Discussion for article #227835
I liked the first paragraph, and thought the author was going to go farther down that path. I’m not a big fan of Royal Pains.
It’s just as draining to read a long review of a decidedly (willfully?) mediocre TV progam - in my opinion, silly, stereotypical and boring - masquerading as a general opinion about TV. To each their thrills.
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I love shows like Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, but I do get overwhelmed and tired of all the conflict. The bad guy winning is sometimes depressing.
I like to stop watching for a while and pick up something lighter and hopefully funny. It helps.
The formula for the bad guy shows is getting old and there are far too many of them. It becomes much more difficult to find shows that fill that gap, help you to unwind from the intensity.
OK, explain to me why this review of a fairly typical, contrived TV show is relevant to TPM readers?
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When did TPM start a features section, and why is a formulaic TV show its first topic?
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yeh…I’m really not interested in shows who’s chief protagonist is someone is all dark, angsty, or should be doing time in a federal “institution”
the real life counterparts of these types at the least are just selfish jerks…they aren’t entertaining and I see no reason to invite them into my house.
that being said…can’t see myself watching Royal Pains.
I think I would have preferred a review on Ken Burns’ documentary series “The Roosevelts”. I’ve missed most of it and am now catching up online, watching it on the PBS site. New Republic has a review on the series that I read. I love Ken Burns’ work. I took classes in college in MI from his father. He taught cultural anthropology back in the day. Those classes were great. He also taught a class regularly on Wine Appreciation and held his last class for the semester at a local bar. Also, he taught classes on Statistics, for which I totally sucked at. He was quite the hippie-dippy professor, and such a lovable, charming man. I hope he’s still around somewhere…Great teacher.
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The antihero is usually just more interesting. Satan is the best character in Paradise Lost.
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I missed the first episode, but watched the next three. It’s a very good series so far, and I have to catch up to the first installment.
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I don’t get to watch a lot of television, but I completely agree with you that I don’t want to invite jerks into my house, even via my tv. That said, I have watched Royal Pains and it was fun. It is not serious, important programming, but it isn’t a bad way to spend an hour with a glass of wine at the end of a long day.
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This is nothing less an unlabeled native advertising piece. It starts out with a reasonably intelligent premise and then immediately abandons it for WATCH THIS SHOW.
Seriously, this should have the word ADVERTISEMENT written above it. This is jump-the-shark levels for a site of your usual quality, TPM. I’m as surprised as I am disappointed. Shame on you.
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“I’ll Take Tony, Omar, And Swearengen
Wow, there’s actually a TV show where the premise is “doctor stranded at cocktail parties in Hamptons forced to Macgyver his way out of medical emergencies”?”
Since the thing’s been on a few years, it’s obvious Mistah Kurtz tossed his TV set after his cultural references left HBO. It’s light, sure, and the lil’ brother is a pain, but Reshma Shetty is balm to the eyes and ears after a long day.
Anyway, Kurtz’s faves recall the story of Richelieu’s lobby. Young men wanting to work for him waited in an anteroom filled with pictures–scenes of war and strife mingled with scenes of bucolic peace. Their viewing was noted–the viewers of domesticity were tracked into positions of danger; the viewers of carnage were hired as clerks.
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It’s a sweet semi rom-com. I like the crime shows, but I am gravitating towards british crime these days. I also like the noir side of things - channel 4’s Utopia is really good.
Royal Pains relies more on SITUATIONS to create the conflicts necessary to narrative suspense, rather than counting on the personal pathologies and failures of the CHARACTERS to create problems.
The recent season’s narrative questions (“how will HankMed survive the hospital’s attempt to put them out of business?” “can we trust that girl?” “will the gangster client get someone killed?”), the serious Sacani-Divya conflict (especially since we have come to like and care for them both), and Divya’s Argentinian “kidnapping” were interesting as STORIES. You don’t need “bad guy” main characters to keep viewers’ interest when you are keeping some suspense going with “what happens next” questions.
The fact that this show usually resolves problems with a happy ending doesn’t mean that there can’t be interest in exactly HOW they are resolved.
I think it’s legitimate to discuss popular culture and the whole question of how and why we enjoy certain kinds of narratives on a political site, because politics is in large part a battle about how to promote our own narrative of our future. For example: should we emphasize the BADNESS of our individual foes or the GOODNESS of our own action plans?
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Is this an advertisement? Why is this on TPM? And if it is an advertisement, why am I paying for Prime?
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I don’t watch too many serial shows on TV now, but I’m kinda stuck on a few. Hell on Wheels, Tyrant (first season just ended–interesting concept), Game of Thrones, Ripper Street, and OITNB. Tried to get into the first season of AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire…which is sort of interesting but slow. I can hardly wait for Sherlock’s new episodes but I just read that won’t be happening until 2016. All those shows seem to deviate from the norm as far as their concept goes.
The writer lost me with the first paragraph. “Sherlock” isn’t “bleak.” It’s brilliant and often funny.
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Teddy sections good so far. Read any of Edmund Morris’ bios of Theodore for more. Pure pleasure. Avoid his Reagan biography Dutch. That’s an opportunity squandered.
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I agree. I gave up.