Cinerant

Make Friends Like These

Television is cyclical. That's because the audience likes it and demands it (whether they know it or not.) Every show is a variation of a show before, and the mold is only broken every so often. Even when it is broken, it's usually not shattered as much as modified from the current standard--typically by harkening back to something from an earlier era.

As a result, audiences are conditioned to expect certain things, anticipate particular rhythms, etc. Procedural are in vogue now, but in another ten years will seem antiquated and off. Shows hit at a certain time and are true zeigeist programs, whereas the same show would've failed if it had premiered years later or earlier. "Desperate Housewives" caught on because it brought elements of the soap opera back--in a slightly more comical, manner that focused less on the camp and more on the humor. "The X-Files" tapped into the nation's proliferated mistrust and wariness of the government. Neither of these two shows would've worked ten years before they premiered because the cycle wasn't ready for them.

And the cycle might just not be ready for "What About Brian?" yet. The show's essentially a charming, yet slight, serialized version of Sondheim's Company. Sure, a lot of people are calling it a modern-day "thirtysomething" and it is very akin to that, but the show is closer in spirit and tone to the Sondheim musical. The basic setup is that a guy (in the musical it's Bobby, here it's Brian) has a bunch of married (or engaged) friends. Lead guy then wallows in self-doubt while married friends use him to debate the pros and cons of marriage. It's not a story with a strong through line or an obvious hook. It's a show that depends upon liking the characters and caring about the relationships. Hence the genre--relationship show.

What makes "What About Brian?" an interesting footnote in the notion of the television cycle is that no matter how good it is, it probably won't survive because its infrastructure is out of vogue. Like "thirtysomething" and "Once and Again"--let's take a moment and mourn the lack of a Ed Zwick/Marshall Herskovitz program on the air--it's a show where not a whole lot happens in an episode. This is especially true when comparing it to "Grey's Anatomy" or "Desperate Housewives" which burn through four or five stories per episode at break-neck speed. "Brian" saunters through one or two self-contained stories, while peering into two more continuing story lines--not what audiences are used to right now. That probably explains a lot of why its number dropped so much between Sunday and Monday night. (In addition to the fact that it didn't have much of a lead in with Supernanny).

Brian is meant to be the kind of show that grows on you. And it does. Just from the first to second night, I could feel myself warming up to the title character. The supporting cast (the real strength of the show) continued to be fleshed out and I realized that I'd enjoy spending time with these people for one hour a week.

Not everybody's going to agree. When a show relies on charm, there will undoubtedly be some people who aren't charmed. When it requires a chance to grow, there will be those who are impatient and pre-determinedly judge it as unworthy and write it off. That's fine. thirtysomething and Company, two programs that are now considered standard-bearers and hallmarks of quality weren't that popular in their initial runs either.

Just give Brian a chance. You might be surprised.

posted by cinegod @ 10:33 AM