Rec It! A chance to recommend something to you all...
I come to praise ... The New Normal ! (For a challenge at gameofcards.)
Perhaps an unlikely candidate for recommendation. This little gem of a show lingered below the radar for its entire single season, hunkered down behind the equally promising but ultimately unsuccessful Matthew Perry vehicle, Go On. Even though it was from the shop of Ryan Murphy, really showing his eclecticism, and in fact using this as a semi-autobiographical opportunity to comically explore gay parenting, homophobia, class issues, diverse family groupings, and what it's like to have a well-heeled life as a showrunner for a TV musical featuring kids singing. Married to an obstetrician. Living with the surrogate mother of your child, who has her own young daughter and a feisty, Conservative grandmother played awesomely by Ellen Barkin.
The well-heeled couple are Bryan (played by Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha). A little typical extravagant artsy one v. more conservative professional one, but they each have quirks, and pasts, and insecurities, and they manage to both act out and work stuff out. Plus they are super affectionate and always kissing each other, on a network show, which is a burn of sorts on Modern Family, that gets a lot of criticism for the lack of physical affection with their central gay couple.
Here are three times when my jaw dropped and I realized that they were doing something pretty rad with this otherwise almost conventionally-styled comedy.
This interchange:
Goldie: Imagine waking up and taking a bite of your pillow.
Bryan: I been there…
Goldie: What?
And this one:
Gary (played by Michael Hitchcock, regarding his relationship with Bryan's ex, played by Matt Bomer): “What can i say? I'm a bossy bossy bottom!”
And:
Kid: "Are there really bears in west Hollywood?"
David: “Yes but you have to be 21 to meet them..”
I mean, for a show to play so hard off of gay slang during prime time, well, yeah.
The amazing Shania is a totally kick-ass little girl. She dresses up as famous women in history, including Cher. She defends people against bullies. Check her out here. And here.
She's fiercely proud of being different, being her own person, though sometimes she has the heartbreaking though understandable desire to fit in. I guess that's part of what I like about the show--the characters, though broad in a comedic sense, and sure, somewhat stereotypical, are also complex, and contradictory.
David is kinda straight, and a doctor, and less dramatic than Bryan, but he is also boyish, wants to relive his Boy Scout days, and is crushed when his being gay gets him ousted from the troop. Bryan is creative, silly, and showy, but also solid, good at talking about feelings, and supportive.
Shania's mom, played by Georgia King, is kind of an everywoman--an average woman, who's made mistakes, especially with men, but is loving, a great mother, funny, and has hopes and aspirations. She's undereducated, but they dont' overplay her as a dumb broad. Ellen Barkin plays a hoarse-voiced, arrogant, hilarious bigot that manages to make you root for her, in a weird way, not the least because she ends up having an affair with John Stamos, who is surprisingly likeable and sexy and understanding.
(by Scott Norton Taylor)
Four gifsets that you must look at. (Credits are at the links.)
1) This scene made me laugh out loud. Matt Bomer is shirtless, and Bryan can't stop staring. Need I say more?
2) This one, showing so much love and affection between Bryan and David. Lots of scenes of them lying in bed.
3) And here, inserting some LGBT politics in there, but in a humorous way.
4) Some scenes that show the silly and the crazy of the characters.
One tumblr graphic by @lifeisworthityouknow that captures some of the poignancy of the show; this dude has just seen Bryan and David kissing in a store:
Here's a terrific gifset of that scene. (Oops, had to change that out -- sorry I can't find the other one where David tells Bryan that his fanny-pack argument is weakened by the wearing of the beanie.)
And this isn't even touching on the incomparable Nene Leaks, who gets off a lot of funny lines at the expense of the Glee-facsimile show she works on; Marlo Thomas, as Ellen Barkin's badass boss, and Mary Kay Place. Lots of awesome women here.
And in closing my most favorite moment that to me captures all the snark, camp, love, and radicalism of the show. By @samanthapanther at tumblr.
It has that mean, loving, innocent, wise, funny, funny, funny attitude that is throughout The New Normal. I'm still sad that it got cancelled, but as it is, it's possibly perfect. Did I mention they knew it was ending, so they were able to end it? In such a lovely way. Check it out, really.
