Lorre Land

Master of Controversy - Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

by Trebor Snillor

Today

I walked outside today in shorts and a tee shirt – nearly froze my butt off. I guess we are actually having a change of seasons after all. I changed into jeans and added a hoodie. Now I'm at Starbucks and it's so crowded I’m out on the patio chillin’ in the literal sense. A red hunting dog is whining because he wants to eat the grackle at the next table. The grackle is amused, and is taunting the leashed dog.

Streaming Addiction

Today’s article is about some favorite shows, but I must confess I have an addiction. In February of this year, I signed up for Hulu Plus. I figured it would be a once-in-a-while alternative to Netflix. As it turns out there are dozens of series and thousands of hours of TV to watch – I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of streaming addiction. Now today I discovered that Apple TV has added the “FX Now” channel. I can view the shows using my Time Warner user ID. This adds Freak Show and Anger Management to the many other shows I’m binging on.

Several prominent networks (Fox, FX, Disney, Lifetime, HBO..) have added their most popular shows as streaming channels on ROKU and Apple TV. Not only are DVD’s becoming passé, so are DVR’s. There’s no need to pay any mind to a network schedule if you can summon up a favorite show in glorious HD, whenever you feel like it. This seems like the same kind of sea change that put Borders and Tower out of business a few years ago. We just don’t have to do it the same anymore.

Chuck Lorre

The reader might only be familiar with Chuck Lorre as the TV producer that Charlie Sheen taunted during his “tiger blood” phase. As it turns out, the 64 year old Lorre is a writer, producer, director with a long, fabled history in Hollywood Land. This dour, restrained, bearded man has given us some excellent shows across 4 decades..

o Roseanne
o Grace Under Fire
o Cybill
o Dharma and Greg
o Two and a Half Men
o Big Bang Theory
o Mike & Molly
o Moms

At least 5 of these shows have to do with empowerment and actualization for working class women. With the exception of Roseanne, there’s no drumbeat of feminism, just women trying to make ends meet when jobs or marriages go bad. The two stand-outs for me are Grace under Fire (1993) and Moms (2012). The women in these two shows are recovering alcoholics putting pieces back together under difficult albeit different circumstances.

Lorre’s hit-making capacity is amazing considering that two of the shows are recent creations. He's been at it for 40 years and hasn't grown stale. Also, Big Bang continues to dominate the ratings as # 1 sitcom in the nation. That a contentious, middle aged hetero man can be so accurate in his depictions of women and young people is amazing. Keep the hits coming Mr. Lorre.

Diva Meltdowns

Oddly, Lorre has had to deal with Diva destructiveness on several of these shows. Four of the eight listed shows ended with the shows’ stars making crazy demands and having friction with costars. I can only imagine that ego and a certain amount of lunacy is what made these shows great for 3 seasons or 4. Thunder accompanies lightening more often than not.

Conclusion

I probably need an intervention. I’ve completely quit watching network TV and easily log 4 hours of viewing even on a work night. Somebody rescue me! I no longer have to spend a fortune in cable fees or video rentals – it’s almost like an all-you-can-eat salad bar. I probably need to see a real person – am forgetting what they look like.

© 2014 Snillor Productions