying Sam's bartender, "Coach") health began to fade during Season Three and the actor sadly passed away. On screen, Colasanto was very endearing as Coach Ernie Pantusso, and even though most of the comedy was in the form of him misunderstanding things, Cheers was often able to elevate that somewhat mundane comedic formula to something consistently entertaining. Even better, when the show turned to Woody Harrelson's Woody Boyd to take Coach's place in Season Four, they didn't miss a beat, as Woody's rural-kid-in-the-big-city act has provided a natural replacement as the resident character who doesn't quite get what everyone else is saying.

There are a ton of episodes of Cheers and picking this up shortly after having my second daughter has ensured that this project won't end anytime soon, but I can't wait to see what the show's back half has to offer. It's a truly wonderful show that is rightfully considered a timeless classic.

Seasons One Through Four Grade: A

Television Review - 2017 (Part 3): #4 Viewing Experience of 2017, Master of None

I spoke fondly of Season One of Master of None, Aziz Ansari and (former Fire Joe Morgan writer) Alan Yang's show about a small-time actor who's the son of Indian immigrants. The show's premise lends itself to exploration of several things, such as the difficulty of adapting to living in a new place, how the associated culture clash affects children of those who carry old traditions with them, and racism both inside and outside of the entertainment industry. However, while these themes are very important to what makes Master of None work, it's Ansari's work as Dev Shah that makes the show such an addicting watch. Dev navigates situations that are completely ordinary, yet very in tune with the human experience and Ansari has a somewhat difficult-to-describe way of getting the viewer invested in it all.

Dev's character is extremely engaging; he seems able to communicate comfortably with just about everyone and is very willing to try out new experiences. In fact, if there's one knock on the realism of the show, it seems like Dev is a little too good at social interaction. He's "on" all the time, which makes it a little too noticeable that you're watching a TV character. However, I guess I've met a person or two like that in my life, so maybe that sentiment is just me being envious of people who can pull that off.

Master of None Season Two picks up a little ways after Season One left off. Dev moves to Italy and he's in an apprenticeship as a pasta maker. The journey to Italy is short-lived, but it introduces us to Francesca, a woman who will eventually become a charming late-season love interest for Dev despite her engagement to another man (with whom she's clearly not satisfied). The season premiere, which is shot in black and white, is one of the seasons's strongest episodes. It's supposed to be a nod to Italian cinema, and I'll confess, all of that was totally lost on me, but still, it was a lot of fun watching Dev and the boy, Mario, troll around Italy to search for Dev's stolen phone so that he might reconnect with Sara, a woman with whom he had a successful first date. Another standout episode was "Thanksgiving", which follows Dev's friend Denise and her changing relationships with her family as she comes out as gay, told through a series of Turkey Day flashbacks.

Also excellent was "New York, I Love You", which shifts the focus away from Dev entirely and puts background characters at the forefront. It was a great moment for Master of None, as it proves that the show is great at storytelling even without relying on its charismatic lead. Similar to Louie before it, Master of None doesn't set any boundaries for itself and is free to follow its whims to tell whatever tale it likes. With Ansari and Yang at the helm, there's plenty of reason to believe they'll be successful no matter what they'd like to try.

In this age of limitless shows to check out (seriously, there are too many, we need to have an agreement to hard-cap the number of shows so that we can actually talk to each other about common viewings again), Master of None continually pops up when recommendations for Netflix stuff are solicited, so I think that says a great deal about how good it is. If you haven't seen it, give it a go.

Season Grade: A

Television Review - 2017 (Part 2): #5 Viewing Experience of 2017, BoJack Horseman

5) BoJack Horseman (Season Four)

This is a step back for BoJack, as it's ranked second each of the last two times I've made this list. I did full reviews here of the first seven episodes of the season before finally accepting the idea that I'd come to dread thinking about having to write something meaningful and lengthy about each episode, so I stalled a little bit. There were a few winners among the earlier Season Four, most notably "The Old Sugarman Place", but by and large, the season dragged until the ninth installment, "Ruthie".

Still, even if it didn't ascend to the heights of Seasons Two or Three, Season Four of BoJack Horseman was yet another wild emotional ride. The show typically builds to heavier stuff in the later episodes of a season, and Season Four was no exception. It's just that the ride to get there wasn't quite as fun this time around and several of the non-BoJack storylines dragged along. Those of you who followed my episode recaps know that I didn't care for the "Mr. Peanutbutter for governor" storyline, and as it has in the past, when BoJack Horseman goes political, it tends to lose what makes it special and becomes just another voice in the echo chamber, making the same statements and jokes that you see retweeted into your timeline every day without any additional creativity. There were a few pretty great jokes along the way ("Tonight, we dine on Zach Braff!"), but for the most part it was a storyline I could have done without.

Todd was mostly his goofy Todd self this season, which is enjoyable, but I liked that the show dove deeper into his life as an asexual person. As I've mentioned before, this is an under-explored element in popular culture and it was interesting to see Todd both come to terms with it and explore relationships with other asexual people.

