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.