Call me partial, but since Friends and Frasier have ended their long illustrious runs, NBC no longer holds my unabated attention. Joey sucks; the Apprentice is getting old; ER…I don’t like any of the characters anymore; and how many different manifestations of Law and Order do we need until it’s enough? Only show NBC offers that’s worth watching is the West Wing, because, hello? it’s the best show ever!
So, I’ve gravitated towards ABC. Although ABC is equally guilty of saturating the airwaves with Real-ly-Crap-ity TV, it has come up with really great drama series. It all started with Lost. Granted that I didn’t begin watching it until the end of last year, but one viewing was all I needed to become an addict. The character-driven drama that threads so many fascinating stories, the eclectic ensemble cast, the mysteries surrounding the island and its castaway inhabitants, these are some of the reasons why Lost is the best show ever! And there’s no way we can ignore Desperate Housewives. Every episode there is an unexpected twist that makes you go, Wow! The show constantly surprises and, at the end of every episode, you want to be neighbors with these… (now I’m searching my Thesaurus, because I don’t want to use the word, “fabulous,” ever…okay, this might due…) striking ladies of Wisteria Lane. And two words: Jesse Metcalfe. What more can I say? Desperate Housewives is the best show ever!
Finally, we have Grey’s Anatomy. Thank you, ABC for completing my Sunday night TV binge fest, and please take as long as you need to bring back, or not—preferably, Boston Legal. Although only three episodes aired, I’ve already fallen in love with all the characters. I’ll skip over the lead character, Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, because I’m sure most reviews will write about her...lots and very favorably, and she doesn't need me to adore her, even though I do. So, I want to give props to the other “interns,” who may get passed over. I love how a nerdy-looking character like George, played by T.R. Knight, isn’t really nerdy at all, dorky—yes, and yet strangely I’m drawn to this gentle and sweetheart of a guy. Izzie, played by Katherine Heigl, is flawlessly beautiful and blonde, which most of us would peg the type as being bitchy and dumb. Au contraire, mes amis, Izzie comes off as one of the kindest and thoughtful characters. Antithesis to Izzie, we have Cristina, played by Sandra Oh of Sideways’s fame. Cristina, I would say, is not a complete stereotype—Hallelujah, finally! She’s not completely stereotypical because like most Asian ladies I know, she’s hell-bent on being the best. But thankfully unlike them, who play the demure role in front of families, acquaintances, and strangers, Cristina has no mask and is refreshingly, unabashedly Cruella DeVil incarnate. One character I love to hate is Alex, played by Justin Chambers, because he plays the stereotype of a Frat-boy to perfection, yet with Alex there's a hint of a façade. I feel this show has great potential, the endless tragicomic scenarios it can have… All I can say is, writers, don’t fuck it up! And by the way, can I say, Grey’s Anatomy is the best show ever!?
One interesting thing I’ve noted is two ABC dramas have given prominent air-time to ethnic Korean actors. I’ve already talked about Sandra Oh, a Korean-Canadian, of Grey’s Anatomy. Lost has Yunjin Kim, a Korean actress, who played a lead role in an awesome Korean movie called Shiri. And also from Lost, we have Daniel Dae Kim, a Korean-American actor, who’s doing a great job portraying an over-the-top stereotypical Korean husband/wife-beater. Sigh, I guess I can’t complain too much, because this is a start of our exposure in American pop media. Okay, here’s my mini-rant: so far most of the images of Asian males in American pop media, I’d say, have been negative. Most dramas set in a contemporary time, if they showcased an Asian male character at all, had him play a very minor role. He is a grocery/laundry/liquor-store owner who barely speaks English and always with an accent, and he’d always be in a state of agitation/get shot/frustrate the lead character by not doing what the lead asks. At least Jin, Daniel’s character, is being fleshed out: we’re learning about his past, we’re seeing his present, and we are discovering what he dreams for his future—Jin is a three dimensional character and not a caricature. So, I’m hopeful and can’t really complain too much. It’s a start. So ABC, here is my kudos to you.
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