Most of Princess Carolyn's arc this season was forgettable until "Ruthie", one of the more gut-wrenching episodes that the show has pulled on us during its four-season run.  The reveal that the happy future was just something she made up to deal with her struggles was the not-so-insignificant cherry on top of watching all aspects of her life come crashing down in sequence (though thankfully, we finally got the follow-up from the Judah/Admiral Witherspoon meeting). By season's end, with some help from Todd, she's able to pull herself out of it and start anew. Overall, I was a little let down with how little I was engrossed with her storyline, but "Ruthie" was damn near good enough to make up for all of the lulls.

Finally, we come to BoJack, who yet again had an excellent season-long arc. They teased us last season with the possibility that BoJack had a daughter, and this season we got to meet Hollyhock, who seems like a good kid but is confirmed to have some of BoJack's unfortunate tendencies, most notably having a voice in her head telling her that she's worthless and stupid and ugly. One of the best scenes of the season is when she asks BoJack if the voice ever goes away, and BoJack doesn't have the heart to tell her the truth -- that the voice has been dragging him down for his whole life.

The root of BoJack's issues, however, is revealed in a series of flashbacks involving the childhood of his mother, Beatrice. To this point in the series, Beatrice has been portrayed as an awful mother who just put BoJack down and treated him like garbage his whole life. That BoJack Horseman was able to turn Beatrice into something resembling a sympathetic character was truly remarkable. She's the way she is because of her father, Joseph Sugarman, who's suddenly the biggest villain of the entire series. Joseph had his wife lobotomized rather than deal with her thoughts and feelings and his attitude towards women and girls essentially poisoned Beatrice. She never had a chance to turn out halfway decent, so it's ultimately Joseph's shittiness that is the root of much of what is wrong with BoJack. 

In yet another crazy twist, it turns out that BoJack's father, Butterscotch, is actually Hollyhock's father as well (which is probably for the best, as BoJack isn't much of a parent). In the last scene of the season, Hollyhock and BoJack have a heart-to-heart about this realization, and both approach the discomfort with great maturity that shows growth in both characters. Hollyhock reiterates what she's been saying all along -- that she doesn't need another dad, but then she speaks the line that gives us possibly the happiest moment of the entire series:

"But...I've never had a brother."

For just a single moment, all of the pain and sadness that we've seen in BoJack for four seasons is washed away, and the beleaguered horse puts a genuine smile on his face. This was a necessary ending for the season, as we've seen BoJack progressively sink lower and lower over three years and this single moment points to a possible recovery and maybe even a happy ending for the character. I don't know how long BoJack Horseman will be on TV, but I do know that it couldn't go on forever on that trajectory. This points BoJack's life in a new and interesting direction, and for anyone who's gone through this strange, weird, journey of agony with BoJack for four years, the conclusion of Season Four was truly satisfying to watch.

Season Grade: A-

You're the Worst, Season Four

First off, this is a standard review. It is not part of my Top 5 Viewing Experiences of 2017.

Also, there's probably mild spoilers and stuff.

You're the Worst is one of the most refreshingly entertaining comedies I've ever picked up and the first three seasons were side-splitting, heartfelt, and totally great. However, much like other memorable comedies before it (The Office, Archer), Season Four is when the cracks start to show. Comedies don't typically build out deep ensembles and once a story with huge plot moments plays itself out (think about the big Jim/Pam moments from Seasons Two and Three of The Office, Archer's breast cancer arc in Season Two, and space-marooning of Barry in Season Three), it's hard for the show to ascend to greater heights or even equal those that were already achieved.

Still, You're the Worst was able to fight regression better than either of the two aforementioned shows, and though there were problems with Season Four, it still delivered a reasonably entertaining string of episodes. With Jimmy having run away from Gretchen after proposing to her, the series' big moment has essentially passed and we're left to deal with the falling action. Unfortunately, the falling action involved the four main characters (Jimmy, Gretchen, Edgar, and Lindsay) largely going their separate ways and rarely winding up in the same place together. You're the Worst works the best when these four (along with Vernon) are in the same place and can play off of each other. The tangent storylines had, at best, mixed results.

Lindsay embarks on a career as a fashion consultant and actually seems to have her shit together for the first time in the series. At times, it can be hard to reconcile Lindsay's occasional perceptiveness in Season Four with how unrealistically stupid she's been in previous seasons, but I guess I can't blame the show for wanting to push her growth. She comes to realize that none of her new co-workers particularly like her (which makes sense) and, unrelatedly, that her mother is the reason that her and Becca (who's been a very weak character this season) are so screwed up. By the end of the season, she commits herself to helping other people and actually sort of succeeds at it. Even if she's always going to be "the stupid one", at least it seems Lindsay is moving away from being the actual worst on a show called You're the Worst.

In complete contrast to Season Three, the Edgar plotlines were boring and terrible. It was evident from the very start that his comedy buddy Max was a piece of garbage, and it was totally unappealing to have jerkish tendencies develop in the man who was previously the show's most likable person. His relationship with Lindsay made sense and was enjoyable, but that aside, nothing made me want to check out more this season than an Edgar story. At the very least, they ended Edgar's season-long arc on a good note. The scenes between him and Jimmy in the finale were great, and the moments of mutual respect between the two seemed earned after all they've been through, both with each other and elsewhere.

