Sunny Summer Teevee
There's a new sitcom based on the teen movie Ten Things I Hate About You, and from the pilot episode it's strangely neutral. It's not bad, not stupid, not distasteful--but it's also not particularly intelligent or funny. As the AV Club's review says, it seems like most high-school based shows these days are all about navigating tricky social terrain, figuring out who's allowed to be popular and who is exiled to the unpopular. At least this show skips the typical cafeteria scene where the New Kid is informed of which tables represent which social faction. Or maybe they're saving that for next week.
The casting puzzled me in this show. The role of Kat, tomboy/liberal activist, is played by Lindsey Shaw, who is good, but I can't get her last role out of my mind: Claire, the snobbish popular sister in Aliens in America. The bad-boy role of Patrick, a breakout role for Heath Ledger in the movie, is played by Ethan Peck, riding a motorcycle and brooding in the corner. And I know this might not sound right in comparison with Heath Ledger, but Peck is just so pretty that the other characters' whispering about his bad reputation seem implausible. (Though I was half suspecting that he'd eventually tell her he wanted to drink her blood.)
Basically, there were three main female roles and three main male roles (for teens): the feminist shrew, the queen bee, the aspiring popular girl; the ruffian, the quarterback, and the geek. I couldn't help but get the feeling that any one of the actors could have worked in any one of the roles, with just a little help from styling.
My reaction to this depends on whether I trust the show. Like when Dollhouse premiered, when there were some questionable decisions, I trusted them, because I believe that Joss Whedon does what he does on purpose. If this is purposeful--if we're supposed to realize that our cliques and reputations are just roles that we play, and that for all the drama and world-ending importance teens feel, in the end, teens are just teens--then it could be cool. But I have no clue how they'd ever verify that yes, it's intentional. I did notice some casting decisions that seemed deliberately motivated: an African-American as the popular cheerleader (Dana Davis, who played "As Seen on TV" on Heroes), and, perhaps into responses that all the teens on TV are skinny, skinny girls, Jolene Purdy as a goth-chick friend of Kat's.
The other show I've gotten into this summer has one example of absolutely perfect casting. The show: Better Off Ted. The actor in question: Portia de Rossi. The show follows employees of Veridian Dynamics, a vaguely sinister corporation. Each episode features a commercial for Veridian, in the vein of those spots for GE or 3M, proclaiming a bright future with Veridian Dynamics products. de Rossi plays Ted's boss, Veronica, with a steely sociopathy that never fails to surprise.
It's by the creator of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I can't be the only person watching Better Off Ted, can I?
The casting puzzled me in this show. The role of Kat, tomboy/liberal activist, is played by Lindsey Shaw, who is good, but I can't get her last role out of my mind: Claire, the snobbish popular sister in Aliens in America. The bad-boy role of Patrick, a breakout role for Heath Ledger in the movie, is played by Ethan Peck, riding a motorcycle and brooding in the corner. And I know this might not sound right in comparison with Heath Ledger, but Peck is just so pretty that the other characters' whispering about his bad reputation seem implausible. (Though I was half suspecting that he'd eventually tell her he wanted to drink her blood.)
Basically, there were three main female roles and three main male roles (for teens): the feminist shrew, the queen bee, the aspiring popular girl; the ruffian, the quarterback, and the geek. I couldn't help but get the feeling that any one of the actors could have worked in any one of the roles, with just a little help from styling.
My reaction to this depends on whether I trust the show. Like when Dollhouse premiered, when there were some questionable decisions, I trusted them, because I believe that Joss Whedon does what he does on purpose. If this is purposeful--if we're supposed to realize that our cliques and reputations are just roles that we play, and that for all the drama and world-ending importance teens feel, in the end, teens are just teens--then it could be cool. But I have no clue how they'd ever verify that yes, it's intentional. I did notice some casting decisions that seemed deliberately motivated: an African-American as the popular cheerleader (Dana Davis, who played "As Seen on TV" on Heroes), and, perhaps into responses that all the teens on TV are skinny, skinny girls, Jolene Purdy as a goth-chick friend of Kat's.
The other show I've gotten into this summer has one example of absolutely perfect casting. The show: Better Off Ted. The actor in question: Portia de Rossi. The show follows employees of Veridian Dynamics, a vaguely sinister corporation. Each episode features a commercial for Veridian, in the vein of those spots for GE or 3M, proclaiming a bright future with Veridian Dynamics products. de Rossi plays Ted's boss, Veronica, with a steely sociopathy that never fails to surprise.
Click to viewIt's by the creator of Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I can't be the only person watching Better Off Ted, can I?