Last time on television: The Writers Guild of America strike! Fourteen-week freeze of television and film writing!
If anyone remembers anything about the 2007-'08 television season, it's that there wasn't much of one. But by February 2008, negotiations were made and TV dramas/comedies are back and better than ever, right? Well, not exactly. The past summer's crop of television shows could probably be best described as Writer's Strike Fallout"" with a few standouts. Since summer is usually a time when people take a break from the tube, opting for physical activity or whoring themselves out at their minimum-wage college job, here's what you missed, or didn't miss this summer:
<*>1. MTV Realivision</*>
Besides no new episodes of ""The Office,"" the writer's strike meant a reality TV gold mine. No writers, no script, no problem. This opened the door for a slew of MTV reality shows, some decent (""America's Best Dance Crew"") and some laughable (""From G's to Gents""). But perhaps the most abominable of all was ""A Shot at Love 2 with Tila Tequila.""
Ms. Tequila - a model, entertainer and singer - won her own TV show as a reward for having the most MySpace friends in the world. So for those of you that actually accept all those random creepy friend requests, your efforts have not been in vain. Anyway, this gal swings both ways and had girls and guys competing for her love - like ""The Bachelor,"" but more LBGT friendly. So a group of young hopefuls competed in a series of disgusting and mortifying challenges to prove they were willing to win over the girl who's biggest film credit was a Hooters girl in ""I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."" The end result? The lucky girl that Tila picked (over a dude, by the way) decided last minute that she wasn't sure if the lesbian thing was for her. So beware, ""Shot at Love 3"" is just around the corner.
Before you get the idea that I'm too good for MTV or something, my favorite guilty-pleasure show this summer by far came in the form of ""Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods."" Perhaps it was because the final prize was a lead in a Broadway musical and not love with a Vietnamese bisexual stripper, but that's just an opinion. After a slow first few episodes, ""LBTM: TSFEW"" made for a show that showcased talent and minimized behind-the-scenes drama.
<*>2. AMC is the new HBO</*>
I relish the fact that ""can-do-no-evil-we're-not-TV-we're"" HBO is kicking itself for rejecting Matthew Weiner's '60's drama ""Mad Men"" and passing it to the much-less watched AMC network. After a first season cut short by the writer's strike, ""Mad Men"" was back this summer in full force with a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination to show for it. The show's lack of known actors, its visual style and mysterious narratives make the show feel surprisingly fresh, and it was by far the best thing on television this summer.
""Mad Men's"" success gave way to another AMC series, ""Breaking Bad,"" about a high school teacher whose terrible home life gets even worse when he is diagnosed with lung cancer. This leads him to open a meth lab to support the fam. Sounds awesome, right? It is. So you can save on the premium channels this fall and just watch AMC.
Speaking of premium channels and parents selling drugs to support a family, ""Weeds"" began its fourth season this June, and Silas got really hot. That is all.
Want to catapult Ali to reality stardom? Have your everyone you know Facebook friend or e-mail her at rothschild@wisc.edu.