Gretchen got a ton of focus this season and much like for the character, the viewing experience was a set of major peaks and valleys. We've already seen Gretchen depressed before, and while her Season Four spiral makes complete sense given what Jimmy did to her, it doesn't feel fresh or interesting. Her relationship with Boone was largely "meh" because Boone wasn't a very interesting character. However, it did lead to the pretty great episode in which she meets Boone's ex-wife. Gretchen's trip to her hometown and re-connection with her old friend Heidi was also stellar, as it became further fleshed out what a trainwreck she is and always has been (and man, those poor high school kids are scarred for life). The best version of Gretchen is when she's with Jimmy. As was shown by the excellent movie theater scene, Jimmy needs her as another voice when chewing out random strangers (honestly, I will never get sick of watching Jimmy and Gretchen simultaneously tell off the people who are unfortunate enough to cross their path). They were apart far too much this season.

Finally we come to Jimmy. I honestly couldn't care less about Jimmy's writing career and I feel like too much of the last two seasons has focused on that. The season premiere, however, in which Jimmy was living in the trailer park community and hanging out with Bert (who might as well have been labeled "The Ghost of Jimmy Future") was truly great. He spent much of the rest of the season working on moving on from Gretchen and his isolation from the rest of the cast didn't serve the show well. Chris Geere is both hysterical and somehow amazing at getting us to feel for such an asshole of a character, but he's at his best when put in situations where he can play off of the other leads. We didn't get enough of that.

Bullet Points

• Poor Killian. Guy can't catch a break in life.

• Vernon was in the background too much this season. Season Three's "The Seventh Layer" is still one of my favorite episodes of the series. I get that his act could wear thin if over-exposed, but in semi-regular doses, he's close to the best character on the show

• Ummm...why is Honey Nutz gone?

• Lindsay popping out of a garbage can a-la-Oscar-the-Grouch was one of the best gags of the season

Season Grade: B+

Television Review - 2017 (Part 1)

Welcome to my annual review of television shows I've watched during the year.

For reference, here's a list of shows I've watched this year, in no particular order. Unless otherwise indicated, I'm only considering the episodes released during 2017 (or the most recent season).

Suits (almost all of the most recently-completed season)

BoJack Horseman

Silicon Valley

Top Chef

The Big Bang Theory

Catastrophe (a few Season Three episodes)

You're the Worst

Archer

The Sopranos (Seasons Two through Six)

South Park

Better Call Saul

Master of None

This Is Us (Season One, half of Season Two)

Billions (Seasons One and Two)

High Maintenance (all webisodes and full-length HBO episodes)

Cheers (Seasons One through part of Season Four or so, still in progress)

Ozark (two episodes)

Rick and Morty (Season Three, various Seasons One & Two episodes)

Shows That I've Dropped, and Why

I was particularly aggressive about dropping shows this year. With my first daughter staying up later and my second daughter arriving in the fall, the amount of time I've had to watch TV decreased steadily this year, and as a result, my standards have increased for what shows justify me spending that precious amount of time. So here's a list of all the shows that were on the list last year and no longer appear, or some others that do appear and I have decided to stop watching.

1) Suits. This show was once outstanding, but it's just been on too long and they no longer have an interesting story to tell. Meghan Markle leaving the show to become the Queen of England or whatever probably will only exacerbate that problem

2) Modern Family. Reasons were described last year.

3) Mr. Robot. Ditto

4) Catastrophe. My wife really likes this show and I tried to get into Season Three but I just wound up falling asleep a lot. This is probably the show of highest quality (currently, at least) that I've dropped. I don't know why, but I'm just not that stoked on it.

5) The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Explained last year, but it bears re-mentioning: Lillian is probably one of my least-favorite TV characters of all time.

6) Ballers. The review explains it pretty well. It's just not very good.

7) Archer. This one's been on thin ice with me before and I didn't care for the Dreamland concept. It's time to say good-bye to what was one of my favorite shows a half-decade ago. I haven't actively stopped watching it yet, as I've seen all of the most recent season, but I won't pick it back up in the spring.

8) This Is Us. This one has been a victim of my waning attention span. I don't think the show got that much worse from Season One (though it has been a slight downgrade). Kate and (to a lesser extent) Kevin are still very weak characters and Sterling K. Brown can't carry the present-day portion of the show all by himself. I might jump into it again at some point, but for the time being, I've told my wife to carry on by herself with this one.

9) Ozark. I may pick this up again. I was very interested in the only two episodes that I watched, but this was around when we had our baby. We didn't keep plowing through.

Shows That Didn't Release New Episodes or Are Complete

1) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 

2) Louie

I'm spacing this out a little more than I have in past years. Over the course of the next few weeks, I'm going to be rolling out reviews of my favorite five TV viewing experiences of the year. Stay tuned...as a change of pace we'll have some actual content around here in the month to come.