Television: July 2008 Archives

Created by members of the cult comedy troupe "The State," Reno 911! is a parody of the long running Fox television series Cops. The series features members of the fictitious Reno sheriff's department, being videotaped on the job. Only the basic plot elements of the show are scripted, with the dialog improvised, enhancing the illusion of reality. The actors often perform their own stunts. A constantly-changing cast of weirdos, prostitutes, homeless persons, survivalists, etc. are portrayed by comedian friends of the primary cast. Debauchery, mediocrity, tomfoolery and loads of political incorrectness ensue, seriously blurring the line between law enforcement official and criminal.

Brought to you by Spike TV, Manswers may be one of the most ridiculous variety shows put on the air. This male-directed variety series is set up like a news magazine show, designed to answer some of the most potentially offensive questions ever posed. Apparently, the series target audience is drunken frat boys looking for an educational alternative to the one offered at their respective Colleges and Universities.

Manswers - The Best of Season One collects the top twenty-five questions from season one and presents them in order of descending coolness, while a group of models in tiny outfits, experts with questionable credentials, and a narrator who just might be high on something combine their massive skills to offer insight.

William Conrad's deep, booming sound helped him to become one of the most recognized voices in radio from the late thirties to the early sixties. By Conrad's own estimation, he played over 7,000 roles on the radio. Perhaps most significantly, Conrad originated the role of Marshal Matt Dillon on the Western program Gunsmoke from 1952-61. He was considered for the role when the series was brought to television in 1955, but his increasing obesity led to the casting of James Arness instead. The slight reportedly bothered Conrad for years, but he continued to other memorable radio and television work.

I'm not quite sure why, but Californication is a series I had never watched before I received a copy of the first season, sometime on early June. I've never been a big fan of the series' star David Duchovny, who has always struck me as a bit snide and ego-centric and X-Files just never caught on with me. However, since so many people I know couldn't stop raving about the show, I decided I'd better take a look at it when it hit DVD.

I expected to hate Californication. Simply dismiss the whole thing as a piece of trash. Having watched countless hours of television I know that's never a good Idea, but nonetheless, that was my mindset. After watching about ten minutes of the first episode, I realized I couldn't have been anymore wrong. Californication is definitely an adult drama with adult themes, but the series and its star are a revelation.

Created by James Duff and the Shephard/Robin Company which also produces Nip/Tuck, The Closer centers on Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick), who was brought from Atlanta to Los Angeles by Assistant Police Chief Will Pope (J.K. Simmons) to lead up a new special murder investigation task force; Priority Homicide. Pope selected Johnson because of her uncanny ability to 'close' a case by getting confessions others could only dream of.

Despite her tremendous skills, her subordinates resented her for being a female and not a product of the L.A.P.D. system. Brenda doesn't worry much about making everyone else feel comfortable. She has a tough personality and her main concern is solving the latest homicide. Her biggest skeptic is Commander Taylor (Robert Gossett) who developed the Priority Homicide Division under the assumption that he would one day head it up. It irritates him to no end that not only did they bring in an outsider, but she outranks him as well.