Suburban Flight

I haven't seen the season finale of "Parenthood" yet - I was busy last night, so I taped it (yes, I still have a VCR!) - and when I do, I'll comment on that.  For now, though, I'd like to say that I have stopped watching ABC's "Suburgatory." Why? Two reasons.  First, many of the issues of tension that has driven the show seem to have been diluted by the ongoing storyline.  Second, this show has gone from surreal to just plain weird!

Tessa, having been hostile towards suburbia and having pined for her mother, spent some time with her mom in the city during the Christmas holidays and went home early to be with her father, George.  She seems comfortable in the suburbs now. So does George, who now seems to have entered a relationship with Dallas Royce after being "just friends" with her.  So the two driving points of the the show - Tessa's unrequited desire for fulfillment in a new environment, and George's inability to start a relationship - have been neutered.

Meanwhile, the dimwitted brother (too many of those on TV these days) of Lisa, Tessa's friend, found out he was adopted and, in a moment of passion, assumed a Jewish name for no apparent reason (because he's  not Jewish and, unless I missed something, has no knowledge of his biological parents being Jewish) and moved in with the family of Lisa's black ex-boyfriend.  He only forgave his sister and parents for not telling the truth about his adoption after he realized he missed the way his mom made chocolate pudding.  He likes the skins.

Oooooooooh . . . kay! 

That was it.  I couldn't watch "Suburgatory" after that.   Because now it's breaking the biggest rule of comedy - it isn't funny anymore.  And it's all because of what I just said in this post.  I'm now back to watching only two of ABC's Wednesday night sitcoms, the same ones - "The Middle" and "Modern Family" - that have been on since September 2009.  ABC's efforts at building a solid Wednesday night sitcom lineup is in tatters.  Because "The Middle" and "Modern Family" have been supplemented these past four seasons by sitcoms that are too incapable of sustaining long-term humor ("Suburgatory") too weak ("Better With You"), or too dumb ("The Neighbors").  There are better uses for the 8:30 PM Eastern and 9:30 Eastern half-hour time slots on Wednesday nights.  Walk your dog, even if its five above zero tonight (cold in the East this week!)  Better to walk dogs than to watch them.

Speaking of dogs, "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," an ABC Tuesday night sitcom that started out on Wednesdays, has been canceled.