Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tonight: Modern Family, Cougar Town, Eastwick


I wanted to give tonight's ABC line up a chance tonight. They had a few new shows premiering, each with their own idea. My favorite of the three was Eastwick. Something about witch stories has always been somewhat intriguing.

Modern Family

Immediately upon hearing the title of this show I think about television families in general, and the fact that the title of this show begs to be different. So as they introduced each couple and their children, I was automatically comparing them to The Brady Bunch, or back even further, The Andy Griffith Show, or Leave it to Beaver. Early, early TV shows from the 50s were very traditional families: husband, wife, kids, dog. The Brady's introduced a re-married couple. And while Modern Family is not the first show to showcase a gay relationship, I'm having trouble thinking of any that actually show a gay marriage. I only wish they weren't so uneasy with their acceptance, but I suppose a lot of ABC viewers aren't going to be as open minded, so maybe jokes are the easy way out on that subject. Either way, Mitchell and Cameron are great. The other 2 couples are a husband and wife - the husband being "too cool" and using terms like LOL and Keep it Real, and leaving the serious talks up to the wife. Then the third couple is an older man and a younger, Latina wife. So there we get an interracial relationship. It's all a non-traditional approach to a family oriented sitcom. We can relate to the day to day, and appreciate the characters for not being cookie-cutter citizens of society. This is a pretty decent show for parents to watch with the older kids and be able to laugh about the things we all go through, like bringing home that first boyfriend and that "keep this door open" moment.

Cougar Town

This show started out with fat pinching and skin jiggling. Courtney Cox plays a somewhat angry divorcee of 5 months, and a horny one at that. She of course lives across the street from a 40-something single guy who brings home younger girls. And this is how we are introduced to her mission to find a young guy for herself. I wasn't too into the body image stuff throughout the episode. Perhaps I'm not old enough to relate. But man, the boy she brought home was a major hottie. Yup. I'm not old enough for this show.

Eastwick

I had no idea what Eastwick was about prior to hitting play tonight, nor had I heard of the books it is based on, The Witches of Eastwick, but I don't think being familiar with the books is necessary. So far, all we've come across are magic coins in a wishing well, ants that attack, super natural powers, and a new, rich guy in town, Raymond, who seems too good to be true. Eastwick is a small town with its' eclectic set of characters, and the three main characters that we meet, Joanna, Roxie, and Kat, are very different, but also all without a real connection in their life. (One woman is married, but to an asshole and by the end of the pilot they've agreed on a divorce.) Due to the passion and control these women are lacking in their lives, Raymond is definitely getting their attention. But crazy things keep happening as well. So no one is sure whether or not to trust him.

I'm pretty sure this show is filmed on the old Gilmore Girls lot... I feel like I'm in Stars Hollow as I'm watching. And the fact that the characters are all a bit quirky and small town adds to the Stars Hollow reminiscence. If you miss Charmed, and you enjoy Desperate Housewives, you'll probably love this show. I'm intrigued. To be continued next week.


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