By Timothy Austin
More Guyanese are finding escape and solace in their favourite shows even if it means investing in cable television or DirecTV. There is an upsurge in the amount of Guyanese homes now equipped with cable television and with new cable companies and low-cost deals; we seem to be consuming television at an unprecedented level. Entertainment is always a good investment but how do you get the best bang for your buck with today’s crop of comedy shows? Here’s a guide on the must-see comedies of 2012:
Indeed, laughter is the best medicine and if you are having a less than stellar day, a good comedy is certainly the cure for the blues. Sadly, the era of must-see comedy, which included NBC’s line-up of “Friends”, “Frasier” and “Seinfeld” has passed. Now the network struggles to find new hit shows while competitor, ABC dominates the comedy arena. Your best bet for a truly satisfying night of laughs is ABC’s spectacular hit “Modern Family”. The 2012 Golden Globe winner for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy surrounds a dysfunctional family and their struggle to find normalcy. The cast includes new Hollywood “It Girl” Sophia Vergara whose Latin accent and mesmerizing personality places her on target to be crowned a modern day Lucille Ball.
ABC is also the home of another family hit, “The Middle” which stars Patricia Heaton, who has a large fan following from her role as Ray Romano’s wife in the huge hit “Everybody Loves Raymond”. “Middle” presents another dysfunctional family, but what sets the show apart is Heaton’s stellar performance as she struggles to save her misfit children from constant rejection from the popular crowd. Working mothers will certainly identify with Heaton’s uphill battle to find a balance between her demanding job as a car sales representative and her attention-seeking family.
If you are still mourning the end of “Friends”, ABC has the solution with “Happy Endings” based on the same premise as the former hit NBC show in which six young adults battle heartbreak, marital woes and the occasional public scandal. The dialogue is witty and fresh and the laughs, while sometimes lewd, are on par with the classic comedy we have seen before in “Friends”. (Modern Family, The Middle and Happy Endings air Wednesday nights, ABC).
Dysfunctional relationships continue to dominate comedy and if ABC’s stellar line up does not satiate your appetite for laughs, “The Big Bang Theory”, which is now in syndication and can be seen on TBS and CBS, provides a tour-de-force line up of hilarious shenanigans surrounding an all male group of nerds as they navigate romance, jealousy and their obsession with all things Star Wars. The show has found a huge fan following with adults over 50 and makes for a truly entertaining half-hour.
The major cable networks provide raunchier comedy with Showtime’s phenomenal hit “Californication” starring X-File alum David Duchovny who takes a chapter out of his life playing a man with a sex addiction. The show is certainly not for the entire family, but for adults seeking fun-filled “dramedy”, the show will not disappoint. Showtime continues to dominate in the mature comedy genre with the new hit “House of Lies” which features famed actor Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) as a management consultant braving the dog-eat world of corporate business. Once again the show features adult themes, but Cheadle delivers pure gold as he struggles to stay at the top of the business world despite his decaying family life which includes a drug addicted ex-wife and a gender confused son.
Viewers who want only the best in comedy will avoid the declining returns of the new “Two and Half Men” which continues to suffer from Ashton Kutcher’s lacklustre performance and seek popular hits “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS), “30 Rock” (NBC) and the Betty White phenomenon “Hot in Cleveland”, which, with White’s off-key comedy and an all-star supporting cast, is on target to be this generation’s “Golden Girls”.
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More online: timothyandrewaustin.blogspot.com
