I guess this is becoming a regular thing, but in this week’s “Adventures on Pluto” I discovered the HIT SITCOMS by WBtv channel. As the title suggests, it’s a channel that pretty much airs sitcoms from the Warner Bros library – interesting, given Warner Bros has its own streaming service, but nothing in this world makes sense anymore, so just go with it. What I didn’t realize, however, was that the channel seems to work on the binge model. You see, Perfect Strangers came on around the time I published last week’s post, and I thought “Awesome! They’ll probably show this a couple hours, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.” Well, they proceeded to show it for about 48 hours, as nothing but Perfect Strangers came on that damn channel until Monday morning. And I’m ashamed to admit how much of that I ended up watching. Let’s just say that it started with them working in the sporting goods shop below their original apartment, and it ended with them living in the house, and Balki and Mary Ann were about to go on their honeymoon. I didn’t see every episode, but I saw more than enough.
I hadn’t revisited Perfect Strangers since the pandemic, as I think that was when I first discovered the first season in that sporting goods store. For some reason, I didn’t remember that era from my childhood. Not even when I rewatched the show in syndication. To me, Larry & Balki’s adventures began while working at the Chicago Chronicle, but I was wrong. It turns out that there were TWO whole seasons of them working for Pumbaa/Mr. Carosi Ernie Sabella in his shop. Before he’d sell his classic car to Zack Morris, he would be Mr. Twinkacetti, who owned the building in which the cousins lived and worked. The craziest twist to me, however, is that the same actress played two different recurring characters over the show’s run. We’re not talking a Jeffrey Tambor “drop-in” here and there, either. No, Belita Moreno played Mr. Twinkacetti’s wife, Edwina, for the first two seasons, then she played “Ms. Lydia”, the guys’ coworker at the Chronicle, for seasons three through seven.
Anyway, I always remember Perfect Strangers as the show that just kept coming back from the dead. See, this was before the internet, and it wasn’t always common knowledge when shows were renewed. To keep abreast of things, I routinely read the Style section of The Washington Post, where they would give updates on the status of certain shows. I remember the Balki & Mary Ann wedding episode being billed as the show’s finale. Then, like a year later, it came back out of nowhere for a 6-episode summer fill-in run. At that point, I was like “Is this really it this time? Are they coming back again?” They did not.
To me, I feel like the true legacy of Perfect Strangers gets lost as one of the “founding shows” of the TGIF lineup. The chemistry between Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot is amazing, and it’s really what sells the show. I’m glad to know that they’ve stayed friends over the years, but it would almost be more impressive if it was revealed that they couldn’t stand each other over those eight seasons. Not only did the writers have to come up with a ton of random Myposian traditions, but Larry and Balki unflinchingly committed to them. Sure, Larry is the straight man, and he might utter an “Oh, my Lord!” in disbelief, but he eventually always goes along with Balki’s foolishness. It’s the perfect show to just drop in on, as you’re taken on a rollercoaster ride of craziness. It’s got the same farcical DNA as Three’s Company, and the only TV shows doing that these days are found on Disney Channel. In all, it was a great trip down Memory Lane.
When that binge ended, I woke up Monday morning to find The Drew Carey Show playing. And it’s been playing all week. I couldn’t remember how I felt about this show, as it’s been out of syndication forever, while it didn’t have a complete series DVD set because there were music rights issues. It was a show with a LOT of music, and this is what had been keeping it from streaming platforms. It was finally added to Pluto about a year ago, and the complete series was released on physical media, albeit missing around 4 episodes. Due to the barriers to access, it’s another show whose legacy is somewhat forgotten. I remember it as a show that did a lot of experimental things for network TV, like the all improv episode, crossing over with Carey’s other show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? There were other gimmicks, like the pop-up video episode, as well as audience vote-in episodes.
If you’ve never watched it, The Drew Carey Show revolved around comedian Drew Carey, playing a character who shares his name, and works in Personnel for a Cleveland department store. His nemesis is his coworker Mimi, who has eccentric taste and looks like a clown. When not working, he hangs out with his childhood friends Oswald, Lewis, and Kate. During this rewatch, I was surprised to realize just how bad Christa Miller’s acting was as Kate. I don’t know what it is, but that character just doesn’t work for me, and she’s even worse when she and Drew start dating in around season 5. Miller would leave the show in Season 8, and she’d start popping up on Scrubs, which was created by her husband (Bill Lawrence). After that, she’d join Cougar Town, and it became clear that she was just really better at playing total bitches. Not that Kate was a nice girl, but Miller never got to lean into her bitchiness, which seems to be where she thrives.
