Am I a New Target Audience?
This has been a banner year for me in terms of new television programs. I was very excited at the start of the season for several new shows. Most years I think they all look like crap, or maybe there are one or two I'm willing to check out, but this year I liked so many shows right away. As a matter of fact, I like so many that I'm behind on watching several, and I may have given up on one because I'm far enough behind and don't really have time to catch up.
Given my current television viewing situation (on top of all of the television series I watch I'm trying to catch up on a few on DVD, old show I taped, and watching as much of the NHL Center Ice package as I can), you would think the last thing I would want to do was get hooked into a new program. But, despite my better judgment, tonight I tuned into the first two episodes of My Boys.
When I first heard about the show a few weeks ago I thought it could be interesting, but I was reluctant to get addicted to a new show, and I had a sneaking feeling I would end up disappointed. It seemed to, I don't know, *me*, and I thought it would end up being different from how I expected it to be. Additionally, I don't really watch a lot of comedy series. I will watch dramadies, but I watch very little flat out comedy. I wasn't going to tune in, but a friend of mine emailed me this afternoon to tell me about the show, saying that she thought of me as soon as she read about it.
Why?
Because I could very well have been PJ, the main character, had my life turned out differently. Actually, with a few revisions, her life seems a lot like my life during my undergraduate years.
PJ is a sportswriter covering the Chicago Cubs. She loves sports. Most of her friends are guys. Now, I am not, never have been, and never will be, a sportswriter, unless you count blogging about sports occasionally. There was a time in my life when most of my friends were male, the only difference being that all of her male friends are part of one group of friends, whereas most of my male friends didn't know each other. I knew them from different places. Otherwise I see a lot of similarities between myself and PJ, which is really refreshing for me.
It is rare that I can connect to a female television character, especially when a lot of the character development involves romantic relationships. Having been one of the guys myself, I'm not one of those girly girls who loves watching mushy romantic comedies told from a purely feminine female perspective. I want to smack most of those characters upside the head. I have a feeling that PJ either will have, or had in her life before the show started, many of the problems I have had with men in the past. Being seen as one of the guys and thus not datable. Being called intimidating. Dating guys who think it's cool to have a girlfriend who likes sports, only to have them act like asses when they realized I knew more about their sport of choice than they did. She doesn't seem like the mushy type, and while I can go for the occasional mush, for the most party I'm not that type either.
It is nice to see a female character who can like sports and play poker and work in a field dominated by men yet still look feminine. It's nice to see a woman in a romantic comedy complain about men without sounding like a whiney baby (yet, and I hope it remains that way). It's nice to see dating discussion from a woman's point of view that isn't so sugary that it makes my teeth rot.
A smart, pretty female character who likes sports and poker. What a concept.
The last television charcater I could relate to this much was Angela Chase on "My So-Called Life". I'm glad there's finally another one.
Oh, and the Chicago-ness of the show helps.
I hope I still like it this much after next week's episode.
Given my current television viewing situation (on top of all of the television series I watch I'm trying to catch up on a few on DVD, old show I taped, and watching as much of the NHL Center Ice package as I can), you would think the last thing I would want to do was get hooked into a new program. But, despite my better judgment, tonight I tuned into the first two episodes of My Boys.
When I first heard about the show a few weeks ago I thought it could be interesting, but I was reluctant to get addicted to a new show, and I had a sneaking feeling I would end up disappointed. It seemed to, I don't know, *me*, and I thought it would end up being different from how I expected it to be. Additionally, I don't really watch a lot of comedy series. I will watch dramadies, but I watch very little flat out comedy. I wasn't going to tune in, but a friend of mine emailed me this afternoon to tell me about the show, saying that she thought of me as soon as she read about it.
Why?
Because I could very well have been PJ, the main character, had my life turned out differently. Actually, with a few revisions, her life seems a lot like my life during my undergraduate years.
PJ is a sportswriter covering the Chicago Cubs. She loves sports. Most of her friends are guys. Now, I am not, never have been, and never will be, a sportswriter, unless you count blogging about sports occasionally. There was a time in my life when most of my friends were male, the only difference being that all of her male friends are part of one group of friends, whereas most of my male friends didn't know each other. I knew them from different places. Otherwise I see a lot of similarities between myself and PJ, which is really refreshing for me.
It is rare that I can connect to a female television character, especially when a lot of the character development involves romantic relationships. Having been one of the guys myself, I'm not one of those girly girls who loves watching mushy romantic comedies told from a purely feminine female perspective. I want to smack most of those characters upside the head. I have a feeling that PJ either will have, or had in her life before the show started, many of the problems I have had with men in the past. Being seen as one of the guys and thus not datable. Being called intimidating. Dating guys who think it's cool to have a girlfriend who likes sports, only to have them act like asses when they realized I knew more about their sport of choice than they did. She doesn't seem like the mushy type, and while I can go for the occasional mush, for the most party I'm not that type either.
It is nice to see a female character who can like sports and play poker and work in a field dominated by men yet still look feminine. It's nice to see a woman in a romantic comedy complain about men without sounding like a whiney baby (yet, and I hope it remains that way). It's nice to see dating discussion from a woman's point of view that isn't so sugary that it makes my teeth rot.
A smart, pretty female character who likes sports and poker. What a concept.
The last television charcater I could relate to this much was Angela Chase on "My So-Called Life". I'm glad there's finally another one.
Oh, and the Chicago-ness of the show helps.
I hope I still like it this much after next week's episode.
posted by redhairedgirl at 22:33
1 Comments:
that is one of the shows that I have really wanted to check out, but haven't had time to with the big move and all. Hopefully, this will be the impetus I need!
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