A Tribute to Great Television: Weeds (Showtime-2005-2012)

This past Monday I watched both the first and last episodes of Weeds, talk about an interesting development or growth (get it growing weed) in shows eight years, or seasons on the air.  The first episode follows simple suburban mom Nancy Botwin played by the brilliant Mary Louise Parker, after she deals with her husband dropping dead of a heart attack while going for a run with his son Shane (Alexander Gould).  After a lively debate of moms at PTA meeting, or something to that effect about sugary drinks, we soon see this simple suburban mom in the "hood" buying weed from Heylia (Toney Patano) and her nephew Conrad (Romany Malco).  Nancy was left broke, and she starts to sell weed in order to make ends meet.  Crazy premise, and brilliantly constructed.

The show lasted eight seasons and in the final episode jumped about seven years into the future, that tacky new trend that has gained a lot of ground because of its popularity on the show Desperate Housewives.  Yet in all honesty Nancy Botwin is the true "desperate housewife.  Without giving too much away the shows history and time jump was an emotional experience that was a pretty satisfactory ending.  The last image of the main group of characters who lasted the whole time in the show sitting out in the snow peacefully smoking a joint was a great piece of direction.

Before I jump right into the end, and how the show ended let's look at this show and how eight seasons of dealing drugs made you laugh, cry, and scream with horror.  While the show itself was not always "great" I admire the work series creator Jenji Kohan did with this show.  Ms. Kohan did a lot season after season keeping viewers on their toes with shocking deaths, diseases, prison, moving, and of course a massive fire.  Over the years season after season the show reinvented the way it felt, and this allowed for new and interesting plots to be brought to life, but also pushed characters on and off the map of the show.

Weeds would have been nothing without their supporting cast, and what supporting cast this show had.  Beyond Mary Louise Parker, the only three other characters in every episode/ or every season were Kevin Nealon's Doug, Hunter Parish's Silas, and her other son Shane.  Andy played by the brilliant Justin Kirk did not start until midway through season one.  I love the chemistry between Kirk and Park, which started in the HBO mini-series Angels in America.  There is just such fire when these two shared the screen, and their tumultuous relationship on the show made it even more interesting.

Beyond these regular cast of characters there were numerous folks who were weaved in and out of the show's history. the wonderfully blunt and funny Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes.  When the show moved to New York City, and left Celia behind it was one of the saddest moments for me as a viewer I loved this character (as did many other viewers).  I understand why Kohan did not move forward with Celia, in fact the only reason she did not drop her earlier was probably because of her loyal fan base.  I was sad to not see her come back for the finale, which was a bit odd to me.  Celia's husband Dean the often underrated Andy Milder was also great.  Weeds also started the popularity of Guillermo Diaz (now on Scandal), who played the sharp tongued Latin gangster Guillermo.  Weeds also had Damien Bichir, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Brooks, Richard Dreyfus, Julie Bowen, Matthew Modine, Alanis Morisette, and many many more.

This show told a rich story, and the reason I attribute this show with greatness (if you are questioning me, which should never) is because this shows theme and style was a bit of game changer.  Who would have thought to have done a dramedy about the woos of the white woman who has start dealing drugs to take care of her family?  Jenji Kohan.  The show's dark humor started a trend with Showtime series pushing forward more shows like Nurse Jackie, The Big C, The United States of Tara, and honestly eventually HBO's Girls and Veep.  Many times people are afraid to attempt to center a show on a female character, but girl power was in full swing in 2005.

Along with Desperate Housewives this show changed the face/pace of the female centered show, making them bolder, and allowing women to be so much more.  Ok, maybe being a drug dealer isn't an aspiration, but the show challenged things, and made people think.  I love that this show helped set the trend for strong female driven shows, and also the quirky off beat sensibility.

Emmy Week 2012: Direction takes DramaticTelevision to a New Level

Last year when talking about the Emmy Awards and their actual nominees I cited the fact this branch of the Academy tends to reward the best, for example this year Parks and Recreation, Community received nominations.  Before I go off on a tangent on why the writers know good writing, let me stick the task at hand.

Television direction, either with or without an Emmy nomination, has gone to a new level.  Throughout the years television series have rarely attracted major motion picture directors, used styles and techniques from major films, which could cost a show lots of extra money, or used beautiful exotic foreign shooting locations, and so much more. That's not to say that there weren't landmark television directors throughout the years who directed both comedies and drama series that broke barriers, or helped with the evolution of television.  (Shows that pushed the boundaries)

Yet when I think about the larger span of television, the most famous television director that always comes to my mind first, resides within the world of directing comedic television, and that person is James Burrows.  Burrows represents the old school style of comedic direction, the typical sitcom with the laugh track, camera styling, and so on.  Throughout most of television history dramatic television had a different persona then it does today, the style and format were more formulaic.  Shows like Hill Street Blues, started to break the barriers.  Yet to my knowledge there were not major directors who were power players the way Burrows was in the comedic world.  This started to change when dramatic series like ER, NYPD Blue, The X-Files, hit the television landscape.  These television shows emphasized a more realistic, grittier side of the television drama that had never been seen before.

