On the Edge of My Seat

 

As Kendall can tell you, for years I’ve enjoyed the first ten minutes of all my favorite  TV shows. What happens during the rest of the hour? I wouldn’t know, I’m sound asleep. Waking up as early as I do every day, it’s all I can do to make it through a few minutes of a show from our overstuffed DVR before my eyelids start feeling as heavy as anvils. I’ll fight it at first, sure that I can stay up and finish the episode. Soon I’ll start complaining about continuity issues at which point Kendall will inform me that I just nodded out during two important scenes. And then, as if someone is holding an ether-soaked handkerchief over my nose like on an old episode of “Mission: Impossible,” I am out like a light. I’m sure it’s the most unhealthy thing in the world to fall asleep that way but at this point I’m used to it. Sometimes the soundtracks of the shows work their way into my dreams—as if I need more images from hospital emergency rooms or creepy crime scenes being subliminally fed to my subconscious.

There’s only one show on right now that never induces slumber. I could be suffering from extreme sleep deprivation but as soon as this particular series comes on, I am hyper-alert, sitting up straight, and completely focused. I’m talking about “Lost,” one of the most original and maddening TV dramas ever to hit the airwaves. I started watching “Lost” in 2005 during its second season. I caught up with the show by watching the first season on my tiny video iPod. When I started watching Season 2 on an actual TV set, I often found myself exclaiming things such as, “So THAT’S what Kate looks like!”

From the moment I saw Oceanic Flight 815 crash on the mysterious island, I was hooked. I followed the adventures of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Jin, Sun, Sayid, Claire, John, Charlie, Desmond, Penny, Michael, Ben, Juliet, Richard, and the others with rapt attention. For the first few seasons, “Lost” followed a normal linear timeline. We were watching what happened on the island with the survivors while also seeing the characters’ back stories via flashbacks to their pre-crash lives. Plenty of things went unexplained (the Smoke Monster, the Others, the Dharma Initiative, the island’s powers, etc.) but we were following a traditional trajectory of “reveals” that made some kind of sense.

Then, a few seasons ago, all hell broke lose with the space-time continuum. It started in one of the best season finales when a fairly innocuous stateside scene between Jack and Kate rattled our brains when we suddenly realized this was not a flashback, but a flash forward. What?! My brain has been hurting ever since as I’ve tried to figure out what’s gong on with this show. 

The following season some of the castaways started randomly zipping backwards and forwards in time, finally resting in the early 1970s when the Dharma Initiative was in full flower. Then everyone jumped ahead three years and some of the cast members from the 21st century found their way back to the people stuck in the 70s. They hatched a plan to change the timeline even further by setting off a hydrogen bomb in the 70s that would prevent the original Oceanic flight from ever crashing in 2004 in the first place. The survivors of this bomb were catapulted forward to the present day but now there were “flash-sideways” of a parallel universe where the plane never crashed and all of the characters (including several of the dead ones) were playing out their lives in very different ways. HEEEELP!

As the series nears its final episode later this month, I’ve finally given up any real hope that the major questions of the island will ever be answered. And I don’t even care. Even when I hate this show, as I have for a good part of this season, I love its originality and it always holds my interest. I’ll be yelling at the screen in disgust when they’ll suddenly thrust yet another stick into the spokes, like the recent revelation that there is bleedthrough between the crash timeline and the sideways world. “GAME CHANGER!” I screamed at the first indication of this, scaring Kendall and waking poor Charlie up.

This week’s episode of “Lost” had the audacity to not feature any of the main cast members (except in a nice twist at the end when they showed a moment from Season 1) and to go back in time not 20, 40, or 60 years but 2,000 years to the Latin-speaking people living on the island in the year 23 A.D. Good lord, I’m surprised they didn’t have Jesus Christ himself bustling onto the island from his home in Nazareth. 

There’s only one regular episode left and then a two and a half hour finale that I cannot wait to see even though I expect to be amazed AND infuriated. Part of me can’t bear to think of this series ending, and part of me is relieved!

My “Lost” obsession got me to thinking about other TV dramas that I’ve looked forward to that much in the past. Considering what a pop culture junkie I am, you’d be surprised at how many shows I’ve never watched even though I’m sure they were as great as people said they were. I’ve never seen a single episode of “The Sopranos,” “The Wire,” “The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue,” “Law and Order,” any of the “CSI” franchise, or “House” (even though it’s my daughter’s favorite show and was created by one of my distant cousins). I know, I know, but I figure I’ll eventually catch up with some of them.

