- "Televison -- a medium. So called because it is
neither rare nor well done."
- --Kovacs
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- The pay-cable network HBO has been credited with forever
changing the face of television programming. Over the past 10 years, an
increasing number of cable TV shows have been nominated for Emmy awards,
with vanguard HBO dominating, sometimes outnumbering the "free"
networks in total nominations.
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- Critics have heaped nearly universal praise on virtually
every HBO original series. The New York Times once referred to The Sopranos
as "the greatest work of pop culture in the last quarter-century."
In case you've been living on another planet for the last several years,
The Sopranos is a gritty crime-drama whose protagonist happens to be a
mob boss.
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- Other HBO shows to receive lavish critical acclaim include
the now-defunct Sex and the City (a comedy centered around the sexual escapades
of four "hip" New York women), Six Feet Under (a drama about
two brothers running their deceased father's funeral service), Deadwood
(a graphic western coming off its inaugural season), and numerous documentary
programs that explore the darkest aspects of the human condition (Taxicab
Confessions, Autopsy, Real Sex).
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- As a viewer who has long since tired of the homogenized
and dumbed-down programming of the "free" networks, I've been
a fairly loyal fan of HBO for many years. My favorite comedy of all time
is probably the Larry Sanders Show (a hilarious parody of late-night talk
shows), and I've seen every episode of Six Feet Under. Many of these shows
have earned their critical praise, but I'm bothered by some disturbing
themes that run through several HBO series.
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- The worst pattern that can be found in more than one
HBO show is an apparent celebration of sociopathy. On the aforementioned
Sopranos, viewers are essentially given only one rooting interest: a mob
guy who commits murder whenever it serves him. Call me close-minded if
you wish, but I've never understood the public's fascination with obese,
inarticulate, linguini-guzzling "wise-guys" who kill at the drop
of a hat, and generally lack any redeeming qualities.
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- I've only watched the show sporadically since the end
of the second season, so maybe I've missed something, but I cannot remember
Tony Soprano -- a fat, cruel, infantile pig of a man -- ever saying or
doing anything of interest. The episodes that I saw were occasionally funny,
but they provided no real insight or drama, and were utterly bereft of
uplift. To call this show "the greatest work of pop culture in the
last quarter-century" is a ludicrous exercise in hyperbole.
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- As foul and oafish as Tony Soprano is, he is a saint
compared to the protagonist of HBO's latest dramatic hit, Deadwood. The
show centers on a late-19th century saloon and brothel owner -- the aptly
named Al Swearengen. This is a man whose mouth is so foul, it would mortify
a young George Carlin. Swearengen blusters a dizzying variety of "curses,"
many of which were almost certainly not in use over a hundred years ago.
But Al's tongue is nowhere near as sharp as his blade, which he uses often
and remorselessly. Like Tony Soprano, he kills whenever "necessary,"
i.e. whenever the act will increase his wealth.
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- The closest thing to a "hero" on Deadwood is
Seth Bullock, a young business owner and ex-lawman who spends much of his
time raging against the injustices perpetrated by Swearengen and his ilk.
But Bullock himself is a near-homicidal maniac, using extreme violence
or threats of violence to "persuade" his antagonists.
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- I don't object to shows like Deadwood and The Sopranos
simply because they feature dark story lines and cruel characters. I'm
all for an honest and even painful exploration of every aspect of the human
condition. What bothers me is the apparent attitude of the shows' writers
and producers that sociopathic behaviors are not objectively bad, and perhaps
even admirable. Millions of Americans actively ROOT for Tony Soprano. Is
that not the least bit troubling?
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- But even the most graphically violent HBO shows are nowhere
near as twisted or bizarre as the network's sexually oriented programming.
One of HBO's longest-running programs is the documentary series, Real Sex.
One would think that any show with the word "sex" in the title
would necessarily carry at least a smidgen of erotic appeal, but not in
this case. That is, unless you are aroused by such "hot" topics
as "midget-hermaphrodite nudist colonies" or "penis puppeteers"
or "transgender escort services." It is almost as if the show's
producers intend to make sex look as weird, aberrant, and unappealing as
possible.
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- Disgusting sexual images are also common on the documentary
series, Taxicab Confessions. This show features taxi drivers recording
the comments of unguarded passengers on hidden cameras. The ones who make
it on the air are usually the most drunken, drug-addicted, mentally ill,
obliterated folks imaginable. Hookers of every variety, particularly transgenders
and transsexuals, are frequently taped offering graphic and stomach churning
descriptions of their "work." Couples are also sometimes taped
engaging in animalistic, backseat sex.
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- Watching these "titillating" shows has the
same effect on one's libido as an ice-cold shower. For what alien life-form
is this brand of "erotica" intended?
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- In depicting human "eroticism," HBO does not
shy away from homosexuality. The aforementioned Six Feet Under focuses
on the romantic lives of multiple gay or bi characters. Let me make it
clear that this is not something I object to on a priori grounds. I have
no problem with a show portraying gays in a realistic and positive light,
and it's only logical that this would include an exploration of same-sex
romance. But by the end of the fourth season, I noticed a peculiar thing:
all but a handful of the show's characters are either gay, bi, or have
had (or attempted to have) at least one gay experience.
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- The show is centered on a family-run funeral service.
The patriarch of the family recently died, and his two adult sons have
taken over the business. David, the younger of the two men, is gay, and
has an ongoing relationship with a cop named Keith.
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- In season three, Claire (David's college-age sister)
breaks up with her boyfriend Russell after finding out he slept with her
male art teacher. Brenda (the on-again, off-again flame of David's brother
Nate) has a dysfunctional brother named Billy, who reveals that he has
also slept with Claire's male art teacher. And in season four, Claire finds
herself deeply attracted to an avant-garde bisexual female, and the two
make an aborted attempt at physical intimacy.
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- If Six Feet Under is intended to be about gay people,
that is fine. But it seems to me that as the quality of the writing declined
(which most critics agree began in season three), the show became less
about exploring the characters' humanity than making "socially conscious"
statements. I'm all for tolerance and diversity, but I don't appreciate
attempts to manipulate me. And I don't require a TV show to know that gays
deserve to be treated with parity.
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- What makes me most uneasy about the creative minds at
HBO is the apparent contempt they feel towards so-called normalcy. I suppose
they think it's not interesting to center a show on kind, compassionate,
law-abiding human beings who have only one sexual partner. They may even
believe they are providing viewers with educational insights into the "real
world." I guess I've been asleep for all 29 of my years on planet
Earth, because the world I see on HBO looks nothing like the REAL WORLD
I live in.
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- And no, I don't live in Mayberry.
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