I know I’m the outlier who enjoys The Office more after Michael Scott is written off, but I feel the same way here, as the show is stronger once Miller leaves. Not only is it able to really focus on the wacky adventures of Lewis and Oswald, but Drew strengthens his relationship with Mimi, who becomes his sister-in-law. Feeling the show needed a female in the gang, however, Cynthia Watros joins the cast as Kellie, an old classmate of the guys who has moved back home after her divorce. Of course she’s a love interest for Drew, but she really meshes with the guys as if she had been there the whole time. Plus, the “Show Doctor” in me realizes that, had the show gone for another season, Watros wouldn’t have been available to join the cast of Titus, where she would spend the next four seasons. Speaking of that, High Potential‘s Kaitlin Olson joins the cast in season 8, with her original face (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans know what I’m talking about). Drew’s company basically becomes a precursor to Amazon, in that it was a dotcom that sold everything, and Olson is one of Drew’s supervisors, Traylor. Her role wasn’t that important, but a renewal might have led the Sunny guys to stick with the original actress for Dee.
The thing I love most about the show, however, is that it wasn’t afraid to reinvent itself. The final two seasons are almost a completely different show, but with characters you already know. The personalities are the same, but relationships have changed, old characters are in new places, and even the filming techniques are different. My only problem is that I don’t know if those episodes best serve Drew as the main character. He’s sort of the core that the stories revolve around, but Carey was never exactly “charismatic”, and his likeability was based on the fact that he was a Good Guy™. In these seasons, however, that’s not exactly true. Sides of him come out that aren’t as desirable. It’s like he’s realizing he’s getting older, and is in a race against time to check off some goals before it’s “too late”. This anxiety doesn’t show him in the best light. It also doesn’t help that Pluto airs season 9 in the order that they originally aired on ABC – which was NOT the production order. Because ABC was burning them off, and didn’t give a shit by that point. So, early on in the season, Kellie is pregnant. Then, she’s not. Then, she is again. Mimi lives with Drew because her son burned down their house. Then, her son burns down the house. Then, they move out. The Wikipedia entry has a section that tries to present the perceived production order, and you’re gonna be confused if you watch without consulting it.
Trailer Park
Armorsaurs (Disney XD, October 13)
While Hasbro continues to hammer away at their whole Power Rangers reboot, Disney was already beating them to the punch with a project that was clearly inspired by “The House Saban Built”. To me, this looks PERFECT. No, let me explain: This is Power Rangers without the baggage. You don’t really have to know the ins and outs of 30 years of continuity, plus it’s Sentai without source material. Honestly, this is everything all parties said they wanted. Hasbro already disbanded their New Zealand film unit, and reportedly severed their ties with Toei, so any future incarnation of that franchise likely wouldn’t have any source footage to use for fight scenes. Meanwhile, this seems to have struck the perfect balance between CGI and live action. It’s not box office caliber, nor should it be. This is that post-Reboot, late 90s CGI that shows you the potential of the technology, given enough time and money. Now, we’ve moved past that era, in time and money, but this is just enough effort to rope in kids and maybe sell some toys. Given that MGA Entertainment is a partner in this, we’re definitely getting toys. It’s certainly a toyetic concept – especially given that it’s basically Jurassic Park meets Power Rangers. I think that’s my favorite part: Instead of dinosaur robots that combine into a gestalt, they recreated real dinosaurs, and then gave them armor, a la Dino Riders, which is a franchise that every 80s kids wishes would be revived. Well, here ya go. I know this isn’t made for me, but I’m really excited for it and can’t wait to see the full execution. Oh, and did I mention Michael Dorn is part of the cast?
Re-Election (Theaters, October)
This concept feels like an overly long Funny or Die sketch. Basically, a middle-aged man thinks his life went wrong when he lost his high school election, so he goes back to school, to run again, to put his life on the “right track”. But he doesn’t go back in time or anything. No, a middle-aged man re-enrolls (?) in a public school, in order to win a student government election. It’s got recognizable actors, like Patty Guggenheim and a really old Tony Danza, but this isn’t really the sort of movie you pay to see. No, you discover it as a hidden gem on streaming, and then more folks will find it when nonbinary trans star Bex Taylor-Klaus becomes Hollywood’s hot new flavor of 2029. Anyway, I kinda wanna see it merely for the fact that Herman’s Head star William Ragsdale plays the father of Bex’s character. It’s the little things…
Run The Numbers
We’re doing something different this week, as I’m gonna talk about a book I didn’t finish, nor do I know if I’m going to. Still, from what I read, I have THOUGHTS.
So, a few weeks ago, I bought some toys from someone over on Discord. When they arrived, I thanked him, and he said “You’re welcome. I hope they bring they bring you joy.” I paused for a minute. I thought to myself “Joy? That’s a heavy burden to place on the shoulders of G.I.Joe‘s Road Pig!” Would they bring me joy? Probably not. Do any of these things bring me joy? True JOY? No, not really. I like The Hunt more than The Acquisition. Anyway, all of this talk of “joy” seemed to coincidentally lead me in the direction of KonMari herself, Marie Kondo.
