When I was growing up, there weren't a lot of shows from which to choose. We got WGN, which fed us a steady diet of reruns. We got The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gilligan's Island, The Andy Griffith Show, Hogan's Heroes and other shows, ad nauseum. Then television got more daring. I remember coming home from a year abroad to discover Moonlighting, Miami Vice and The Cosby Show, shows that were fresh and innovative and, at the same time, entertaining.
With the advent of cable television, daring new approaches were taken. Not all were successful or welcome, but every once in awhile a show just grabbed one's attention. Niche topics were now in the mainstream, available for those people who had an interest. For example, I hated the show True Blood, as much as I would hate the Walking Dead, since I can't possibly suspend disbelief enough to bear watching those shows. But the success those shows enjoyed or continue to enjoy prove the worth of the idea that for virtually everyone there's something that will appeal to someone.
There are insanely popular shows -- Cheers, ER, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, M*A*S*H -- that garner the lion's share of the viewing audience. But some of the shows that I enjoy are ones that would qualify as niche shows, shows that enjoy a small but loyal audience that howls with displeasure whenever a hint of cancellation comes up. I'm not immune to this; there are a few shows that appeal to me and a small band of misfits who, for whatever reason, like these shows. These, then, are shows that I would buy for myself and watch in reruns for no artistic reason but simply because I like them and they entertain me (even if I know what's going to happen next):
Grimm: My wife has an incontrovertible argument on this one: Why would I like this one when I despise Once Upon A Time, a show that came along at the same time? Well, for one, Grimm is more innovative. It involves people, vesen, who have human form but who can morph, or vogue, into fantastic animal forms, usually with bad results for humans. There was an underlying story involving the future of humanity, and some dark force, Black Claw, that was going to take over the world. It was hokey, I suppose, but it was creative. And it was on Friday nights, when nothing else was on. It was recently cancelled, and I'll miss it.
Mantracker: This Canadian show was a hoot. A professional tracker and a local guide who knows the territory track down a pair who have to get to a point some forty kilometers away through the wilderness. Usually set in the Canadian Northwest, the tracker and his guide were on horses, while the prey were on foot. Some of the contestants were incredibly stupid, while others were quite cunning. Some that I would have thought were going to do well didn't, and others surprised me. I think the success rate of pairs making it to the final spot was around twenty percent. I'm not sure how rigged the show was, but I would have loved to have tried it.
Taboo: A new entry, this Tom Hardy show involves a guy who returns from Africa in the early 1800's to claim his inheritance and fight against the East India Company. It has some very racy themes, including slavery, incest and what have you, and the recently concluded first season has me wondering how they have a second season. The sets and the costuming was very interesting, and injection of African mysticism to a plot that already involved the War of 1812 made for an interesting backdrop.
The Amazing Race: I've loved this show from the start. Sure, it has its problems. It always seems to have one token African-American team, a gay child with a parent, and models. The competition itself is boring most seasons, although every once in awhile a good antagonist pops up to make things interesting. But the show highlights places I'll never see, or places that I never thought of seeing that now have an interest for me. And Phil Keoghan is one of the best reality show hosts in the business. His Kiwi accent is never more pronounced than when he says the word spa.
The Outsiders: This improbably show involves a backward clan in the Kentucky hills that's fighting both progress and a coal company. It was recently cancelled, and some of its plot lines were unusual, to say the least, but it was different. Unlike most of the sitcoms and dramas on network television, this show was completely original. Although its underpinnings may have been rooted in Shakespeare (isn't everything?), I found the themes at least novel in their treatment.
Mountain Men: This show focuses on men in Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina and, improbably, Arkansas. It's a subsistence lifestyle that involves trapping, hunting and generally roughing it. My favorites are Tom Oar in Montana and the guy in New Mexico. It's interesting to see how they employ old methods for living. I wish I'd started doing this a long time ago, but I just wasn't exposed. Trying to start now would be suicidal.
The Last Alaskans: In the remote northeast part of Alaska is the Alaskan refuge, a national park. In 1980, the government banned habitation of the preserve, but it grandfathered in those families already living there. Their permits expire upon the death of their last child. These people live a truly subsistence lifestyle, and it's about as accurate a reality show as there can be. It's well done, without any added or conjured drama. I absolutely love this show.
(c) 2017 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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