Small Screen Surfin'
Created | Updated Jan 7, 2004
Welcome back everybody to what I hope will be an all new Small Screen
Surfin'... eventually.
Since towards the end of last year my output gradually shrank1, I'm hoping to come up with a new format that
will push the bar of SSS quality in some way because you deserve it (and to my surprise I
missed writing the column).
And now to business. New to ITV2 is The Pitts, an American sit-com about *sigh* a
dysfunctional family - 25% Simpsons, 25% Honey, I Shrunk the Kids - TV Series,
25% That 70s Show, and 25% Married: With Children. This leaves what percentage
as original? Exactly.
I personally can't stand Married: With Children and 'The Pitts' is now the second worst
American sit-com I have seen. Plugged as 'from the producer of the Simpsons', and in the
first episode I saw3 you could tell. There was about
three different episodes of 'The Simpsons' in 'the Pitts': The one with the angry babysitter, the
one with 'Sherry Bobbins' and the one where an old love interest is bitter - all together in half an
hour. I know it's hard to think up original ideas (best portrayed in 'South Park' when Butters is
hatching out evil schemes that have been done already in 'The Simpsons') but this is just a shoddy
remake where you can count off each cliché.
There's a father, mother, daughter, brother. You can see the 'characters' as soon as the dad
opens his very annoying mouth4. It's one of those oaf-of-a-fathers again is it? Yes. What's worse is the
terribly bad blue-screen for this side of the millennium.
In the second episode, daughter Pitt ('Faith') wants... A CAR! But naturally concerned mother
points out 'Owning a car is a big responsibility'. Is it really? How many movies have that in,
never mind TV shows? Where do the 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' bits come in? Well 'The Pitts' has
the odd bit of fantasy with the second episode having a talking VW (mad) car. This is so-called
comedy at its worst. The underlying, last straw was the 'joke' in the car:
CAR: 'Hey, I'm German...5 I'm used to taking orders!'
No. No. No. No. No! I'm not one for political correctness as most of the time it is far too
extreme but that line has not only been done to death, but is also so blatantly ignorant. Married:
With Children's awful double entendres are better. We might as well start a campaign to bring
back Heil Honey, I'm Home.
Surely somewhere it will be implied that this is a live-action Simpsons but we've already got one.
It's called Malcolm In The Middle, and not only is it different to the Simpsons, it is,
and I think this is important in sit-coms, funny! Well it is funny if you go by the overload of canned
(I hope) laughter on the sound.
It really is a shame that Futurama and Family Guy were dropped with this kind of
quality in their place. There are so many US sit-coms that are better than this: Friends, Frasier,
Two Guys and a Girl, Seinfeld. They may not be everyone's taste. Seinfeld and
Friends aren't to mine but I can see why people enjoy(ed) them. Characterisation and being
believable for a start.
If you want a headache and to go 'wah?' whenever something fantastical happens for no just
reason watch this.
ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
As a special bonus Small Screen Supplement here is a short review of new reality
TV-Show: Shattered.
Another 'Big Brother' clone only this time contestants must stay
awake for a week with elimination via brain wracking tasks. Counting peas for example.
Like Big Brother? Then this could be for you. Same goes for those who like to see how far British
citizens will torture themselves for money. No if you are everyone else.
Keep Surfin'!
Greebo will be nodding viciously2.2Oh you know me much to well HPB ~slightly vicious
nod of head~ - Ed.3In a double bill.4It's like Harry off 'Third Rock from the
Sun'5I'm holding my face in my hands right
now.
