Change Your Image
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Reviews
The Millionaire Matchmaker (2008)
Five years long
When I first experienced a few episodes of this I didn't know it had been on the air this long.Just the title gave a bad first impression, emphasizing a person's wealth in finding love. Not my kind of show--more like being along for the ride. Like many shows which doesn't interest me I didn't knock it cause other people might like it, right? There's a whole lot of negative reviews some of which doesn't seem to get it. Some asks how this offensive presentation made it to air? One reviewer was spot on in appreciating the entertainment aspect of it. Five years on the air because enough people are watching. What determines a show's success more than substance? Ratings!
The Girls Next Door (2005)
the show which made Hugh Hefner uncool
Seeing is believing. When this show came along, I watched it as light material, nothing to be taken too seriously. Apparently one of them did take it serious, Bridget, talking about marriage to Hefner while he was also with Holly and Kendra. This show was billed as reality TV, and yes it's real, real in making the phoniness obvious of how an elderly man can be in a relationship with 3 women young enough to be his granddaughters. That's a scenario which rarely exist in the real world outside of the Playboy Mansion. Hef is old and no longer the pioneering founder that he was. He's now a creepy senior citizen who should date women near his age instead of contributing to the yuck factor.
Loverboy (1989)
a side order of "loverboy"
Right now it feels like it would have been a high risk bet that Patrick Dempsey's career wouldn't survived the 1980s. It did. Carrie Fisher, Robert Picardo, Dylan Walsh and Kirstie Alley have done well for themselves too. Kate Jackson stars as Dempsey's mom, Diane Bodek. Randy Bodek (Dempsey) is the "Loverboy" in this doped up teen comedy which isn't bad for what it is. Randy works at Senor Pizza but wants to make more money to impress his girlfriend, Jenny (Nancy Halen). He scores older women to make extra cash on the side. Comically, he services women like Dr. Joyce Palmer (Alley), Monica (Fisher), and Kyoko (Kim Miyori). Randy's newfound popularity is the talk of the town, and people start to look into it with ensuing hilarity. Only in a comedy could a dude realistically justify whoring himself out for his girlfriend's benefit.
Hype (2000)
not enough "hype" to last
"Hey, remember that SNL/Mad TV show-type on the WB a couple years back?" If somebody asked this the answer's obvious. "Hype" is remembered by few and never lasted long enough to make a big impression. The first impression it made on me was from a skit aggressively mocking celebrities, and how off-putting it was. "Hype" used the sketch comedy format to ridicule what is overexposed and inane when it comes to fame. At the same time many of the performers probably aspired to similar name recognition of those they lampooned--and failed at it. Out of all the names in the credits there's only one recognizable name and that's comedian Frank Caliendo, and I hadn't known he was on this show.
7th Heaven (1996)
Only those with a lot of patience need apply
"7th Heaven" came about not long after the WB network launched. There are good parts to it while I only lasted 2 seasons or 3 then had enough. The Camden family are an idyllic bunch who manage to solve every problem in an episode or the one after. There's a line between ethical and uptight and this family is the latter. I had enough of the heavy lecturing. I don't remember if I watched when a whole show made a big deal about one of the daughters (Mary) smoking! Like the world was going to end or something. That could have been one of many reasons Jessica Biel rebelled against her Mary Camden character off-screen by taking racy magazine pictures (Gear), then eventually left. Now Biel is the only former cast member still heard about.
Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? (2000)
a morning after
Never watched this show when it aired, having thought something like, "There goes FOX again with the edgy route". Remember that in 1999 "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" came to the US and was a big hit at first for ABC. FOX decided to do its own spin, and it's doubtful the big wigs who approved the show took it seriously. As if they wanted to make a quick splash with 2 hours of tacky TV. What made "Who Wants To Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" fun was the additional controversies it generated after it aired. Was the "husband" Rick Rockwell really a multi-millionaire? What about those past criminal complaints against him? Didn't the producers of the show research this stuff? What does it say about these women who were going to marry a stranger on his perceived wealth alone? And to do on it on a TV show too. Some of the "brides" acknowledged they did the show for the trip and experience. Darva Conger became the "wife" and repeatedly distanced herself from the show like it was the morning after a bad hook up. Show deserves high marks for the entertainment value it provided.
Operation Repo (2007)
This is what happened to Court TV
Around the same time Court TV became TruTV, this show came about. If it's not broke don't fix it. My only guess is that if Court TV was a success they wouldn't have changed it. The name TruTV is a wink-and-nod that "true" stories don't matter anymore as much as entertainment. At the start of every episode, the viewers are informed that the events are inspired by real events with some names changes. IMDb has this show in the category of "Fictional Reality TV", a genre I hadn't known of before. Unlike regular sitcoms or dramas the expectations are different. It gets the lowest number possible because I don't enjoy these kind of reenactments.
Night Stand (1995)
lost treasure
Strange enough, this edgy show came around the same time when there was a move to clean up "trash television," which lead a few talk shows getting canceled. "Night Stand" was a comedy mocking scandalous talk shows of the day: Charles Perez, Geraldo, Jerry Springer, Richard Bey, Rikki Lake, and the like. Timothy Stack's alter ego Dick Dietrick is a likable jerk who embraces sleaziness.
Originally airing in first-run syndication, "Night Stand" never lasted long. It did get a slot on on the cable channel E!, which is also known for its edginess. But then it disappeared from television permanently......