It's Hard to See When Your Head's Up Your Butt

If the rumors are to be believed, HBO will not be renewing the cult hit John From Cincinnati, which is a big letdown for this cultist. The pundits, bloggers and people who actually make a living prognosticating about such important matters all predicit the axing of this show by HBO, just as the subscription network did to David Milch's other creation, Deadwood.

I don't watch too many shows religiously, but I've really enjoyed this one. HBO brass are looking at Nielsen ratings, which only reflect the raw numbers for a show that is just 9 weeks old. They aren't measuring loyalty or the fact that those who watch this show often watch it again just to pick up the very intriguing and well-written dialog. I've likened the conversational interplay in this show to modern Shakespeare; it's just twice as smart as anything else out there. I'll be the first to admit that the show has a few really, really bad actors, but they're canceled out by a few really, really good ones.

It's mysterious, hard to follow and it has a huge WTF factor, which your average American doesn't want to to be bothered with. They're more interested in American Idol and other assorted trash. "Show us humliation! Show us people eating worms!"

HBO knew when they launched this show that the audience would be small but loyal. If they do cancel, I'll be giving Showtime serious consideration. And don't you know HBO will be sure to release the whole season on DVD. And then they'll scratch their heads when it sells well.

That's how we do it in IB.

Move On, America. It Was Only a TV Show

The discussion over the ending of The Sopranos has now reached the Op-Ed pages, with Maureen "The Dowdy" Dowd comparing Tony Blair's exit from British politics to the ending of that show. I have the benefit of never having become addicted to the show, so I don't care one lick how the writers either A) let everyone down or B) ended the series in a brilliantly inspired way. (Any series that ends with a Journey song is not very inspired, as far as I'm concerned.) People are comparing The Sopranos to Shakespeare. I'd rather watch Tiny Ninja Theatre doing Shakespeare. Besides, you know poor James Gandolfini needs to shake that image in the interest of continuing his career. And it might take forever to shake that image. Think of Bob Denver as Gilligan, wearing that goofy sailor hat until he died.

The show that replaces The Sopranos is John from Cincinnati. I know "replaces" is utter blasphemy to many a Sopranos fan, but give it a try. In fact, give it two tries, as the writing is excellent and the acting better than most. I had to watch it twice just to get all the dialog, as many characters are spitting out some pretty briliant lines that I wanted to catch again. I'm a little predisposed to become a fan of this show, as I am familiar with it's setting, Imperial Beach, ("The Most Southwesterly City in the US") California. Sort of a nasty, slutty stepsister to cooler places like Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach, San Diegans don't much like to hang out there as it's got a reputation for pollution and no class, being the last American city on the West Coast and neighbor to Tijuana. (And I knew a person who knew a person who found a giant cockroach in a burger purchased in IB.)

HBO's companion site to promote the show is a little weird and hard to figure out, but then so is the show. (Use the search box. Go ahead and type in your favorite cuss words.) Critics are calling John from Cincinnati "weirder than Twin Peaks" (which is complete bullshit) and struggling to make sense of it. Again, it's a TV show, and while that may pass for high art in our culture, I'm sure writers David Milch and Kem Nunn will tell you they are not Shakespeare.



UPDATE & BONUS DISCOVERY: HBO is offering a sneak view of Episode 2 through "HBO on Demand," a pretty killer service (if you have HBO) that amounts to an "extras" feature on a DVD. Not just teasers of Episode 2, but the whole episode. HBO isn't "officially airing" this show until Sunday, but you can watch it now. No promos for it on the channel, no plugs on the website. Nothing. Word of mouth. F-ing testimonial, baby. I watched it. It's good.

Disclaimer: I'm not on HBO's blogging payroll. Yet.