A healthy dose of water-cooler chitchat is not what it used to be.
At the dawn of the 1990s, the primary source of pop-culture sustenance was access to basic cable. As HBO swarmed the airwaves with the grandiose grit of The Sopranos, Sex & the City and Six Feet Under, the public realized that, sometimes, you get what you pay for. Savvy culture connoisseurs of the day were quick to shell out extra cash for quality programming.
But TV’s vast landscape seems to be morphing again; now, it’s Showtime.
While Showtime has long been the other option for pay-cable consumers, it has shouldered a well-deserved reputation for late-night raunch, not prime-time enrichment. With the recent arrival of a handful of riveting series, it appears that HBO may have lost its cable crown.
Weeds, which is currently in the midst of its third successful season, has attained a cult following of critics and civilians alike. The Mary-Louise Parker-headed juggernaut attracted initial interest due to its unique setup: A suburban widow, who apparently has an aversion to working 9 to 5, becomes a drug dealer to support her children and their posh lifestyle. Apart from giving critics the chance to employ the gratuitous use of marijuana puns, Weeds has given them a potent product to enjoy.
Far from a one-note wonder, Weeds has grown into must-see TV, complete with an addictive cast of caharacters who have genuine emotions and who gave full-throttle performances to keep them planted in reality. Parker (who has already won an Emmy for her role in HBO’s Angels in America) and co-star Elizabeth Perkins have been nominated for several awards for their dynamic performances, while the rest of the capable cast consists of sizzling newcomers, respected character actors and a comeback kid in the form of funnyman Kevin Nealon.
Featuring blunt humor and a biting satire of suburban decadence, Weeds is intoxicating and the best of Showtime’s bunch.
Dexter is another Showtime series that chronicles the escapades of a sometimes lovable, and always illegal, criminal, although this show’s dark comedy takes a more sinister turn. Title character Dexter Morgan (HBO-alum Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under fame) analyzes crime-scene blood for the Miami Police Department by day, and acts as a righteous serial killer when the sun goes down.
Hall is haunting as the high-minded murderer who takes care to kill only his fellow serial killers. Dexter‘s R-rated plotline and the culmination of its season-long arc brought the show’s first season finale record ratings for Showtime at 1.1 million viewers. While its tone lacks the campy fun of Weeds, Dexter is a killer series that has award nominations to match its body count.
The Tudors first raised eyebrows for ripping its plotline from history textbooks . and adding sex.
Featuring the brooding Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the lead role of King Henry VIII surely did little to hurt the show’s sexual appeal. This show may not have garnered award buzz like its peers, but it has covered its fair share of newsprint, as many critics are keen to see this well-produced take on Tudor England, not to mention a shirtless Rhys Meyers.
Adding more sizzling star-power to this motley mix is David Duchovny. The freshman series Californication sees Duchovny’s Hank in various stages of undress with hot-bodied hussies. Oh, and he’s a writer, too. In a fit of writer’s block, and in an effort to forget the one that got away, he lashes out the way most self-respecting men do: with his genitals.
It may be too soon to judge the staying power of this provocative program (although it has already been picked up for a second season), but its visibility says something significant about its network. Showtime is ready to step out of the shadows of the big name in pay cable and create innovative programming of its own.
With a slew of shows featuring prime plots, ace actors and loads of that crucial “buzz” from industry insiders, Showtime is finally rising above the after-hours fare and has hit the ground running. Weeds, Dexter and The Tudors have delivered Showtime into mainstream, and high-profile newbies like Californication seem edgy enough to keep it there for a while.