(779 words, 15 graphics recs (some via links) = 75 points).
Perhaps an unlikely candidate for recommendation. This little gem of a show lingered below the radar for its entire single season, hunkered down behind the equally promising but ultimately unsuccessful Matthew Perry vehicle, Go On. Even though it was from the shop of Ryan Murphy, really showing his eclecticism, and in fact using this as a semi-autobiographical opportunity to comically explore gay parenting, homophobia, class issues, diverse family groupings, and what it's like to have a well-heeled life as a showrunner for a TV musical featuring kids singing. Married to an obstetrician. Living with the surrogate mother of your child, who has her own young daughter and a feisty, Conservative grandmother played awesomely by Ellen Barkin.
The well-heeled couple are Bryan (played by Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha). A little typical extravagant artsy one v. more conservative professional one, but they each have quirks, and pasts, and insecurities, and they manage to both act out and work stuff out. Plus they are super affectionate and always kissing each other, on a network show, which is a burn of sorts on Modern Family, that gets a lot of criticism for the lack of physical affection with their central gay couple.
Here are three times when my jaw dropped and I realized that they were doing something pretty rad with this otherwise almost conventionally-styled comedy.
This interchange:
Goldie: Imagine waking up and taking a bite of your pillow.
Bryan: I been there…
Goldie: What?
And this one:
Gary (played by Michael Hitchcock, regarding his relationship with Bryan's ex, played by Matt Bomer): “What can i say? I'm a bossy bossy bottom!”
And:
Kid: "Are there really bears in west Hollywood?"
David: “Yes but you have to be 21 to meet them..”
I mean, for a show to play so hard off of gay slang during prime time, well, yeah.
The amazing Shania is a totally kick-ass little girl. She dresses up as famous women in history, including Cher. She defends people against bullies. Check her out here. And here.
She's fiercely proud of being different, being her own person, though sometimes she has the heartbreaking though understandable desire to fit in. I guess that's part of what I like about the show--the characters, though broad in a comedic sense, and sure, somewhat stereotypical, are also complex, and contradictory.
David is kinda straight, and a doctor, and less dramatic than Bryan, but he is also boyish, wants to relive his Boy Scout days, and is crushed when his being gay gets him ousted from the troop. Bryan is creative, silly, and showy, but also solid, good at talking about feelings, and supportive.
Shania's mom, played by Georgia King, is kind of an everywoman--an average woman, who's made mistakes, especially with men, but is loving, a great mother, funny, and has hopes and aspirations. She's undereducated, but they dont' overplay her as a dumb broad. Ellen Barkin plays a hoarse-voiced, arrogant, hilarious bigot that manages to make you root for her, in a weird way, not the least because she ends up having an affair with John Stamos, who is surprisingly likeable and sexy and understanding.
(by Scott Norton Taylor)
Four gifsets that you must look at. (Credits are at the links.)
1) This scene made me laugh out loud. Matt Bomer is shirtless, and Bryan can't stop staring. Need I say more?
2) This one, showing so much love and affection between Bryan and David. Lots of scenes of them lying in bed.
3) And here, inserting some LGBT politics in there, but in a humorous way.
4) Some scenes that show the silly and the crazy of the characters.
One tumblr graphic by @lifeisworthityouknow that captures some of the poignancy of the show; this dude has just seen Bryan and David kissing in a store:
Here's a terrific gifset of that scene. (Oops, had to change that out -- sorry I can't find the other one where David tells Bryan that his fanny-pack argument is weakened by the wearing of the beanie.)
And this isn't even touching on the incomparable Nene Leaks, who gets off a lot of funny lines at the expense of the Glee-facsimile show she works on; Marlo Thomas, as Ellen Barkin's badass boss, and Mary Kay Place. Lots of awesome women here.
And in closing my most favorite moment that to me captures all the snark, camp, love, and radicalism of the show. By @samanthapanther at tumblr.
It has that mean, loving, innocent, wise, funny, funny, funny attitude that is throughout The New Normal. I'm still sad that it got cancelled, but as it is, it's possibly perfect. Did I mention they knew it was ending, so they were able to end it? In such a lovely way. Check it out, really.
(779 words, 15 graphics recs (some via links) = 75 points).