Now, I know I’m about a decade late to the Marie Kondo train, but if you’re unfamiliar, she teaches the “art of tidyness”, and feels you should get rid of anything that doesn’t “spark joy”. She’s got books, she’s had some TV shows, etc. Well, a few months back, I found her book, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, while I was thrifting. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this wasn’t her main book, which was The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. No, this is the companion to that book, so I guess I probably should have read it first. Anyway, I’ve read about 10% of it, and here’s the main takeaways:
- There is a difference between tidying and cleaning: tidying is when you deal with the clutter that is manmade, while cleaning is when you deal with nature, such as dirt and dust, which will naturally accumulate on their own. And you can’t tidy and clean at the same time. No, you have to tidy before cleaning.
- Speaking of order and sequence, there is a specific order in which you should tidy: Clothes, then books, then miscellaneous, and then sentimental items.
- If you’re unsure whether an item sparks joy for you, hold it close to you and really try to feel its effect on you. If you decide that it no longer brings you joy, you give it a hug, and thank it for that joy it gave you at one time. Then you discard it.
Now, I’ve read a lot of self-help books in my day – Everything from Suze Orman finance books to that book written by Mystery, the dude who hosted that pick-up artist show on VH-1. And, without fail, every one of them featured a chapter that I considered a bridge too far. The catch to all of these is that it tends to be a cumulative process, where one lesson serves as the foundation for the next. You can’t pick and choose, but rather commit to the process. So, once you hit that nonstarter, the game is over. You’re done. So, I have a lot of unfinished self-help books in my history. I was even hesitant to start this one, as I wasn’t sure I was at a place in my life where I truly wanted to deal with my clutter. Also, I have trouble with her suggested order, as everything is sentimental to me. Yet, I had literally stumbled over the book in my basement following that toy purchase.
So, before we get into my issue with the book, let me say that I know I risk getting canceled over this, but I feel it has to be discussed. Plus, larger publications may have actually started this conversation when Kondo was all the rage, but I wasn’t paying attention then, and didn’t feel like doing research now. So, I’m shooting from the hip on this one: This entire gimmick is made possible by code switching.
If you’re not familiar with “code switching”, it’s when a member of a minority group acts differently amongst their kind than the do with others. Black people commonly do it when they enter predominantly white spaces. The key is that you are changing how you present based on your environment. I feel like Kondo is completely leaning into Western stereotypes about Asians, and using it to her advantage. This isn’t a book that could have been written by a white woman from America. I don’t think it’s a secret that America peddles the idea of some sort of Eastern Mysticism when it comes to Asian matters. I’d love to say it’s handled respectfully, but it’s usually in the racist form of Fu Manchu, Ming The Merciless, or Big Trouble in Little China. The idea that they can somehow tap into another plane of reality, be it “magic” or what have you, that the Western world simply can’t access.
Kondo approaches her decluttering process with the same manufactured version of “zen”, speaking about tidying the same way Master Splinter spoke to the Turtles during training. She throws in little quirks, like the hugging of the item to feel its “energy”. The icing on the cake, however, is when she instructs you to thank the item before sending it on its way. In her bio, she claims that she began her “study of tidying” at the age of five, and has used it all her life. I call bullshit! This is like when folks my age say that they “started collecting” when they were five. No, you got a bunch of stuff when you were five, and maybe got some more, and simply never got rid of any of it. But you weren’t actively collecting. Collecting involves nuance and strategy. Display plans and goals. You were merely Keeping. In America, if a five year old was involved in a “deep study of clutter”, we would say they had a mental illness and we would medicate them. This is early stage OCD! But here, we just go, “Oooh, guess they do it differently in Japan!” And maybe they do. But she’s really banking on us having that response, and therefore being willing to listen to the “wisdom” she wants to impart. The real kicker, however, is I was doing research on her, and it said that she basically relaxed her whole approach to clutter once she had kids, as she decided she’d rather direct that energy toward her family and not be so uptight. Um, the worst clutter era is WHEN you have kids! If your magical tidy powers don’t work THEN, well maybe you’re not as special as we were led to believe!
