Two incredible new shows are making my doldroms of summer TV a bit more enjoyable. And both are pretty retro in flavor.
Maybe that's why I dig them so much.
The first, "Mad Men," is an AMC drama original drama set and produced in the Big Apple. Created by "The Sopranos" writer and executive producer Matthew Weiner, it's set in 1960 at the fictional Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency on Madison Avenue (hence the title) and centers on a high-level advertising executive and the people in his life in and out of the office.
Interestingly, it also depicts some of the social mores of late 1950s America that were soon to change. It debuted on July 19, 2007, and was given an initial production of 13 episodes. After the airing of the pilot, the series received critical praise for its historical accuracy and visual style.
Frankly, it's weird seeing a show like this on modern TV. Many of the questionable aspects of "Mad Men" were accepted facets of society in the late 1950s and early 1960s (the pilot takes place in March 1960), include smoking, drinking (alcoholic beverages), extreme sexism, and racial bias.
Smoking, which was more common circa 1960, is featured throughout the series. Everyone lights up. Even pregnant women! In the pilot, representatives of Lucky Strike cigarettes come to Sterling Cooper looking for a new advertising campaign in the wake of a Reader's Digest report that smoking will lead to various health issues including lung cancer. It was not uncommon for businessmen, like advertising executives, to have large quantities of alcohol on a daily basis; sometimes, food breaks in the office were referred to as the three martini lunch.
It's retro all the way, baby! Enjoy the trailer.
The second best show of the summer is "The Bronx Is Burning," another scripted drama which premiered on ESPN on July 9, 2007. It is an eight-episode mini-series adapted from Jonathan Mahler's best-selling book, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning."
It centers on baseball's triumph over the turmoil and hysteria of 1977 New York City, and how the New York Yankees came to embody all of the hopes and fears of an unforgettable summer with Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson's warfare under George Steinbrenner's leadership. Throw in the mania surrounding the "Son of Sam" serial killer, infamous blackout and the mayoral race and you have one fine, fine show.
And the cast is killer... It stars John Turturro as Billy Martin, Oliver Platt and George Steinbrenner and Daniel Sunjata as theone and only reggie Jackson.
The series marks the 30th anniversary of the 1977 World Series win for the Yankees, the first under Steinbrenner.
After airing on ESPN, the episodes can be seen on ABC on Demand.
Some trivia: The title refers to an off-the-cuff comment by broadcaster Howard Cosell during the ABC telecast of Game Two of the 1977 World Series:
"As night descended, ABC, broadcasting the game, cut to a helicopter camera for an overhead view of Yankee Stadium and the surrounding neighborhood, where, bizarrely, a large fire raged out of control. Howard Cosell intoned, 'There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning."
Enjoy the preview...
0 comments:
Post a Comment