7 August 1997 Edition
Television: Dramatic interludes
By Michael Kennedy
Why would someone in, say, Ireland, care about the lives of a group of detectives in New York, or some well-paid young lawyers in London? Think carefully now, because if you can answer this, chances are you could make a bucket of money writing episodic television drama.
Anyone can be smug, say they never watch any TV that isn't either news or documentary, but they'd be missing out on what television is all about. Which is entertainment; other people's lives. Other people's lives can command our interest, grip our imaginations, make us pause to reflect, and find an echo in our own.
Of course this can become an obsession, like for the people who pore over each and every move made by film or sports stars. It's obvious that instead of wondering what dress Princess Diana will wear to the next ball, the healthy person should be trying to figure out how to persuade the English people they should chop off her pretty little head with a bread knife and declare a republic.
But in general, there's nothing wrong with a well-made bit of televised diversion after a hard day's rabble-rousing. The trouble is, there's usually nothing decent on.
Two exceptions spring to mind, and as a service to readers, this week's column is devoted to NYPD Blue (Channel 4, Mondays, 10 pm, repeats on RTE) and This Life (BBC 2, Thursdays, 9.25pm).
At first glance, the writers of NYPD Blue have it easy. The series is set in a New York police station, and the characters are part of the force's detective squad. The everyday backdrop to the programme is crime and its motives in the big city. It has greed, stupidity, drug abuse, jealousy, betrayal - and that's just within the squad.
In fact, NYPD Blue grabs the attention because its characters are ordinary people, not superheroes, with ordinary human strengths and weaknesses. Now in its fourth season, the show has won award after award for its gritty, real-life feel, excellent acting and beautiful direction. It is the product of Steven Bochco and his writing partner David Milch, who brought us Hill Street Blues in the 1980s.
Each episode is self-contained, and although there may be references to previous shows, these are explained at the start of the programme. This means that one need not worry about becoming hooked, and being forced to cancel one's social life the way it used to be with Dallas.
In brief, the main characters are: Detective Andy Sipowicz, a recovering alcoholic with a tendency towards bigotry. Underneath his intolerant cop exterior, though, he's a decent person. Detective Bobby Simone, considered the female interest part, a sensitive guy who can't find the right girl. He's having an affair with Detective Diane Russell, who comes from a dysfunctional family and is also an alcoholic. Overseeing the lot is Lieutenant Arthur Fancy, a cool African American who keeps his squad on the rails.
All of this is filmed in a herky-jerky cinema verité style, and accompanied by a great musical score. Check it out, if you haven't already.
Shot in a similar way, this time almost as if half the scenes are done with a camcorder, is This Life, now in its second series with the BBC.
It is not as slick as NYPD Blue, and its subjects, a group of young lawyers starting their careers in London, are not as engaging, but the show isn't far off.
Here too we have the stuff of all great stories: infidelity, betrayal, deceit, lust, covetousness, sloth, and of course lots of cocaine. The young cast are convincing as 20-something professionals just finding out that college doesn't really prepare one for life.
In brief, the main characters are: Millie, an earnest wife winning more success in her career than her partner, Egg, a Manchester United-obsessed happy-go-lucky type of guy who quit his job to be a chef and doesn't know his wife is having an affair with her boss. Anna, a tall Scot with a drug problem and a self-destructive personality who loves Miles, an uptight careerist who dislikes his powerful father and releases his internal tensions through drink. Weaving in and out of all this is Ferdy, a gorgeous motorcycle courier who is confused about his sexuality.
Check it out, too.
Late news: The BBC said this week it is likely to commission another series of This Life for next season.
Why would someone in, say, Ireland, care about the lives of a group of detectives in New York, or some well-paid young lawyers in London? Think carefully now, because if you can answer this, chances are you could make a bucket of money writing episodic television drama.
Anyone can be smug, say they never watch any TV that isn't either news or documentary, but they'd be missing out on what television is all about. Which is entertainment; other people's lives. Other people's lives can command our interest, grip our imaginations, make us pause to reflect, and find an echo in our own.
Of course this can become an obsession, like for the people who pore over each and every move made by film or sports stars. It's obvious that instead of wondering what dress Princess Diana will wear to the next ball, the healthy person should be trying to figure out how to persuade the English people they should chop off her pretty little head with a bread knife and declare a republic.
But in general, there's nothing wrong with a well-made bit of televised diversion after a hard day's rabble-rousing. The trouble is, there's usually nothing decent on.
Two exceptions spring to mind, and as a service to readers, this week's column is devoted to NYPD Blue (Channel 4, Mondays, 10 pm, repeats on RTE) and This Life (BBC 2, Thursdays, 9.25pm).
At first glance, the writers of NYPD Blue have it easy. The series is set in a New York police station, and the characters are part of the force's detective squad. The everyday backdrop to the programme is crime and its motives in the big city. It has greed, stupidity, drug abuse, jealousy, betrayal - and that's just within the squad.
In fact, NYPD Blue grabs the attention because its characters are ordinary people, not superheroes, with ordinary human strengths and weaknesses. Now in its fourth season, the show has won award after award for its gritty, real-life feel, excellent acting and beautiful direction. It is the product of Steven Bochco and his writing partner David Milch, who brought us Hill Street Blues in the 1980s.
Each episode is self-contained, and although there may be references to previous shows, these are explained at the start of the programme. This means that one need not worry about becoming hooked, and being forced to cancel one's social life the way it used to be with Dallas.
In brief, the main characters are: Detective Andy Sipowicz, a recovering alcoholic with a tendency towards bigotry. Underneath his intolerant cop exterior, though, he's a decent person. Detective Bobby Simone, considered the female interest part, a sensitive guy who can't find the right girl. He's having an affair with Detective Diane Russell, who comes from a dysfunctional family and is also an alcoholic. Overseeing the lot is Lieutenant Arthur Fancy, a cool African American who keeps his squad on the rails.
All of this is filmed in a herky-jerky cinema verité style, and accompanied by a great musical score. Check it out, if you haven't already.
Shot in a similar way, this time almost as if half the scenes are done with a camcorder, is This Life, now in its second series with the BBC.
It is not as slick as NYPD Blue, and its subjects, a group of young lawyers starting their careers in London, are not as engaging, but the show isn't far off.
Here too we have the stuff of all great stories: infidelity, betrayal, deceit, lust, covetousness, sloth, and of course lots of cocaine. The young cast are convincing as 20-something professionals just finding out that college doesn't really prepare one for life.
In brief, the main characters are: Millie, an earnest wife winning more success in her career than her partner, Egg, a Manchester United-obsessed happy-go-lucky type of guy who quit his job to be a chef and doesn't know his wife is having an affair with her boss. Anna, a tall Scot with a drug problem and a self-destructive personality who loves Miles, an uptight careerist who dislikes his powerful father and releases his internal tensions through drink. Weaving in and out of all this is Ferdy, a gorgeous motorcycle courier who is confused about his sexuality.
Check it out, too.
Late news: The BBC said this week it is likely to commission another series of This Life for next season.