Two more reasons to pay for The Movie Network
Culture Schlock.
It's tough to be on top of all the TV shows these days, what with all the specialty channels and the Showtime shows running on The Movie Network in Canada, in addition to the usual line-ups from the major American and Canadian networks. One can be forgiven for completely missing a great new show simply because you were watching something else in that time slot.
Cost is a problem, too. If you want all the regular cable shows, the normal (no porn, and no premium sports packs) specialty channels, plus TMN (the Movie Network) runs up to over $100 a month. That's a fair amount of cash for a minor addiction.
But, if you're a fan of the truly great shows - the hottest, most exciting, highest quality programs - you NEED TMN. Otherwise you can't watch In Treatment and Tracey Ullman's State of the Union.
The best feature about digital cable, in this addict's opinion, is ROD, Rogers on Demand. There's an equivalent technology for Satellite TV too, I suspect. And there's TIVO, at least in some markets. Basically, it means you watch these specialty series whenever you want.
HBO's In Treatment is the prime example of a show perfectly suited for "on demand" viewing. This extremely heavy psychiatrist drama (shades of Huff from a couple years ago -- remember that prematurely cancelled gem?) adapted from an Israeli series, surrounds a fairly low-key shrink, played in a very understated but compelling way by the experienced actor Gabriel Byrne, going one-on-one with patients.
You can watch them in the normal running order, where each episode features an appointment with a revolving cast of patients, or you can watch them "by patient." In other words, using On Demand you can watch all the episodes about one patient in a row. I did this with two patients: the young gymnast with the suspicious (duh!) relationship with her coach, and the woman who, amongst several personal problems involving a lifetime of sex with older men and strangers, is in lust/love with the therapist. It was only slightly confusing watching this way, as there were occasional peripheral events taking place that had no context for me, since I hadn't watched every show leading up to the episode. So I was out of the loop on the main character's disintegrating relationship with his wife: his personal life spiraling out of control.
However, watching one patient go through a steady stream of appointments in half hour doses is addictive, compelling and, frankly, disturbing. If you've been through therapy, which I have (it's nothing to be ashamed of - no more than going to the dentist), or even if you haven't, you may find yourself wanting to stop watching at some point. It is so personal that it hurts. But, if you can get through it emotionally unscathed, In Treatment is one of the best shows on TV.
On the lighter side, but certainly not entertainment-lite, is Showtimes' Tracey Ullman's State of the Union series, also available "on demand" on TMN. Most North Americans know this British comedienne/singer as the host of the self-titled show that launched The Simpsons, but she's a true comic goddess, producer of several series (The Tracey Ullmann Show, Tracey Takes On...) worth as much or more acclaim as Homer and Bart. She even had a big hit single here, way back when (1983's They Don't Know). Paul McCartney was in the video! Even so, her music career didn't go very far.
In this new series she does a mostly random sequencing of short but insightful character studies, lumped together into 30 minute episodes. All main characters are played by her, in various states of make-up, accent, and sex. Ullman has been around for more than two decades but seems to have avoided aging. That said, she ranges from hot to hideous and even hilarious in her get-ups. She does celebrities, including a dead-on, in terms of the working class accent, David Beckham (with Posh appearing only as a background voice), a nasty parody of one of the most annoying and least versatile actresses in the world, Renée Zellweger. One episode shows a fake scene from a new Zellweger movie where she plays a woman who suffers an accident causing permanent squinting. Great casting!
Ullman also tackles various ethnicities, including an accurate (based on my travel experiences) African American airport security worker, and my favourite character: the East Indian pharmacist who performs a full Bollywood number based on each person's submitted prescription. Viagra figures in one episode, of course... Ullman is versatile at a level that makes other claims of versatility laughable.
From early numbers, it looks like this critically acclaimed series is not a big hit with viewers. Average Americans are probably too thick to get the satire, or too sensitive to enjoy being profiled in this manner.
It takes a smart Brit to dissect American culture in a way that is accurate and funny at the same time. It's a love/hate letter to the red, white and blue, that really deserves to be read.
Craig Pinhey loves watching TV on demand because he's a control freak. Also, he missed the episode when it was on last week. Visit Craig at www.frogspad.ca.
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