A Fool's Utopia 9.17.09: Sitcom Growing Pains

Posted by Ron Martin on 09.17.2009

This week in one man's utopia we take a look at how a premiering TV show may be different in just a couple of seasons, King of the Hill going off the air and the Madden Curse. As always we'll talk 8 bit video games and cheaply made cardboard pinball machines.

The first week of football has come and gone, you know what that means?

Yes, it means the talking heads are going ballistic over one game and declaring projected Super Bowl winners based on one game, but that's not what I'm talking about. Of course, I speak of premiere week. This is the week when the networks shine up their pretty new lineups and hope that all their tossing at wall causes something to stick. They "hope" because honestly, they have no clue what we're going to watch. It's what they get paid for, but sometimes I think a monkey with a dart could do a better job.

I'm really not here to bash network execs. They are bashed every time they sit down to watch their own lineup. I'm here to talk about the new shows. I've been watching the first season of That 70s Show in syndication lately. Watching the show has beat in a fact that we always know, but rarely is discussed – the differences in characters and show from the pilot from the ones we eventually grow to love.

One major difference in many shows is that the characters are much more influenced by the actors as the show progresses. When you watch a series premiere this week, you are basically seeing character sketches (a lot of the time shallow stereotypical characters) thought up by the creator and expounded upon by a group of writers.



Using my That 70s Show example, I am sure that when it was first thought up before there were any names assigned there was the geek, the conspiracy theorist, the foreign kid and the pretty boy. Once the show is a steady ratings getter and the actors (and writers) get more comfortable with the characters and flesh them out. The good shows give their characters depth based on the experiences of the shows. Take the characters from the Buffy verse as an example of this. Through experiences on the show, Willow goes from a meek computer nerd wallflower to a powerful lesbian witch. Every move made sense in the context of the show.

Sitcoms can be a little trickier. Depending upon the world set up in the show (one where the most fantastical things can happen or one that is grounded in reality), there are many directions a show can follow.



A popular direction is to take a lesser character that has become a fan favorite and revamp the show so it's now based around him/her. Watch the first couple of seasons of The Simpsons and wonder how the show survived with everything revolving around the annoying Bart. Homer, who was originally involved only as a foil to Bart, took over and the show is now celebrating its 234th season. The Fonz was originally a "hood" so to speak. In very early episodes of Happy Days, Fonzie makes Richie do his homework and is a general thug – though one who comes to the gang's aid on several occasions. The Fonz gets popular, we switch the direction of the show to focus more on the interaction between the Fonz and the Cunninghams and like magic, an American TV icon is created. On the flip side, try watching any episodes of Family Matters after the show decided to focus on Urkel. It's near unwatchable.

With very few exceptions, the series premieres you see this week will be much different than the shows that will eventually spring forth. Eventually, George Costanza will become a parody of himself unable to talk without screaming at the top of his lungs. Eventually any gimmick a show might have (I'm looking at you, odd fantasy sequences on That's 70s Show) will be ditched when the writers run out of ideas. Eventually the original premise the show was sold on will take a backseat to the newly developed characters.



-- I've been watching a lot of King of the Hill lately. One part because the Cartoon Network picked it up and put it on at a time when there is nothing else on TV and one part because I know it is ending soon. It's a really solid cartoon. Unlike Family Guy or The Simpsons, the quality of this show, like the demeanor of its main character is dependable and solid. It's never going to be the show that makes you laugh so hard that you fear you may pee your pants, but it's never going to be the show that leaves you with a "That's all they got this week?" feeling. Hank Hill and his alley buddies has made redneck consistently funny for 15 years. Not obnoxiously funny like the Blue Collar guys can get sometimes (especially the Cable Guy), but just solidly entertaining week in and week out. I'll miss it. Mostly because I am pretty sure The Cleveland Show is going to suck big donkey balls.


-- Paranormal Activity, a low budget horror movie has finally gotten a release date of September 25. This movie has been making the horror convention circuit for the past couple of years and has been getting rave reviews from just about everyone who's seen it.