Smaller names (but big within the industry) started to pop up in these grittier shows,  like Paris Barclay, Thomas Sclhamme, Vince Gilligan, Alan Taylor, and Laura Innes, to name only a few.  Once shows like ER, NYPD Blue, and many of the other 90s dramas started to fade into the background these directors and many more continued to push the envelope, while the major networks became stagnant.  Many major directors became producers and brought their material to basic and pay cable networks like HBO, Showtime, AMC, and F/X.   These networks were ready to step out on a limb, and to push the envelope even further.

HBO started to pave the way, and their first dramatic series within this realm was Oz.  Oz was a dramatic series about the reality of a maximum security prison.  The show was harsh/realistic, and did things that network television series could do.  HBO started a smart trend with their shows including Oz, which was to release a smaller number of episodes stretching the possibility for more quality programming along with making it possible to do more with their budget.  The show also breaks the fourth wall using Augustus Hill, an inmate as the narrator who addresses the audience, and narrates the underlying tone of the episode.  This show's success proved American audiences had a desire to see more realistic television programming.

HBO took things a step further in 1999.  David Chase created a show about a mobster name Tony Soprano who not only bumps people off, but has panic attacks.  The show and its direction provided episodes that felt like nothing that had ever been on television before.  Men like Tim Van Patten, Allen Coulter, and the above mentioned Alan Taylor made episodes like "Pine Barrens" some of the most memorable for avid fans of the show.  These three men continue to be some of the greatest working television directors today, they have set the tone with their work on The Sopranos, and not only forced other cable/pay cable networks to get on board, but they have also created their own worlds.

In the years after Oz and The Sopranos other networks have caught up to the legacy HBO started.   Using a more realistic undertone to guide a dramatic series.  Showtime started with Queer as Folk (2000) and Soul Food (2000), two dramatic series focusing on minority characters, providing something networks did not offer.  Moving forward the create The L Word (2004), Dexter (2006), The Tudors (2007), and Homeland (2011).

Queer as Folk and The L Word, may have been hyper sexualized, but Showtime was one of the few networks willing to create two different dramas about LGBT folks.  Dexter's dark undertone was too dark for parent company CBS, but the series direction highlights some of the most tense moments as the main character takes the the lives of criminals who should be punished.  As Showtime moved forward with their true dramatic series, having a series like The Tudors proved the period drama could be handled well by a television series, and that the key to this series, and series like this were skillful directors who created the right look and tone.  The same can be said for Homeland, one of the most gripping dramas on television to date.  Homeland pushes further than the network drama 24 did, making the concept of counter terrorism more powerfully formulated than most films have done in recent years.  Homeland is the perfect example of how strong direction has changed the landscape of television today.

AMC has done something similar to both HBO and Showtime, but is not a pay cable network.  While many networks jumped on the reality series band wagon AMC (which does have some reality television) challenged HBOs authority in the world of creating realistic dramas, with strong direction.  The fact that people have to pay for Showtime and HBO provides them with opportunity to show people swearing, show nudity, and show more graphic scenes of any nature.  AMC challenged this notion.

In 2007 AMC launched the series Mad Men about 1960s advertising executives.  The show was an instant hit with critics, and became a series that was can't miss television.  What makes Mad Men different is the fact that it feels like a great film, but is a great emotionally packed television series. Mad Men used the foundation laid by The Sopranos, and took television direction to a whole new level.  After Mad Men came Breaking Bad (2008), which has also challenged the norm, and the most recent season ender is one of the best directed hours of television I have ever seen.  Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan, a director from the 90s uses his dark vision to create a tone when he directs his show he created.  Realism is a trend that breaks in AMCs The Walking Dead about zombies.  Zombie movies have either seemed hokey, or not well written, while this graphic novel turned television series is the exact opposite.  Writing is an important reason for this, but film director Frank Darabont's creation/direction helped make this small screen drama have a big screen feel.

More and more today big screen director's are going to the small screen, and creating or directing for television series, and providing television viewers with more quality programming than ever before.  Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption) created and Directed for The Walking Dead (2010), Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver) is an executive producer, and directed the pilot for Boardwalk Empire (2010), Patty Jenkins (Monster)  has directed two episodes of the AMC drama The Killing (2011),  Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) directed the Starz pilot for the Kelsey Grammer drama Boss (2011), Michael Mann (Heat) directed for was an executive producer for television series Luck (2012) on HBO, and these are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head.  Film directors are taking to the small screen.  Neil Jordan who directed Interview with the Vampire has gone on to work on The Borgias for Showtime stated the following "Hollywood isn't doing anything like this material anymore, with cable, there's this wonderful domain that's emerged for film directors like me who enjoy the kind of material that Hollywood finds too boring for words."

