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By Dave Lake
MSN TV
By all accounts, it's been a pretty crummy television season. With the exception of "The Mentalist" and "Fringe" -- neither is great, but they have been the only breakout hits of the season -- there has been little in the way of scripted programming to keep things interesting. With "Mad Men" now over and a few months still until "24," "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" return, thank goodness for our old friend reality TV. Bashed by many, adored by more, the genre is comfort food for the living room. And in these dog days of fall, as scripted TV disappoints, it's a slew of cable reality shows that keep television tolerable. "Survivor," "The Amazing Race" and "Dancing With the Stars" are reliable crowd-pleasers, but they're aging quickly. Are there really any surprises left on these shows? But dig a little deeper into your cable lineup and you may find some vitality. Here's a look at some of the reality programming currently keeping my television warm.
"Celebrity Rehab With Dr.
Drew" (VH1)
This show is as hard to quit as the
substances its celebrities are addicted to. Last season laid the groundwork, but
Season 2 is like a pain killer for boring TV. The concept is simple: Eight
celebrities (though any show with the word "celebrity" in the title is bound to
use the term loosely) with varying degrees of substance abuse issues check into
a real rehab where they're treated by Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction medicine
specialist, and former host of MTV's "Loveline." If last season's
breakout star was Jeff Conaway of "Taxi" and "Grease" fame (who's back again for treatment), this season's
crowd-pleaser is Gary Busey, who insists he's a participant in the
series, not a patient. "My sobriety is safe," he tells Dr. Drew, upon check-in,
before cornering other cast members and hurling his "Buseyisms" at them (Sober
stands for Son Of a Bitch, Everything's Real). Other cast members include Rodney
King, model/actress Amber Smith, original Guns N' Roses drummer
Steven Adler and Sean Stewart, son of rocker Rod Stewart. Is it exploitative?
Sure, but at least it has a heart, which is more than you can say for most shows
of its ilk. And Dr. Drew (whose muscular physique is strangely off-putting) adds
the anchor of seriousness the show needs.
"Whale
Wars" (Animal Planet)
The Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society is a group of modern day pirates led by Paul Watson, who
critics deem an eco-terrorist, and who is bent on halting Japanese whaling
by any means necessary. Watson was a co-founder of Greenpeace, but was later
ejected from the organization because of his aggressive tactics. Since 1981,
he's been focused on whaling, and sabotaging any vessel he believes is engaged
in the practice. Law dictates that whaling is allowed for research purposes, but
the Sea Shepherds see the law as a smoke screen, particularly since
government involvement is limited. In the spirit of other popular cable
docu-series like "Deadliest Catch" and "Ice Road Truckers," the hourlong
episodes follow the mostly rookie crew of the newly christened Steve Irwin
as it sets out toward Antarctica in search of Japanese whaling ships, which
they intend to stop via a variety of tactics including ramming, dismantling
fishing nets and hurling stink bombs of butyric acid aboard. This is high-stakes
hijinks on the high seas, and the result is a fascinating look at a
controversial group of eco-warriors.
"Chef Jeff
Project" (Food Network)
Six young adults from
the inner city come together in hopes of learning a trade and winning a
scholarship to culinary school. The catch: It's not a competition. If each of
them makes it through Chef Jeff Henderson's culinary boot camp, they all get a
scholarship. Henderson was an at-risk youth himself, having spent nearly a
decade in prison for selling cocaine before turning his life around and becoming
the head chef at Café Bellagio in Las Vegas.
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