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 To The Rescue
by Patrick Clapp
The airwaves, like giant putrid barges off the east coast, are filled to bursting with garbage. Reality shows, bad news only hour at five and six, melodrama, and cookie cutter sit-coms are dulling our minds and contributing to the general decline of society. Network television is a cursed wasteland that panders to the lowest denominator.
There is hope however, in the form of the basic cable network FX. The tagline at FX’s press room always reads: ”FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 78 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of distinctive original series and movies; an impressive roster of acquired hit series; an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox; and marquee sports such as NASCAR.”
Ally McBeal, Beverly Hills 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, COPS, Extreme Dating, Fear Factor, Married with Children, and The Practice make up the rerun foundation upon which this house is built. These shows appeal to different demographics and the cable network is typically quite good at showing them in airing order. As soon as one season ends, the next begins. As soon as the series wraps, they start again at the beginning. These shows draw casual viewers who are hit with suggestions on further FX selections to tune in during the commercial breaks.
Interspersed with the rerun blocks, usually in the late afternoon or on the weekends are a host of movies from 20th Century Fox; about five or so each month on some eclectic rotational schedule. DVD on TV attracts viewers with good movies interwoven with DVD extras, including special effect sequences and interviews. DVD on TV is not quite Dinner and a Movie, but, a solid nighttime performance regardless of that fact. On Saturdays FX shows NASCAR. The combined effect of these segments of the FX business model is revenue generation. The advertising dollars raised from these efforts fund the true power of the cable network; original programming.
In a word, the original programming on FX is stellar. It consists of original movies, one reality show, and three dramas. Currently that includes Meltdown, NASCAR Drivers: 360, Nip/Tuck, The Shield, and Rescue Me.
Author’s note: links contain sound.
Meltdown is a gritty tale of the preparedness of a nuclear facility targeted for takeover by a terrorist group. It stars Bruce Greenwood (Thirteen Days, Double Jeopardy), Leslie Hope (24, Line of Fire), James Remar (2 Fast 2 Furious, Sex & The City) and Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy). It is written by Larry & Paul Barber (The Director), the directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik (Diabolique). It first aired Sunday, June 13th, but expect several replays.
This is not the first original movie for FX, nor even the first this year. FX releases a new original movie each quarter. In the past this has included Redemption, starring Jamie Foxx and Lynn Whitfield, The Pentagon Papers starring James Spader, Claire Forlani, and Alan Arkin, RFK with Linus Roache, James Cromwell and David Paymer, Sins of the Father featuring Tom Sizemore, Richard Jenkins and Ving Rhames, A Glimpse of Hell starring James Caan, and Robert Sean Leonard, and Deliberate Intent with Timothy Hutton.
Nascar Drivers: 360 is an unscripted “reality” show that, thankfully, uses real celebrities. The eight week show started in May and follows the behind the scenes lives of nine drivers, their families and teams. The featured drivers are Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeremy Mayfield, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Tony Raines, Brian Vickers, Kenny Wallace and Rusty Wallace. The show is brilliant in concept primarily because it does not take a random sample of semi-literate Americans, and then shove them in a house together for two months. Kudos to FX for actually producing a reality show that garners more than instant, knee-jerk reactions of disgust (and subsequent channel clicking). Nascar Drivers: 360 airs on Friday nights.
Nip/Tuck is a drama about the harsh realities of plastic surgery in southern Florida. “Tell me what you don’t like about yourself.”, the show constantly asks. Nip/Tuck stars Dylan Walsh (Everwood), and Julian McMahon (Charmed) as two top-notch but essentially flawed surgeons in Miami’s South Beach. As described by the FX press room: “Nip/Tuck cuts beneath the surface of the superficial world of plastic surgery, dramatically revealing the complexities and fragile nature of patients trying to mask their psychological flaws through physical cosmetic enhancement.” The show has boasted ratings over 3.0 for in household viewer ratings for ten of its first thirteen episodes. These are phenomenal numbers for an original show produced by a “basic” cable network. However, for FX, this level of excellence in original programming has become the rule not the exception.
The Shield has been the target of my fist-waving rants in the past. It is an immersive drama about people trying to keep secrets, keep their head above water, and keep doing their job day after day. The characters are deep and brilliantly written. There is action and suspense aplenty. The cinematography accentuates the harsh truth of life in a run down (and run over) area in Los Angeles; plenty of hand camera use and little steady cam work. This style does not detract from the experience of The Shield, but serves to draw the viewer in tighter. The Shield is a difficult show to stop watching. Each episode comes with victories and defeats both little and large. The cast is nothing short of exceptional. In fact, the first season of The Shield was honored with three Emmy nominations including Michael Chiklis, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, Shawn Ryan, Outstanding Writing for a Drama, and Clark Johnson, Outstanding Directing for a Drama. These nominations were the first ever for a basic cable drama in these categories. And just to emphasize the point, Chik won the Emmy, beating out James Gandolfini of Soprano fame. The third season of The Shield wraps on Tuesday the 15th of June. Seasons one and two are both out on DVD. Each episode contains a commentary team comprised of Shawn Ryan, someone from the production team, and at least one actor.
Rescue Me, a drama about life as a New York City Fireman, premieres Wednesday July 21st on the FX network. It stars Dennis Leary, and it looks absolutely brilliant. Leary infuses his character with his tough as nails attitude and penchant for quick-wry humor. The production quality shows signs of prosperity, and doubtless the writing will be of the highest caliber. The intent of the show is to detail the difficulties of firefighting in the post 9/11 era, and to touch on the struggles through which these amazing people fight. Leary, who portrays a divorced firefighter battling haunting memories and tremendous stress and strain, resonates strongly with the role. He has lost firefighting family and friends and has established (as a result) charity foundations to help aid other families who have suffered loss. Leary has been quoted as saying, "It's about time there is a show that looks at the lives and great work of New York City firefighters and what goes on beneath the surface of the job you see.”
And that, from an outside viewpoint, is the successful business model of a basic cable network. Expect other networks to slowly sit up, blink sleepily, and eventually follow suit. But for now, avoid the gluttony of the major networks, and look for Rescue from one of the little guys.
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