Here, off the top of my head, is a list of ten hour-long dramas that for me carried the same level of anticipation as “Lost.” Some are no-brainers, a few are a little embarrassing:

1. Mad Men. Not much explanation needed here. It is, in my opinion, the best written, best acted, best produced show on TV today. The early 60s time period doesn’t hurt—sometimes I feel like I’m watching my family’s own home movies. I identify with these characters so much, which is why I recently came to the defense of the much maligned Betty Draper. Our friend and neighbor is one of the producers on the show and he refused to tell us anything about the upcoming season despite all our threats. Kendall and I can’t stand the huge gap between seasons and we’re counting the days until the first new show airs on July 25th. 

 

2. Six Feet Under. We were equally obsessed with all five seasons of this amazing show, and looked forward to each and every episode, mourning when the seasons came to an end. The exterior of the Fishers’ home was shot a few blocks from our house and I always had the fantasy that if the series had just lasted a year or two longer, some of the characters would have moved to our block. Our street now boasts two “intentional communities” full of hip young artists and musicians. I can so see Claire living in one of those. Brenda and Billy set the new standard for dysfunctional (and yet somehow believable) sibling relationships and their mother made Joan Crawford look like Donna Reed. Oh, I loved all the characters and the actors who portrayed them. Our friend Jill Soloway was one of the writers and producers of this show (she currently writes and produces the wonderful “United States of Tara” starring Toni Collette). The infamous final ten minutes of “Six Feet Under” still haunt me to this day. One of the best endings ever of a series but a massive mind-fuck.

3. Upstairs, Downstairs. This was probably my first true TV obsession. The series aired on “Masterpiece Theatre” between 1971 and 1975 and followed the exploits of the hoity-toity Bellamy family of London and their many servants between the years 1903 and 1930. Created by Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh (who played the beloved maid, Rose), the show depicted the intricate class system present in England during those years. As my own middle class family was imploding on the north side of Chicago, I waited breathlessly each week to see what was going on at 165 Eaton Place. I cried when Lady Marjorie went down with the Titanic, when poor Hazel Bellamy died during the influenza epidemic of 1918, and when James shot himself in the head after losing all of his money in the stock market crash. I had the hots for Georgina and Daisy, I laughed at the antics of Ruby and Mrs. Bridges, and I admired the sense of family among the folks downstairs even though I secretly longed to be part of the upstairs world. I just read that a new sequel of sorts is in the works that will feature a different family living at 165 Eaton Place from the mid-1930s until the start of World War II. Jean Marsh will be on hand again as the trusty house parlour maid.

4. Oz. This gritty series was the first hourlong drama produced by a pay cable network and it lasted for six seasons between 1997 and 2003. While I spent a portion of each episode blocking my eyes from the hideous violence on-screen, I’d never seen anything like it, and it was always great television. “Oz” had an amazing cast including two series regulars who went on to star on “Lost.” It introduced Edie Falco who went from here to “The Sopranos” and “Nurse Jackie” and featured well known musical stars such as Rita Moreno, Betty Buckley, Patti LuPone, and Joel Grey in roles very different from their usual fare. I believe this was the first TV series ever to feature full frontal male nudity among its stars, not to mention scenes of consensual gay sex as well as brutal scenes of male rape. Even though he’s played many lovable characters since this series, and is a dad at Leah’s school, I still cringe every time I see actor J.K. Simmons remembering his terrifying portrayal of white supremacist Vern Schillinger.

5. thirtysomething. Okay, go ahead and laugh, but this series had a huge impact on me in the late 1980s. I couldn’t wait for each week’s episode. Though they were older than me (hard to believe), I strongly identified with the adventures and angst of this close-knit group of baby boomer yuppies. I remember crying during the Christmas/Hanukkah episode that ends with shiksa wife Hope Steadman lighting the menorah with her daughter for her Jewish husband Michael. I followed the crumbling marriage of Elliot and Nancy, I related to the wacky adventures of Gary and Melissa, and I eventually grew to love Hope’s uptight best friend Ellyn. I cowered along with Michael and Elliot at the machinations of their boss, Miles Drentell (a character who would fit quite well in the “Lost” universe) and I wept with relief when Nancy’s ovarian cancer went into remission. Because this series was so much a product of its time, I’m guessing it might not hold up that well today. Music was a big element on this show and this was one of the only TV series for which I bought the CD. I remember how thrilled I was when I visited the set in 1990 when a friend of mine was the assistant director for an episode. “There’s Michael and Hope’s living room!” “Oh my God—Melissa’s kitchen!”

6. Once and Again. Okay, you may now taunt me, but with “thirtysomething” off the air, this was the next best thing. And why wouldn’t it be—it was created by the same team of Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick. This show only lasted three seasons (I was furious when it was cancelled), from 1999 to 2002, and revolved around issues of divorce and blending families (which I could very much relate to). The show starred Sela Ward and Billy Campbell along with some amazing child actors (Evan Rachel Wood got her start on this show) and other actors I enjoyed such as Ever Carradine and Marin Hinkle. David Clennon reprised the Machiavellian Miles Drentell from “thirtysomething” until he was finally killed off. Like its predecessor, I’m not sure this show stands up to the test of time but I sure looked forward to it when it was on the air.

