This season TNT introduces the show Men of a Certain age. Continuing it’s tradition of producing shows that appeal to no one, TNT was eager to break into the middle-aged-men-in-tight-tee-shirts demographic.
The show piqued my interest because one of my favorite actors – the guy from Quantum Leap – is a lead. At first I thought it was Agent Mulder, but after I saw the commercial for the 800th time I realized with great excitement that it was Scott Bakula. I’ve been writing the cable networks for two years demanding them to bring back reruns of Quantum Leap. That show had everything: time travel, physics, adventure, a cigar smoking hologram advisor, and love. Plus, a hilarious episode hook- Dr. Sam Beckett’s signature “Oh Boy” when it was time for him to leap. Brilliant!
Moving on. The official synopsis: “Men of a Certain Age explores the unique bonds of male friendship among three men experiencing the changes and challenges of mid-life. They have been best friends since college but now, in their 40s, are navigating through the second act of their lives.”
I want to watch anything that features both Scott Bakula and Ray Romano. But who else exactly do the execs over at TNT think is going to watch this? Actual middle aged men don’t have a lot of interest in each other. They’re like goats; they acknowledge each other’s presence but don’t want to spend a lot of time in a group unless it’s to compete for food or sex. Middle aged women might normally want to watch the show and fantasize that their husbands are also sensitive and deep if it weren’t for vampires. Who needs actual hairy men when you can watch well dressed, lithe boys honing their androgynous love for human women? Vampires should be as threatening to regular men as The Girls Next Door is to regular women. The unrealistic expectation of sex partners is destroying the fabric of society!
I’m going to try and watch a couple episodes of Men of a Certain Age. If I could get through an episode of the new 90210 without putting a garbage bag over my head I can watch anything. I mean I did put a garbage bag over my head a couple of times but I had my neighbor here as a precaution and kept fighting it off me. She’s a really good friend.
