Thursday, September 22, 2005

TV Update Four

"Much like rock 'n' roll, school shootings were invented by blacks and then stolen by the white man."


Good news! Finally, a new sitcom of the season that I actually think is funny! "Everybody Hates Chris" definitely made me laugh more than the premieres of either "How I Met Your Mother" or "Twins," and may have made me laugh more than both of them combined. You know the laugh of delight because a line has actually surprised you? It's rare in television, isn't it? I know it is for me...but that's what I was doing.

It's more than just reheated pieces of Rock's stand-up act, though there was a little of that: Anyone familiar with his HBO specials knew what was gonna happen to "the big piece of chicken."

What I didn't know was what the reaction of Rock's dad, played by Terry Crews, would be to spilt milk. Let's just say he didn't cry over it...

"That's 49 cent of spilled milk dripping all over my table...somebody's gonna drink that!"


The series has the sharp hilarity that is Rock's trademark as a standup but also, lord forgive me for using these words but it's true, a warm family feel. And from my POV it certainly doesn't hurt that the show is set in 1982, meaning it's scored with a lot of great hip-hop, rock and soul classics from back in the day, including Run DMC, Stevie Wonder and Hall & Oates.

Comparisons to "The Cosby Show" are obvious enough to be tedious, but the show deserves it for reasons that are more than (forgive me) skin deep: Both benefit by drawing on the life of a great entertainer with a smart, funny mind. And that's to be hailed no matter what color you are.

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