The Family
Just about when American Crime was ending on ABC, The Family was beginning. It is an ensemble drama about an affluent family in Maine whose mom (played by Joan Allen, in a shiver-inducing performance of amazing iceberg frigidity, even in her softest moments) is running for Mayor. Soon her young son Adam gets kidnapped and things are thrown into chaos...but she still wins the mayoral election. Why let a kidnapping stop her? And indeed, the whole family has this same ambitious attitude. Why let the lack of a body stop them from assuming murder and framing the known-pedophile neighbor (played by a surprisingly cast executive producer Andrew McCarthy)? Why continue to look for answers when you can bury your dark secrets in booze, adultery, and repressed self-hating lesbian obsession?
Okay, I admit this show is a little tawdry. Even the network describes it as "your favorite guilty pleasure." But things take a slight tonal shift when Adam shows up again ten years later. Liam James is nearly unrecognizable from his role in that nostalgic comedy The Way Way Back from a couple years ago. He is also, as it turns out, unrecognizable as the family's lost Adam. Well, who can blame him? He's been stuck in a child molester's forested secret underground dungeon for the last ten years. He's all grown up now, and boy is he dirty! Now his mom is trying to run for Governor, but will this amazing turn of fate cause her to slow down her campaign? Of course not.
Lots of soap-worthy drama ensues, and many unlikely plot twists. This is not American Crime, folks. But it is fun, in spite of the sideshow dysfunction. Alison Pill delivers what might be the show's strongest performance as a deeply troubled, manipulative, but ultimately dutiful daughter whose primary purpose in life seems to be to "fix things" at whatever cost. Liam James also brings a level of humanity to a family that is otherwise strongly lacking in people to root for. In spite of the sensationalist trappings, The Family is strongest when it focuses on the boy's victim-hood and hopeful recovery.
As I write this, the show is mid-season. There are surprises that I haven't given away here, and more that I have yet to see. I'll revisit it when it's over. For now, I suggest catching up with it, because it is at least entertaining.
The Ranch
I never really liked Ashton Kutcher. (Oh sure, he's attractive, and he even is okay in his acting ability, but something about early works like That 70's Show and Dude, Where's My Car? left an indelible impression, and not a positive one.) So why I would set about to watch a ten-episode comedy series on Netflix with him as its main star, I'm not exactly sure. It's probably because the lure of Sam Elliott attracted my parents, and I'm always looking for stuff to watch with them.
The Ranch is a show about a washed-out football player named Colt (Kutcher) who returns home to live with his crusty, cranky dad, Beau (Elliott) and his uber-heathen brother Rooster (Danny Masterson), where he is subjected to hard ranch work, old flames, familial jealousy, and his own personal demons. By the way, it's a hilarious comedy, complete with distracting laugh track. Two other actors I should mention: Debra Winger as the mom, and Bret Harrison (a Tualatin native who I directed in a play 16 years ago and never tire of reminding people).
There's really not a whole lot to say about The Ranch, other than the fact that beneath all the insults and depraved humor, there is a tender heart of a family that, in spite of its dysfunction, loves one another...which might be more than you can say for the family of the The Family (above). I suppose if there's one thing I don't really like, it's the Rooster character who is a little too crass and self-absorbed for my taste. I get it--that's what makes him funny. But it's not really my thing.
Comments on other shows
Blindspot started terrible, but it's gotten better in 2016. The stories, more in depth character development, and the addition of Francois Arnaud to the cast, all contribute to the show's improvement. Major Crimes had a terrible 5-week arc that was tacked on as a season closer; boring and pedantic, I say skip it. Bates Motel had a rocky beginning to its fourth season, but it's gotten better. Norman is a little more crazy, and Norma is a little less so...at least for now. You can't help but root for her marriage to the sheriff. And the romantic union of Emma and Dylan is sweet beyond words, and Max Thieriot retains his status, in my humble estimation, as the most beautiful man on earth (that I'm aware of anyway). Limitless remains one of my favorite shows, also a network show, so less popular. It is funny and innovative, as well as being a nice procedural. I really hope it gets renewed. Bosch Season Two on Amazon Prime is not as engaging nor as accessible as Season One, but actor Titus Welliver makes it well worth the effort. The Real O'Neals is a funny comedy about growing gay in a Catholic household, and it's got the always-wonderful Martha Plimpton and a strong young lead in Noah Galvin. I suppose it may be inevitable to have sacrilegious content when you put Catholicism and homosexuality head to head in a comedy, but I could do without "Slacker Hippy Jesus" popping up in the young protagonist's imagination, an image of Christ that kind of offends my own sensibilities. But no, I'm not lacking in a sense of humor, and that's why I still watch it. I watched the first episode of Game of Silence, which turned out to be a retread of the simple-minded and homophobic film Sleepers, so I won't be watching any more of that.
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