. . .

• So I've been thinking about this for a while: I do not like the show How I Met Your Mother. I should like it, since it's only the, what, second¹ respectable² sitcom that actually stars people from my generation. But I just don't, and I think I've figured out why.
  
  1. I don't like the way the show is marketed and hyped to me. I'll handle these in order:
     
     1. Marketing: I hate, hate, hate anything that is presented to me as speaking for my generation.³ Never, ever trust anyone who claims to speak for you. That includes politicians, artists, teachers, etc.
     2. Hype: People who praise this show to me act like it is just the most groundbreaking show of all time, a non-stop laugh fest. Well, I've seen the show, and it just isn't. It's just okay -- let it be okay. We need okay shows on television. Is the state of the modern television sitcom so bad that shows like this one and Everybody Loves Raymond get praised to high heaven? If these shows were on in the early-to-mid '90s or late '70s-to-early-'80s, when actually great shows⁴ were on, they would barely even register on the radar. I'm not saying the show is shit -- it clearly isn't. This isn't the SAT test; I'm not going to readjust my grading scale just because the general population has gotten dumber.
        
  2. I don't like the looks of the main actor; he looks like if Jimmy Fallon and Zach Braff had a baby. Every time he's on the screen, I either expect him to start giggling and looking at the audience, or staring soulfully into the distance while sad-bastard yuppie-indie music is playing. It's really distracting.
     
• Enough, Zach Braff. Just enough. Stop. No more directing. No more drama. Let me explain this to you as clearly as possible: Garden State sucked.⁵ I would rather contract an incurable case of super-syphillis than go see The Last Kiss. You're not the voice of a generation; if so, I want my generation's larynx crushed. You're great on Scrubs. You're funny, likable, willing to be a nerd.⁶ Stick to roles like that. Or otherwise, go the fuck away.
• The Wire started its fourth season this month, and of course it is the best thing on TV. A analogy with The Shield is instructive: The Wire:The Shield :: novel:comic book. Discuss.
• Don't ask me about Gilmore Girls. I haven't seen the premiere yet; Stephen's TiVo taped the fucking replay of the fucking Bengals game instead.⁷
  
• Speaking of the Bengals, I hope Nic and Lye have a 24-hour suicide watch on Dolph⁸ after the debacle on Sunday. It's like they just decided not to try after halftime.
  
• So I guess I'm a Bengals fan now. I do not like being a fan -- losing hurts too much. It's not as bad with baseball, since there are 162 games and no shot at winning, but when you know your team can do it and they take a dump just hurts, and I don't like caring that much when there is nothing I can do about it.
  
• G4, the video game channel, is now showing replays of Arrested Development for some reason. I'm not complaining, but it's weird that the same channel that runs game cheat programs also runs the second-finest sitcom of all time.⁹
  
• So the Reds season ended with a whimper. Perhaps - and this is just a shot in the dark - trading your starting shortstop and right fielder, who are also just happen to be two of your five best hitters, for two relievers, one of whom is injured might not be the best use of resources. But hey, Juan Castro is resigned for two more years! And Griffey still wants to play center despite not being able to run! Good times, good times.
  

  ---

Labels: random