January 17th, 2012 
“Suburgatory” (ABC, Wednesdays 8:30 ET)
“Suburgatory” has actually been on since the fall. Not sure why it took me this long to discover it, exactly, because it’s basically everything I could ever ask for in a sitcom. It’s about a strong, female redhead. And she’s in high school. High school. It’s like everything I loved about “My-So Called Life” except with more sass, less flannel, and hopefully more than one season under its belt. Jane Levy (whom I’ve never seen before but who apparently is also of the Showtime series “Shameless”) plays Tessa Altman. Jeremy Sisto plays her dad George. Honestly, the idea that Jeremy Sisto could be anyone’s dad strikes me as a bit far-fetched. Despite his three-year stint on “Law and Order,” to me he will always be Brenda’s crazy brother on “Six Feet Under.” Plus, he’s…young.
Jane Levy and Jeremy Sisto (Photo Credit: abc.com)
Anyway, Tessa and her dad have relocated from Manhattan, ostensibly because George found a box of condoms in Tessa’s bedroom, which is making me cross all of my fingers and toes that this was done all very tongue-in-cheek (I haven’t seen the early episodes yet…was it) and that there won’t be a later episode that makes me cringe with abstinence-only vibes. But the suburbs have their own problems, primarily in the form of ditsy blonde Dalia (Carly Chaikin, who is hilarious) and her mom Dallas (Cheryl Hines from “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, who belongs – yes, belongs – on TV). There’s a bunch of SNL alums who make occasional appearances too, including Chris Parnell and Ana Gasteyer, and “Weeds’s” Allie Grant, all grown up (sort of). I love the show’s producers for finding a way to get so many of these people back on television – and for creating a character that both the young and the old can get behind.
“Are You There, Chelsea?” (NBC, Wednesdays 8:30 ET)
Laura Prepon, Chelsea Handler, and Lenny Clarke (Photo Credit: nbc.com)
Is it wrong that I actually really enjoyed the first episode of “Are You There, Chelsea?” I mean, except for the fact that it brought the Hating on Redheads count to approximately 3925 for the year…and it’s only January. (Not to belabor the point, but here’s the spoiler: Chelsea ends up dating a guy who she initially dismisses due to his “clown hair,” then she realizes she kind of likes him, then she ends up alienating him because of her strong reaction to his – ahem – other clown hair. I’m still recovering.) Laura Prepon (in keeping with what’s apparently the theme of AYTC and my life, much less redheaded than she was on “That 70’s Show”) plays Chelsea Handler. Chelsea herself plays her own older sister, Sloan. Are you following, readers? While I understand the rationale behind these decisions (the show is based on Handler’s autobiography Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, which chronicles her 20s, whereas present-day Chelsea is 36, and has a tendency to look 70), and while Prepon does an admirable job channeling the real Chelsea, there’s a small part of me that wishes the real Chelsea could have just played herself. She doesn’t get a lot of screen time (and actually isn’t even listed in the opening credits), and I miss her. Lenny Clarke (who, like any Boston type, I have a soft spot for) plays the girls’ father – having read several of Handler’s books, this is exactly what I would picture. Chelsea’s real-life father is even from Boston himself – so, no subduing of accents required.
“Downton Abbey” (PBS, Sundays 9 ET)
Maggie Smith (Photo Credit: pbs.com)
My goodness. Has any Masterpiece Theatre series ever blown up quite as much as “Downton Abbey?” I first heard about the show from my Victorian-literature-loving friends; now I hear about it from everybody. What’s its secret, you may ask? Besides giving the audience the opportunity to relate to both socialites and servants (there are many in each camp), DA gives us a) Maggie Smith, who plays the family matriarch and who is constantly saying unselfconsciously-meddling, matriarchal things b) a cliffhanger ending almost every week, in which one of the characters exclaims something like “He wants to change our lives!” or “We are at WAR” and c) the very un-Masterpiece characteristic of occasionally actually being surprising. In the first episode of the series, for instance, it is revealed that two of the male characters have been carrying on an affair. I’m guessing this wasn’t particularly out of the ordinary at the time; it is, however, out of ordinary for current-day depictions of Victorians. The deepness and multi-faceted-ness of the ensemble cast is extremely refreshing.
It’s just that…no Englishman would dream of dying in somebody else’s house.
