Sound-Off: I Can't Stand 'This is Us'

I'm sure this will be as popular as a denouncement of Hamilton on Broadway, but I am not a fan of This is Us. It's at best, emotional kryptonite, and at worst, an hour where you have to prepare to be massively depressed and disappointed.  It took me approximately six months to get through the last 4 episodes of the season. I've been on hiatus since Jack's post-Superbowl death episode. I think my main issue revolves around the Peterson children. I'm not a fan of all 3 of the younger kid or teen versions of the kids. Frankly, I kinda hate their adult selves too. I've had little sympathy for twins Kate and Kevin. They are so self-absorbed and co-dependent, it's sick. I've been over Kate's weight issues since episode 1 and Kevin is a borderline narcissist.  I find Randall and Beth's relationship nice, but sometimes his "I have to do everything" attitude tires me out. I know he's trying to save their adopted foster child, Dejia, but it seems to be at the expense of his other two kids. I like the young Rebecca and Jack courtship story. Maybe I can mash up all of those episodes together and watch that for season 3. Once they had kids, the Petersons got hella emotionally taxing. I find I have to be in a really crappy mood to watch the show, and then I'm find with being on the verge of crying for an hour. I'm not the only one. Social media has grown tired too per this Cosmopolitan article.

Why Sports Night Failed

GIF from Imgur

     I made it 5 episodes into Aaron Sorkin's half-hour single-camera comedy Sports Night before I realized that this two-season show was doomed from the start. It had an interesting premise- behind the scenes of an ESPN-style show. It even had a great cast of promising actors:

Felicity Huffman

Joshua Malina

Peter Krause

Josh Charles

1. The music did not fit the show
2.  It oddly reminded me of Melrose Place.
3. It was funny sad, not funny 'haha'
4. Awkward camera angles
5. The Sorkin "walk and talk." *
6. The love story that wasn't a love story
     Dana (Huffman) is the producer of the show and Casey (Krause) is the anchor. Casey gets divorced. Casey finally has a chance with Dana. Dana kisses Casey. Dana tells Casey he has to date other people because she can't be his rebound. This all happens over the first two episodes!

*Sorkin is big on passing from one location to another with a walk and dialogue. This builds a wonderful foundation for scenes in Gilmore Girls and Sorkin's movie The American President, but it is an over-used trope in this half-hour show. 

A Note: Scary MOB Wives

I don't think anyone plans to watch Mob Wives. It just kinda happens on a random Tuesday night when the classy stuff, the REAL HOUSEWIVES are on on hiatus and the real shows are in repeats. Drama alert: someone doesn't want to read the chapter of someone else's book. And I quote: "This isn't a merry-go-round! This is friendship!" Finally, a solution to the problem from a senior wife: "Both of yous go out into the woods and only one of you's will make it back!"

This is really making me miss Bravo's Russian Dolls, and I only watched 20 minutes of that. But, I'm liking the mood music for this important meeting.

I give. Total elapsed time with the mob wives: 5 minutes.

A Love/Hate Note: 2 Broke Girls

This show has horrible writing! Woo got that off my chest! Every time I watch it, I beg myself to stop.

Example of 2 Broke Girls bad writing:
Max: I've divided my roommate into three categories: annoying, more annoying, and how did that happen?

Example 2:
Caroline: Max, should you be taking in any more strays (dogs)?
Max: No. So move out tonight.

It's too tongue-in cheek, like it comes out of the mouth of a surly 13-year old, or a writer who loves 60's sitcoms and The Odd Couple. I don't hate this show, but I'm not planning to move in with it anytime soon. It's a bit disappointing to see that Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City creator) and Whitney Cummings (a great stand-up comedian) are behind this show. And Whitney's fledgling self-named sitcom WHITNEY is better, like a poor woman's FRIENDS. The more I watch this show, the more it reinforces my desire not to ever live in Brooklyn. Plus, the hot-ish but morally defunct guys drag down everything. Ugh, why... I'm not watching any longer. Oh wait, its still on. The saving grace is the sassy old man who works at the diner's cash register.

Plus side: Making fun of hipsters! this is the only reason I watch this show. I dislike hipsters

A Note: I Just Want the Last 27 Minutes of My Life Back

Powerless to find the remote after MTV's VMA awards this week, I found myself watching I Just Want My Pants Back, which was one of the most pointless shows I've seen in a very long time (and I specialize in finding pointless TV shows). See video here to judge for yourself. It was just a preview episode of the show, which is set to debut several months from now, or if I have anything to say about it, never. The only thing that's better (read WORSE) than listening to scripted 20-somethings complain about being broke, aimless, and loveless is to listen to HIPSTERS complain about being broke, aimless, and loveless.

Lead hipster Jason works at a casting agency, his boss hates, him, he can't find love with a girl, and seems to be somewhat of a screw up with his friends. Tina, his overly slutty BFF, clearly belongs with him in the future. Jason ends up with a broken thumb and Tina gets a rash on her neck- all due to choosing bad people to canoodle with. They spend all their time with a well-adjusted couple, Eric and Stacey. Quite honestly, Stacey and Tina looked so much alike in the show, I couldn't tell them apart in some scenes. And poor Jason nearly cried about the skanky girl who borrowed his pants after a one night stand and gave him a fake phone number. Sooooo sad..... I just can't care. This idea was so much more original in shows like the wildly popular Thirtysomething, or even the short-lived ABC show, Wasteland.