Lazy Shows
My big problem with shows like Whitney and Are You There Chelsea? is not that they’re bad quality. There are plenty of bad quality shows out there (thought not so many on NBC, which is why it stings that they pick up pilots like these and Outsourced).
They’re lazy and it shows. The jokes aren’t funny, the production doesn’t look good, and ultimately you can just feel that even the people who are working on them don’t really give a shit about them. But again, a lot of shows are lazy. So why these two?
Because they’re produced with the kind of attitude that sneers at passion. I’ve loved Todd VanDerWerff’s reviews over at the AV Club, and especially in his writing on the third season he’s emphasized how being a fan of Community means embracing this show whole heartedly. Being a psychotic, cultish Community nut is part of the game. When you love something this much you defend it with flash mobs and petitions and a coup on twitter. Being a fan is a way to actively be a part of the show we all so much.
But shows like Whitney, specifically that show runner I can’t stand, think loving something that much is stupid and is something to be made fun of (lazily, to be sure). It’s snide little jabs at quality. Whitney is the cool kid who sat in the back of the classroom and made smart remarks and never gave a damn. Those kids were occasionally funny, and occasionally had a point about us taking things too seriously, but most of the time they just became annoying because the rest of us were trying to learn something. We love something, this show and this cast and the writers and the fans, all of it, and they don’t have that kind of passion and support because they’re not worth it. The fans care this much because the people who make the show care even more. We’re not stupid. We can tell and we can appreciate it.
So Whitney and Chelsea, you can shove it. You’re trying to be the cool kid because that kind of persona makes up for the fact that no one cares about you. So be snotty about the show that’s smarter than you, better than you, and the one that’s going to beat you in the end. And when you get cancelled, no ones going to care. That’s the difference that matters most, if you ask me.
