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Newton Minow, onetime chair
of the FCC, famously called television a "vast wasteland." Well, that
wasteland has never been vaster than it is now. The average American has
gone from having access to about six to eight channels back in the early
1960s, when Minow was in power, to more than 500 channels today, though
that figure is padded with multiple premium movie channels, religious
stations, reader boards, and local cable access. Still, that's a daunting
number of stations from which to choose, and a typical viewer, suffering
from media overload, probably ends up relying on just a few familiar
options. But with diligence and an approach to the weekly TV schedule on
the order of a tactical military expedition, it's possible to come up with
a personal short list of programs that give the gift of life-enhancing
laughter. Here's a sample list. |
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"Monk" (USA)
The "defective detective" has been around so long, six seasons
now, and lead actor Tony Shalhoub has been
honored with so many awards that viewers might have a tendency to
forget that the show is actually quite hilarious, or at least has
gotten funny again. The sixth season is off to an unusually strong
start, thanks to its series of quirky guest stars. Sarah Silverman appeared
(for a second go around) in the season premiere as a Web
site-maintaining Monk fan who verged on stalker, which gave the
episode latitude to make numerous wry self-referential in-jokes. Snoop Dogg then popped up in the
second episode, which allowed for a rap variation on Randy Newman's opening theme song.
What the astute viewer eventually catches on to is the hatred of
people and society that underlines Adrian Monk's OCD, which means
that everyone can relate to him. The mysteries are clever,
too. | |
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"Flight of the Conchords" (HBO)
If it's not the best musical comedy show on TV (the only one?),
"Flight of the Conchords" is at least one of the funniest
explorations of friendship on the air. Bandmates Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, a sort
of mild-mannered New Zealand Mick Jagger, make up an appealing duo,
trying to make a go of it in New York as so many sitcom characters
over the years have. They are masters of the deadpan take, and the
simple stories provide the perfect launching pad for witty ad hoc
music video moments, like the Caucasian hip-hop song in the third
episode. And their songs are pretty good.
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