It's being hailed as "in the style of The Blair Witch Project" because it's from the viewpoint of a video camera that's set up by a young couple to catch paranormal activity in their home. Well, that and it only cost $11,000 to make. Check out the trailer.



I'm sold. First week and I'm there. I am a little nervous. I also thought White Noise was going to be good, so what do I know?


-- With Patrick Swayze adding to the crazy list of celebrities passing away, there are bound to be a ton of people recalling memories of Swayze in movies like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, maybe even some mention of his infamous Chippendale's skit with Christ Farley from SNL. Myself? While Dancing and Ghost were both fine films, they're just not my kind of movie. Personally, I much more enjoyed his performances in Red Dawn and Donnie Darko. It was a little out of his normal character, but his slightly off kilter Jim Cunningham in Darko invokes all the emotions he is suppose to and that's about the best praise you can give a character in a movie. I got a little love for Wu Tang Fu in here somewhere as well. Tonight, I'll drink one for Patrick who had a quietly brilliant career.

Five Random Thoughts

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street documentary in the same form as His Name Was Jason? Yes, please. Like Friday, Nightmare has a history of victims who I'd like to hear stories from. They got almost everyone for Friday, it will be interesting to see who they can get for the Nightmare series. Robert Englund for sure. Wes Craven? Maybe. Johnny Depp? Would be nice, but not likely. Whatever the result, this will be in my DVD collection.




2. The Madden Curse has me a bit worried. For those of you whom are not aware, every player who has appeared on the cover of a Madden video game has sustained some form of injury keeping them out a number of games the next season with the exception of Brett Favre, but then again Brett never played in the uniform he was pictured in on the cover of the game so take that as you will. On the 2010 cover, Steelers star defensive back Troy Polamalu is featured going one-on-one with Arizona star receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. In the first game of the season Troy got hurt. Here's where my distress comes into play. I drafted Fitzgerald on one of my fantasy teams very early in the draft (11th pick). I can't afford for him to go down. He's got to be running scared.

3. Say what you want about how despicable Kanye West's action at MTV's VMA awards this past weekend were. I, and almost everyone else, will agree with you. However, not having actually put any credit into the VMA's for years and not being a particular fan of either Kanye or Taylor Swift (they both seem fine, just not my cup of tea) I await to see the results. Joe Jackson can call for blacklists and Donald Trump can call for boycotts all they want, but I think this is just going to help Kanye's popularity out. Not in the "all news is good news" sort of way, as you might think. There is a certain part of rap culture that will give Kanye props for this.

4. A lot of people are giving the NFL the evil eye for keeping to their policy of blacking games out in local NFL markets if the home game is not a sellout. They state because the price of tickets vs. the current economy that the NFL is bullying it's fan base. In response, the NFL has offered the games in full for free on nfl.com, but on delay. Personally, I think this is more than generous on the NFL's part. The economy seems to be a catch all for people who want to try to get something for nothing. The truth is the people who benefit from this the most are the ones who wouldn't attend the game regardless of the economy. Are ticket prices out of control? Probably. I'm not arguing that. I'm arguing just the economy can't be a scapegoat for everything.

5. Jerry Seinfeld, Kanye West, Jay-Z and Rihanna all appear on the first episode of The Jay Leno Show a day after the big Kanye controversy on MTV. Could NBC possibly stack the show any more? The writing's on the wall, Conan. The network has chosen it's pet.

Do you remember when social networking was nothing more than a little black book? When the most fancy a potato chip got was sour cream and chives? Maybe you remember when Monday Night Football was on free TV? Perhaps you may just be ready for a little bit of RETRO action.