7. The Waltons. No show provided more solace from the trials of my childhood. I couldn’t wait until Thursday night every week. I wrote about my intense relationship to “The Waltons” here and I still get a funny feeling in my gut whenever I hear the show’s distinctive theme. I’ve had even more Walton encounters since I wrote about the show a few years ago. Just last weekend, I sat behind Olivia Walton (Michael Learned) at a charity event and I was tempted to tap her on the shoulder and tell her how much the letter she wrote me almost 40 years ago helped me cope with my family life. I also saw Erin Walton (Mary McDonough) at Farmers Market a few weeks ago and she looked fabulous. Oh Erin, my first true love. And I’ve corresponded with Ben Walton (Eric Scott) who contacted me after he saw the letter he wrote to me decades ago posted on my blog. What a nice guy. Good night, John-Boy.

8. ER. I stayed with this show through thick and thin, and saw every episode from its debut in September 1994 to its final episode in April 2009. There were always interesting plotlines and fun guest stars popping up. Our friend Tara had a recurring role as a social worker Liz Dade and most of the actors we know appeared on the show at least once during its run. I found one episode, which aired around the time that Leah was born, so upsetting that I vowed to never watch the show again (I didn’t follow through!). The whole episode focused on a pregnant woman who was so wonderful we all instantly fell in love with her. After making us bond with this woman, something went terribly wrong with her labor. Dr. Mark Greene (played by Anthony Edwards) tried to handle the difficult delivery himself. I forget the details, all I know is that the baby was coming out and Mark tried to push it back up through the vaginal canal so he could perform a C-section. It was gruesome and the woman died as a result. Dr. Greene remained the hero on the show until his character died of brain cancer a few seasons later but I always thought of him as the guy who murdered that poor mother. Oy. The real soul of the show, as is often the case in actual hospitals, rested in the hands of the heroic nursing staff.

9. L.A. Law. This Steven Bochco show, which ran from 1986 to 1994, was a ground-breaking legal drama in its day. Again, it might seem dated today (I haven’t seen an episode in years) but the show covered topics that were revolutionary at the time—from AIDS and homophobia to domestic violence and the L.A. riots. It was also one of the first ensemble dramas that focused heavily on the sex lives of its characters, something that is way more common today (I know more about the sexual exploits of the doctors on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” than I do about their medical expertise). I enjoyed seeing Susan Dey (aka Laurie Partridge) finally getting a chance to sink her teeth into an adult role. Real-life couple Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker played a married couple on the show. In one famous episode, they enjoyed a mysterious sex position called the “Venus Butterfly” which was told to Tucker by a convict played by a wonderful actor I knew named Joe Mays who sadly died of AIDS in 1994. Corbin Bernsen was hugely popular as lecherous Arnie Becker. What happened to all these people? Funny how a show can be so big and yet it is barely remembered today. I still remember the shocking scene when the tough-as-nails girlfriend of boss Richard Dysart, played by Diana Muldaur, walked into an empty elevator shaft and plummeted to her death. That was one way to get rid of a character no one liked. One cast member, Sheila Kelley, is a regular on “Lost” this season.

10. Hill Street Blues. This is the show that put Steven Bochco on the map. It ran from 1981 to 1987 and in many ways helped to change the face of television. Its overlapping dialogue, gritty language, and multi-plot arcs made the show feel more like a documentary than the sanitized police dramas that came before it. Many of the episodes took place over the course of a single day and again, we saw much of the main characters’ personal lives including major challenges they were facing. The series never named the location of the show—exteriors were shot in Chicago and several other cities. This show was huge and set the stage for so many series that followed. It starred Daniel J. Travanti and Veronica Hamel (who has a recurring role as Jack’s mother on “Lost”) as sexy couple Frank Furillo and Joyce Davenport. Joyce famously called Frank “Pizza Man” during their many scenes in bed. I think of the current brouhaha over that stupid Newsweek article in which examples are given as to why gay actors can’t believably play straight roles. Well, no one ever doubted the heat in Frank and Joyce’s sex life even though Travanti was gay. The amazing “Hill Street Blues” cast included Bruce Weitz, Betty Thomas, Barbara Bosson, Michael Conrad, Dennis Franz, Charles Haid, and so many others. Ken Olin did time on the Hill as a crooked cop before heading over to “thirtysomething.” This show sent many sayings into pop culture. “Hey, let’s be careful out there!”