I hate to DNF a book. The last time I did that was Carlin’s When Will Jesus Bring The Porch Chops?, and that was TWENTY YEARS AGO. So, you can understand why I’m hesitant to just cut my losses, especially given that I’m sure there is some helpful information in there, wrapped up in her “fortune cookie” delivery style. And, yes, I know all of this sounds racist as fuck, but it’s almost like it’s designed that way: You can’t say you dislike it for actual reasons, as you don’t want to be lumped in with the folks who dislike it for the “wrong” reasons. Ya know, like Bad Bunny doing the Super Bowl Halftime Show…
Things You Might Have Missed This Week
- Bob’s Burgers returned this week, for its 16th season, airing its 300th episode, to what seemed like no fanfare whatsoever. It’s too bad, as it was a touching episode that recounted when Bob and Linda opened the restaurant.
- Speaking of Fox’s Animation Domination block, it was announced that The Simpsons will return to movie theaters July 23rd, 2027. It should be noted that this release is taking over a slot vacated by a mystery MCU film. Given that it was always supposed to be set following Avengers: Secret Wars, it’s more than likely a sequel to Shang Chi or Black Panther – maybe even Blade – as opposed to something that would have set up that two-part event.
- Hulu has canceled the Matt Bomer/Nathan Lane gay Golden Girls “homage”, Mid-Century Modern, after one season.
- Rejoice, oh subscribers to Apple TV+, as Schmigadoon! is headed to Broadway! Lorne Michaels will be producing the stage adaptation, set to open Spring 2026 in the Nederlander Theatre. I guess he’ll need something to do once the administration gets NBC to cancel SNL…
- Electronic Arts is going private, as the video game company is being purchased by our good friends the Saudis, via their Public Investment Fund, along with Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, for a record $55 BILLION. It should also be noted that Silver Lake is in talks to join the US ownership group for TikTok. So, as you can see, there’s nothing but great people involved here, and folks have absolutely nothing to worry about…
- Reading Rainbow is back, this time hosted by social media’s favorite librarian, Mychal Threets. I’m glad to hear it, but this feels like one of those announcements that only people my age care about. Unless they put this thing on Roblox or link up with Cocomelon, the kids ain’t gonna care. For now, however, the new episodes will be available on the KidZuko YouTube channel since, ya know, the administration is taking a flamethrower to PBS.
- There’s no happiness in Camelot, as America’s most famous AMC customer and Australia’s biggest country music artist have severed their union. Yes, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban announced both their separation AND divorce this week, as reports suggest that it was Urban’s decision. Rumor has it he preferred the snack options at Regal, which was a sticking point, seeing as how AMC paid for their vacation home.
- Starting October 13th, Everybody Loves Raymond will join the MeTV schedule. This feels just as bad as when The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air joined Nick @ Nite. I’m gonna turn to dust the second I finish this sente*
So, I could bullshit you, and say something like “The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund had the West Week Ever”, but I figure I’ve poked that bear enough for the time being. No, it wasn’t exactly a great week for pop culture. So, instead, I want to take a minute to talk about one of my favorite characters from the Britcoms that I grew up on. You see, we always watched PBS on Sunday nights, after the network programming was done. That’s where I discovered Are You Being Served?, One Foot in the Grave, and Keeping Up Appearances.
Keeping Up Appearances, which ran from 1990-1995, was about Hyacinth Bucket, who strives to convince herself and everyone around her that she is a high class individual. This even comes down to her last name, which she insists is pronounced “Bouquet”, despite her own long-suffering husband saying that it’s “Bucket”. Like Peggy Hill, she has a delusional sense of self, but she’s a condescending snob, and has been playing this role so long that she believes her own hype. Meanwhile, she goes to great lengths to hide anything that might betray her working class background, including her white trash sisters Daisy and Rose, as well as brother-in-law Onslow. Who knew UK white trash was so similar to US white trash?! Anyway, the humor of the show is watching Hyacinth’s attempts at “acceptance” be thwarted by harsh reality. She’s not who she claims to be, nor will she ever be, but that doesn’t stop her from trying. In a lot of ways, it’s reminiscent of The Ropers, when they leave Three’s Company, and Helen Roper attempts to be accepted by her new, snooty neighbors.
We only get a mere fraction of the UK’s comedy output over here, and our PBS affiliates are still airing the same series 30 years later. This has caused Hyacinth to be one of the Britcom’s greatest characters, right up there with John Inman’s Mr. Humphries, Molly Sugden’s Mrs. Slocumb, and Mr. Bean himself. Well, the woman behind Hyacinth’s portrayal, actress Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge, passed away this week at the age of 96. Despite the popularity of Keeping Up Appearances, she walked away from the role because she wanted to leave on a high note. In an interview, she said “It’s much better to have people say now ‘Oh, why didn’t you do some more?’ than having them say ‘Oh, is that still on?'” I think more people could benefit from hearing that. And I’m here gushing over one role, but she had quite the career in theatre, which should probably be discussed by those more qualified than me. In any case, if you take a coffee or tea break today, be sure to be careful with the good China! It’s what Hyacinth would have insisted upon.