Every couple of television seasons the networks think it's a good idea to trot out some gay folks and build a show around them instead of having them as peripheral characters who flit in from the sidelines to toss of witty retorts or sarcastic bon mots then flit back to the sideline and not be seen again for another 3 or more episodes. So it was this season that the network gods deigned to give us not one, but two shows with "the gays". One is on CBS and called "Partners". I watched one episode of this and it is just awful, which is too bad as it is from the creators of "Will and Grace" which had its moments of funny, but this does not. I feel bad for Michael Urie, he was good on "Ugly Betty" but here seems forced and I'm sorry but no one in the real world would believe he and Brandon Roth were a couple. Not that he isn't a good guy but in gay town these types of pairings don't happen. The ratings for this show are also bad so don't get attached it won't be on long, CBS will bring back "Rules of Engagement" to replace it--we will never be rid of David Spade.
Now "The New Normal" got a lot of fanfare seeing as how it is from the mind of Ryan Murphy--the "Glee" and "American Horror Story" creator. Supposedly loosely based on his own real life experiences I did look forward to seeing this as "Glee" had a good first season. Now six episodes in me and the SO have given up on this, and our primary reason is that it isn't funny enough and way too preachy. We feel like we are being hit over the head with a hammer every episode. Granted the show is full of tropes and stereotypes which isn't really the criticism I have of it, I mean every sitcom is based on some kind of stereotype and the shenanigans that surround being that type of person. Good sitcoms do it in a way that is funny but not too offensive of the people they are making fun of--"Big Bang Theory" being a good example--geeks are funny!
Sadly for a show from a gay person the stereotypes here are pretty tv standard and just not funny. Hey prissy television exec with a fastidious nature and addiction to fashion is partnered with a geeky sports loving gynecologist--isn't that funny! Actually no, it's not, and again, this is a coupling that probably isn't going to happen in the real gay town. But beyond that is the fact that there just are not enough laughs in this sitcom to make it worth continuing to watch. There is the occasional funny line thrown out but not enough to sustain this over the long haul. And then there is the preaching--from this weeks nana million mom hate on gay marriage to David lecturing on homophobia in the department store---these long winded speeches become tiresome and turn off middle America and coastal America. Throwing out a preachy moment every once and awhile is fine if done right and sparingly but here it is heavy handed and constant through each episode and seems to suck any kind of laughs out of the show.
It's a fine line trying to be socially conscious and relevant while still being funny and entertaining, sadly it seems "The New Normal" is not only falling over that line, it's being run over by it. This is where I feel bad for the actors, they are trying their best to make this work but sometimes I just get the feeling they are secretly rolling their eyes after espousing Murphy's dialogue. And while I love me some Ellen Barkin (seriously you should subscribe to her twitter feed) she deserves better than this.
There is an old saying that dying is easy, comedy is hard and this show is living proof of that. NBC picked up an order for a full season of this show (obviously the bar is really low at NBC these days) so it's not going away anytime soon. I can only hope that Murphy will get a clue and listen to folks--and declining ratings--and rework this show to be a truly funny sitcom and not an episodic morality lesson.
Now "The New Normal" got a lot of fanfare seeing as how it is from the mind of Ryan Murphy--the "Glee" and "American Horror Story" creator. Supposedly loosely based on his own real life experiences I did look forward to seeing this as "Glee" had a good first season. Now six episodes in me and the SO have given up on this, and our primary reason is that it isn't funny enough and way too preachy. We feel like we are being hit over the head with a hammer every episode. Granted the show is full of tropes and stereotypes which isn't really the criticism I have of it, I mean every sitcom is based on some kind of stereotype and the shenanigans that surround being that type of person. Good sitcoms do it in a way that is funny but not too offensive of the people they are making fun of--"Big Bang Theory" being a good example--geeks are funny!
Sadly for a show from a gay person the stereotypes here are pretty tv standard and just not funny. Hey prissy television exec with a fastidious nature and addiction to fashion is partnered with a geeky sports loving gynecologist--isn't that funny! Actually no, it's not, and again, this is a coupling that probably isn't going to happen in the real gay town. But beyond that is the fact that there just are not enough laughs in this sitcom to make it worth continuing to watch. There is the occasional funny line thrown out but not enough to sustain this over the long haul. And then there is the preaching--from this weeks nana million mom hate on gay marriage to David lecturing on homophobia in the department store---these long winded speeches become tiresome and turn off middle America and coastal America. Throwing out a preachy moment every once and awhile is fine if done right and sparingly but here it is heavy handed and constant through each episode and seems to suck any kind of laughs out of the show.
It's a fine line trying to be socially conscious and relevant while still being funny and entertaining, sadly it seems "The New Normal" is not only falling over that line, it's being run over by it. This is where I feel bad for the actors, they are trying their best to make this work but sometimes I just get the feeling they are secretly rolling their eyes after espousing Murphy's dialogue. And while I love me some Ellen Barkin (seriously you should subscribe to her twitter feed) she deserves better than this.
There is an old saying that dying is easy, comedy is hard and this show is living proof of that. NBC picked up an order for a full season of this show (obviously the bar is really low at NBC these days) so it's not going away anytime soon. I can only hope that Murphy will get a clue and listen to folks--and declining ratings--and rework this show to be a truly funny sitcom and not an episodic morality lesson.
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