Jordan raises an interesting point about the problem with films, and their lack of variety.  Television, especially cable networks provide a venue for incredible amounts of artistic expression that has lured directors from the bring screen.  Television direction has come a long way from shows like Qunicy, or Marcus Welby M.D.  Looking at those shows then the episode of Game of Thrones from this season entitled "Blackwater" which was directed by Neil Marshall.  "Blackwater" is one of the best directed episodes of television ever, the scale is incredibly large, yet Marshall does not minimize the importance of character development, and the performances from actors like Peter Dinklage.  

There is an artistic inversion going on here.  In the past films provided more opportunities for directors to show their heft because of budget, and more range for freedom of expression.  Television is now the space for this to happen.  There are opportunities within a shortened amount of episodes to tell great stories, and create well directed episodes that allow auteurs to make it work.  

Looking at this year's nominees in Outstanding Directing category is proof that even within ten years television direction has evolved into something special that provides viewers with world, and opportunities they never had before.  Whether we find ourselves lost a post World War I Downton Abbey, or trying to become a kingpin in the drug world on Breaking Bad, these shows prove television direction is a whole new ball game.

The nominees for this year's Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series are:

Boardwalk Empire-To the Lost-Tim Van Patten (HBO)
Breaking Bad-Face Off-Vince Gilligan (AMC)
Downton Abbey-Episode 7-Brian Percival (BBC) 
Homeland-Pilot-Michael Cuesta (Showtime) 
Mad Men-The Other Woman-Phil Abraham (AMC)

Of these the winner should be Homeland, and I have a feeling it will win this award, along with Danes for Lead Actress in a Drama series.  There is of course one interesting statistic about this list and the Outstanding Drama series nominations, not one of them is from a basic cable network.  Throughout the years basic cable shows have ended up on this list, but within the last two years they have been persona non grata.  The problem is that basic network television series are not challenging the norm like they did with Lost, or 24, they are playing it safe and letting other networks (they may own) step up to the plate and put forth creative programming.  As a fan of the direction of television I am not going to complain, I am going to sit back and watch as television gets more and more film directors to direct, create and executive produce shows that are surpassing films today.

GLAAD Fails CBS and TBS, while Showtime, ABC, and the CW Pass with Flying Colors

This year's annual GLAAD report card was released for the the major television networks, and while not much has changed the statistics are a reminder of network priorities.  Here is a quick rundown from their report for basic cable networks:


The report shows that while the CW has dropped ever so slightly they still remain at the top.  The CW is network with much younger demographics, and as youth become more progressive they have used more LGBT representation on shows like 90210, and LA Complex.  ABC got a slight bump from Chaz Bono's appearance on Dancing with the Stars, a casting that also stirred up a lot of controversy, but the network stood by their decision. FOX dropped to third and while NBC moved up in percentages the Peacock network remained in fourth place.  CBS continues to fall farther and farther, but their network and the CW have completely opposing demographics, and while I am sure Les Moonves (a good network head) wants to have a better grade he is doing things to slowly change the perception of this network.  Both the last place networks have two shows focused on LGBT characters, CBS has Partners with Michael Urie and Brandon Routh as a gay couple (from the creators of Will & Grace), and NBC has The New Normal (from Ryan Murphy).  These two shows could help these networks in a major way.  

One thing that's clear is that the same creators create the shows centered around or that contain LGBT characters, and most of those people are gay men.  Ryan Murphy, Marc Cherry, Michael Patrick King, Alan Balll Max Mutchnick all as gay men, and seem to be some of the names that pop up with gay characters at the center.  I am proud that these men have achieved the success that they have, but it would be nice to see other creators incorporate LGBT folks into their framework.  Show runners like David Caspe (whom I believe identifies as heterosexual) has done a great job with Max on Happy Endings, another reason for ABCs bump. Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd who created Modern Family should also be applauded for adding a gay male couple to their line up.  The landscape is changing, but if you look at the gender of all the characters I have mentioned and the creators/producers most of them are men and the networks need to step it up on providing LB and T more.

The cable networks statistics look like this:

• Showtime (46%), ABC Family (34%), TNT (34%), and HBO (33%) all received “Good” ratings for the quantity and quality of their LGBT-inclusive original programming.
• MTV (23%) which received an “Excellent” score two years ago received an “Adequate” score this year along with FX (34%), TLC (20%) and USA (17%).
• For the fourth year in a row TBS (5%) received a “Failing” rating, as did the History network (3%).