Oops, that was a bit more than I planned for my short list. And I’m already thinking of other series that had me on the edge of my seat for their entire run. Two that come to mind are “China Beach” which was one of the first shows before “Lost” to fuck with linear time, and “St. Elsewhere,” another great hospital drama which ended its long run with a “Lost”-like screw you to the audience by making the entire six seasons the dream of a young autistic boy in the cast. And, of course, there were the great dramatic series of my childhood that I looked forward to every week—from the James Bond-like “Man from U.N.C.L.E.  to the hip, counterculture kids of “The Mod Squad” (a show that included the wonderful tagline: “One White, One Black, One Blond”). 

Now stop watching all that TV, young man, and go play outside. But watch out for that Smoke Monster!

Comments

[Sarah]

You've GOT to watch The Wire. Best show ever. Really.

[Sheila Linderman]

I'm with you on 7/10 of the shows, Danny.

[Sheila Linderman]

What about "West Wing?" Can we do a top-10 of sitcoms, starting with "The Dick Van Dyke Show?"

[m.yahn]

how can we live w/out a tv? heehee! but i sure love reading about it!

[Kirk]

The X-Files, as infuriating as it was. I still don't get what the conspiracy was all about, even though they supposedly explained it in the series finale.

[Jennifer Smith]

I love you even more after reading this list. :)

[Catherine W]

The thought of you shouting 'GAME CHANGER' at the TV did make me laugh! I gave up with Lost after the first couple of seasons, if I could have articulated why it would have been something along the lines of your shout.

I absolutely loved Six Feet Under. I've recently bought all the DVDs and am planning on watching the whole thing again. Just going to have to time the watching of that final episode quite carefully as it simply devastated me. I'm even too chicken to watch the clip here.

[Sally]

Hi Danny,
I've been glued to Lost too - have you ever checked out the Doc Jensen recaps on EW.com - they are really cool, he goes into some amazing depth in trying to interpret the symbolism. It's the first thing I read on Thursday mornings. I also loved many of the shows you listed, especially 30 Something. I've been Netflix-ing HBO's In Treatment and was so happy to see Gary guest star on an episode and saw that Melissa directed a few episodes (including the one Gary was in).

[Neil]

I agree with Sheila. I'm curious to hear about the comedy side, too.

[Danita Cherney]

Do you remember Mickey playing a judge in one episode of "Hill Street Blues"?

[Pam G]

Only LA Law and Upstairs, Downstairs from the past and Mad Men currently match my interests in "must-see" TV from those on your list. I'm re-watching Upstairs, Downstairs on DVD now. And LA Law: Loved it. I still think of the elevator scene from time to time and peak into our office elevator shaft before getting in. Corbin Bernsen is the son of actress Jeanne Cooper and appears along side her as a priest on The Young & The Restless from time to time these days. Whenever I see him, I think, "Oh, Arnie Becker what HAPPENED to you. A priest, seriously?!"

I watch no regular TV these days beyond Mad Men (and yeah the above-mentioned Y&R). I've never seen Lost and from what I've heard about it I wouldn't like it. But many people in my office spend nearly an entire day after it airs discussing its every nuance so it does resonate with a lot of people, I gather.

[Gordon]

Dear Danny,
I'm not a great fan of TV. Nearly all of it is dreck. But, I absolutely loved "Six Feet Under." And, going back quite a few years, I loved, "I'll Fly Away." BTW, I have TIVO, so, even if I fall asleep, I don't miss anything...
Thanks,
Gordon

[Frances]

I agree with everything. How about Moonlighting? Did you like it?

[The Pliers]

"Homicide Life on the Streets"...

Great post, Danny. I watched all the cops and robbers shows in your stead!

[laurie]

My favorites are: Once and Again, thirtysomething, Six Feet Under and Mad Men. Thanks for the start date for Mad Men. I have been wondering. Have you ever seen the series "My So Called Life" starring Claire Danes? Only one season, but a true treat.

[RookieBee]

Hey Danny, I'm a Mad Men addict who was drawn to your blog after that awesome blog post defending Betty Draper and I don't regret it! Never stop blogging!

[Pam P.]

Ach... the end of Six Feet Under. I start weeping the minute i hear even one note of that Sia song... I have never been so affected by anything on television, ever. (and that's saying something because I like me some television... basically everything on your list!)

[Tom Peeping]

Bonjour from Paris. I've never been much into TV dramas except for two (watched on DVD), which I love, love, love: Mad Men (#1) and Big Love (#2). This morning, just after reading your post on Lost, I jumped to the store and bought its 3 first seasons on DVD. Maybe I've been on a desert island all these years but I had no clue at all what this show is about. I just finished watching pilot-part 1 of season 1 and I must say, I'm not very impressed by what I just saw. But I trust your opinions on matters of film and TV as Pythia's on her tripod, so I will go on for a few episodes, and, hopefully, much more. Amities.