For our first RETRO love of the week, I'd like to highlight an arcade game that I just don't feel gets enough loving. It's from the 80s, it's the game your Dad loved to play, it's…



Dig Dug. At any of the few remaining arcades, it's likely that a Dig Dug machine stands in some dark corner usually reserved for spiderwebs and is used more to hide behind by kids avoiding the inevitable "time to go" than for actual game use. It's hidden 80s treasures like these that I look for. Not only because sometimes they're still only a quarter if the owner of the arcade couldn't be bothered or didn't know how to change the price of the machine. It's more likely that the games been sitting there since 1984 and will crumble upon being moved. Whatever the reason, everyone else's overlooked cabinet is my gain.



When I pop my quarter into the machine, I become Dig Dug himself – the name on the marquee. What secret government department Dug works for is unknown at this time, though his clandestine solid white shirt and job makes me think Homeland Security. It would make sense as all this time, unbeknownst to us, human size dragons and tomatoes with goggles have been walking back and forth in tunnels under the ground. As you can see from the fan art above, it's Dug's job to inject these creatures with a dart like projectile attached to a tube. This tube, in turn is attached to an air pump which Dug can pump these fellows full of air until they literally explode. Dug is an unsung American hero who may never get his due.

To add to Dug's frustrations, these creatures have the strange power to become shiny, evil faces that can transport from one tunnel to another in pursuit of our subterranean hero. Like all things, Dug has adapted to this by being able to hone in on the location of large boulders to dig under and smash a poor Fygar or the poorly named Pooka.

Cry not for Pooka, however, as he is the only character from the game to make multiple spin-off games. He (she? It?) regularly shows up as a playable or hidden character in the many Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man sequels, most notably Pac-Man World Rally where he takes out the competition with some sort of drilling vehicle.

Appropriate.

If you'll remember, two years ago near Christmas, I went through some of my favorite Christmas gifts leading up the big holiday. Last year, I chose to go to the opposite route with some of the more useless gifts I received. This one falls somewhere in between. I speak, of course of tabletop pinball machines.

While pinball machines themselves are dangerously close to becoming relics of the past, tabletop pinball doesn't seem to have that problem. My guess is because it cost about $2 and can five to six times that on the open market (as opposed to the dark, black market for tabletop pinball where prices can get insane in the Philippines). Such beauties as Hannah Montana, The Dark Knight and Dora the Explorer have all received the tabletop pinball treatment in recent years.




It never failed. Every Christmas underneath someone's tree was a tabletop pinball machine with my name on it. For those of you unfamiliar, skip this section so I don't dirty your minds with such nonsense talk. We're talking of the plastic stands and frames covered with a clear plastic complete with tabs and tunnels to simulate a real pinball machine. The better minis even claim to have electronic scoring. I have money to give put into your bank account from an African Prince as well if you believe that electronic scoring is going to happen, whether it's promised or not.

The lucky ones even keep their cardboard backings and bottoms for almost a week, before the corners start to hang thus losing your ball out of the bottom of your table every time you shoot it into play. While someone sitting in a boardroom saw this as flawless, the ones from my childhood anyways, were anything but. Perhaps the Hannah Montana versions have much improved technology that my old Pac-Man and Voltron varieties. My guess, however, is that the Hannah Montana version is the actual Voltron version just with a different cardboard backing.

Forgotten Music Video

Watch more Jazz music videos at EZ-Tracks

If there were an MTV music award category entitled "Video Most Likely to Give You Nightmares," Rockit would have won the award at the '84 awards. And in 1985. Probably 1986 as well. It would have been Rockit until the debut of Marilyn Manson and Manson until the debut of Lady GaGa. Synthesizer heavy, upon hearing it, there is no doubt which decade it falls under. To that noise, it's one of the few songs that will immediately transport you back to the 80s. That is if you can block out the vision of bodiless legs walking around with limbless torsos. It's creepy as all hell, but it's original. Today someone would just remake the video and call it their re-imagining.

Random Shot from Random SNES game I owned

23 YEARS AGO TODAY

September 17, 1986

#1 Song



"Take My Breath Away" by Berlin

#1 Album



True Blue by Madonna

NOTABLES: "Papa Don't Preach," "True Blue" and "Love Makes the World Go Round."

#1 Movie



Stand By Me

I must leave you now. I'll be back next week