I used to watch WWF when they aired their shows only on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with the occasional Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC in place of Saturday Night Live. On the afternoon shows, it was nothing but World Wrestling Federation “Superstars” taking on unknown wrestlers, also known as jobbers. The ending to every match was easy to predict. In between matches, there were “interviews” with well known performers, during which they would rant and rave about whoever they happened to be having a feud with at the time. All of the interviews took place backstage, where the crowd in the arena couldn’t see them. After I realized how ridiculous this all was, I stopped watching for a few years.
And then came WWF Smackdown (UPN and The Score, Thursdays, 8pm). Until recently I would watch NBC at 8, switch to Smackdown during the gawd-awful 8:30 show, and then go back to NBC at 9. Then, over this past summer, I got hooked on Smackdown, which is the only network series that doesn’t air repeats ever, not even in the summer. When the new season started, I went back to watching Friends (NBC and Global, Thursdays, 8pm), skipping Cursed, after I discovered that it was crap, then back for Will & Grace (NBC and Global, Thursdays, 9pm) and Just Shoot Me (NBC and Global, Thursdays, 9:30pm). Then one fateful evening I watched Smackdown’s entire two hours. I realized I didn’t miss the NBC shows. The three shows that used to be good are still good, the writing and comic performances are equal to past seasons. The problem is that small flaws in the shows have, in some cases, been elevated to creative crises.
Friends has turned into a showcase for Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica’s (Courtney Cox) hokey relationship, which I predict will culminate in yet another lame wedding episode for the season finale (then next season’s finale, which will likely be the show’s last, will probably be the birth of their first child and, possibly, the worst series finale ever). Worse, the writers have been pairing off the friends for subplots each week - that’s what ruined Veronica’s Closet guys, let’s not go through that again.
Cursed starred Steven Weber and Chris Elliot and looked like it might be good. But it wasn’t. It’s been retitled The Weber Show (NBC and Global, Thursdays, 8:30pm) and, for all I know, has been retooled and recast. During a hesitant glance, during a Smackdown commercial, I discovered that they had a lesbian character on the show. I don’t know if she’s permanent, recurring or a one time deal, but she sure seemed gratuitous. I don’t recall a show ever having been retooled into an improvement, save for Ellen, which started out as the lame These Friends of Mine. I doubt The Weber Show will last past this season.
Will & Grace was never great, but it was always fun. Going for broad flaming humour where they could have clever gay humour, the show has gotten even more over the top this season. A recent cameo by Cher was a tragic waste. Jack (Sean Hayes) mistook her for a drag queen and tried to teach her how to be Cher. The relationship between Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) used to be among television’s most interesting, but has since turned into a regular straight couple clone. Megan Mullally’s Karen used to be a highlight of the show, but now she’s just a shrill socialite with drug and alcohol addictions - not much funny about that.
Just Shoot Me is the exception. It’s as good as it’s always been, and that’s the problem. They’ve had no additions to, or changes in, the cast, it’s the same five people that were there when the show started. They’re still funny to watch, but I feel like I know everything about them now. Introducing a new, completely different character would show new sides to them.
Meanwhile, Smackdown is funnier and more shocking than all four of those shows combined. Even though some of their most interesting characters are currently on hiatus (Chyna, Triple H and Mick Foley, any of whom may be gone for good, but I doubt it), Smackdown continues to find new ways to engage dozens of different people in several plot lines without becoming confusing. The villains, like Right to Censor and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, are the kinds of cretins you love to hate. The heroes, like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, are far from flawless. Austin is just as likely to beat up an opponent as he is to pound a beer vendor, and his senseless attacks on McMahon-Helmsley when she refused to give him a title shot were joyously embarrassing for her and satisfying for the audience. The Rock recently clobbered two referees when his attempt to smash a chair on champion Kurt Angle’s head was temporarily thwarted. The supporting characters are just as much fun. “The One” Billy Gunn, who only recently gave up his “Mr. Ass” title, has been trying to get revenge on Right to Censor’s Val Venis and Ivory for taking Chyna out of action. To add complications, Trish Stratus’ recent double cross of Test should have pleased his former fiancee McMahon-Helmsley, if only Stratus weren’t having an affair with Vince McMahon (Stephanie’s dad), who demanded a divorce from his now mentally incapacitated wife, Linda, a few weeks ago. To keep up with all the action, you’ll want to tune in to the WWF’s other shows too - Raw is War, Heat, Live Wire and Metal - but Smackdown is the most eventful.
Smackdown: A; Friends: B; The Weber Show (pre-retitling): C-; Will & Grace: B; Just Shoot Me: B+
posted on January 7th, 2001