Interestingly enough I did not see AMC within this study, although I feel as though they were lumped into the "other cable network status" which is interesting because they have far more original programming than the History Channel.  I would not assign AMC a good grade either, even though most of their programming is some of the best on television, there are no LGBT character, which I can think of.  Everyone states that the cable networks are more progressive, and they take more risks, but in reality their scores are not much better than the three top scoring networks on the basic cable side.There are obviously other factors to look at, like the CBS parent company Viacom oversees Showtime so this could be seen as a win just as much as a loss.  

Statistics matter, but networks should not put something on the air, just to do it. NBCs new fall comedy The New Normal appears to be a forced example getting LGBT folks on television.  As networks attempt to be progressive they forget they need to shop around, and not put something on the air that lacks quality.  I would rather have these numbers with quality representation than force things on viewers.  

Does this report matter, yes and no.  I like that there are statistics to point out the networks which show me on television, but this is also a business, and money talks.  Losing affiliates is costly.  Utah affiliates will not even be showing The New Normal this fall.  My hope is that data like this becomes more useful, and people do not have to something like this in the future because it just becomes a natural occurence to see LGBT folks in television

Dexter Slowly Becomes Unhinged in Character and Quality

This past Saturday evening I finished the sixth (most recent) season of Dexter on with my friends.  I remember reading about Dexter back in early 2006 when the show was announced.  I remember thinking the premise of the show was brilliant, and casting Michael C. Hall was a great choice.  The show had a slow start ratings wise, but drew in a cult following, and with strong word of mouth has become one of Showtimes highest rated series ever!  As my friends and I watch the entire season together (in only two sittings) two things became apparent to me, and to some of my friends. 1) Dexter has started to become sloppy and has become less precise in his work 2) the show's quality has followed the same pattern as Dexter.

Personally speaking Dexter has taken me on more of roller coaster ride throughout all six seasons.  I thought season one started a path.  Season one had the ice truck killer, and there was this back story to understanding who Dexter was.  Season one ended strong and created an incredibly interesting second season (the best season of the show-in my opinion), where Dexter was forced to question himself, his code, and his deceased father.  This season was about Dexter confronting his own past and not a "big bad" throughout the whole season.  With a strong build up at the end up of season two, the third season of this took some dips in quality, but it was also fun to watch Jimmy Smits unhinged and crazy.  Season four was incredibly strong, the "big bad" was the best the show has ever seen, I never knew John Lithgow could be so scary outside of telling teenagers they could not dance.  Then there is the twist at the end of the fourth season which is a jaw dropper.  The show hit its peak and of course there were high expectations after but season five and six took a big plunge in quality.  Season five focused on Dexter as a father, and connecting with Lumen through her traumatic experience.  As season five came to a close Dexter's emotions started to make him much sloppier, and this continued throughout the season six where faith became the central story.

Season six started to focus on Dexter understanding why people believe in God, and how religion and faith influence their life.  Dexter has never had faith, and while bringing his son Harrison to a pre-school in Miami a nun asks him "What do you believe in?" Dexter believes in avenging the deaths of people.  This sounds noble, but Dexter is a bit of a sociopath, and his double life as a blood spatter expert for Miami Metro by day, and a killer by night, causes him to remain robotic.  This most recent season involving religion and the role it plays with the context of this show makes perfect sense.  Even though Dexter has never seemed to care about anything, having a son has changed his character.

The show has moved forward, and I like that the show has not kept Dexter one note.  The problem with this season was the fact that the one character who made Dexter question his faith left mid season.  Mos Def played Brother Sam, and his role was one that created a disturbance in Dexter's life.  Brother Sam was meant to be one of Dexter's victims because at one point he was a criminal who got away with a crime.  Dexter changed his mind as he got to know Brother Sam, and found out that this man's faith helped him to change his dark ways.  Mos Def was the best part of this season and his character provided interesting context the help develop Dexter's character.  The other problem with with this season was the episode "Nebraska" where Dexter finds out some interesting information about the Trinity Killer's (Season 4 big bad) family.  Dexter shucks his responsibility to his sister, and listens to the Ice Truck Killer from the first season and heads on a road trip to Nebraska.  The episode was out of place, and was the worst the show has ever produced.  Season 6 did have a few high points of course, the killers this season were interesting, and the last five minutes of the season were jaw dropping.

While don't mistake the fact that I will still watch season seven this show has started to rely on gimmicks, and tells fans to hold out for the last episode where they around to get a shocking surprise.  I remember an interview where michael C. Hall talked about the this last season being the last.  Now Showtime has a huge hit on their hand and they like basic cable networks just are not saying no like they used to.  The network has the same problem with Weeds, the show that lost its oomph many seasons ago.  As much as I would hate to say goodbye to the team from Miami Metro Dexter has appeared to overstay his welcome and this upcoming season should be the shows last.  With season six's big reveal at the end there is no reason the writers should not be able to reign in this show, and end on more of a high note.