Overrated - TV Show - Survivor

I don't watch a lot of reality TV. I do remember, though, when it first started to become popular, how much I got into Survivor. I remember watching it way back when in 2000, and I loved it. My friends and I would take turns watching it in each others' basements. It was great, I even won the pool we had going about who the winner would be (always naked Richard, ugh). I remember liking it for one main reason: it seemed like a real physical challenge. People starved, had to survive rainstorms with no shelter, and had gross sand fleas. Oh, and they had to put up with a bunch of really weird people.

I don't know how it happened, but I started watching Survivor again this year. Cancelling my cable probably helped. I hate it, but I can't look away.

 Pictured: "Surviving"





My biggest problem is that my main reason for loving it years and years ago is gone.  It seems like there is no surviving! Every other challenge is centered around food! There's no need to hunt or scavenge because there are so many food companies sponsoring challenges.

Also (and I feel silly even bringing this up as a critique of a reality show), there's so much stupid drama. At this point I'm probably being redundant, but Survivor and reality TV in general just seems so overrated. Where is the entertainment in watching people fight and talk, talk and then fight, and then maybe talk some more about how hurt they are that other people want to win the show. I don't mind scheming and plotting, that can be fun to watch, but everyone takes everything so personally. The goal is to win, and everyone wants to win. So many of the people act so insulted all the time without the excuse of being physically drained. I don't understand it.

Underrated - TV Shows - Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks was on sporadically for one season from 1999-2000. Because of this, I ended up watching it on DVD. It's one of the sweetest, silliest, funniest shows I've ever seen.  There are 18 episodes, and each one is well thought out thematically and acted perfectly.

It takes place in the early 1980s and follows two groups of teens: the "Freaks" (comprised of disenchanted stoners and school-skippers) and the "Geeks" (awkward Freshman who love Star Wars and can't figure out how to fit in).  The show had Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) as a writer and director for many episodes, and a lot of the actors in the show are in his later movies, like James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel.  There are countless actors you will recognize. Two of my favorites are Biff from Back to the Future (aka Thomas F. Wilson) who plays the gym teacher (!!!) and a teeny-tiny Shia LaBeouf who plays the school's mascot.

One of the things I love about this show is that it takes characters that should be stereotypes and gives them a twist - even the supporting roles. For example, the gym teacher, the bully, and the religious girl  are all presented at first exactly how you would think, but then they are eventually given moments that are surprising and show depth of character. To use the tried and true words from English class - these are round, dynamic characters. This isn't to say that the characters have dramatic changes of heart or do anything that crosses the threshold of believability. There are no sappy lessons learned, or ridiculous epiphanies in the last 3 minutes of each episode. Freaks and Geeks is a great show.