TV Review: Sex & the City

In preparation for the impending release of the money-spinning sequel to Sex and the City: The Movie, it seems an appropriate time to cast an eye over the series that spawned it. While firmly rooted in the sitcom genre, Sex and the City often delves into issues that aren’t representative of traditional comedy fodder. This is commendable, but the overriding problem with the show isn’t its subject matter, it is its appalling representation of modern day career women. I find the championing of SATC by Western feminists quite perverse; endless loveless sex, rowdy behavior and ambition that never really extends beyond the acquisition of the latest pair of Manolo Blahniks has influenced an entire generation of women; women who believe that the foursome in SATC actually represent liberalization for the female gender.

However, in an effort to not be known as a total buzzkill, it is worth noting what Sex and the City has going for it. Firstly, the four characters are carefully drawn and the reason for their success is that any girl can see certain traits in friends they have or people they know. Indeed, being able to relate to the characters is probably the primary concern for many viewers. Secondly, some of the more sexual complications make for very good comedy and the explicit nature of the dialogue helps to draw these issues to the viewer’s attention. Thirdly, there is a real poignant sense throughout the series that none of the foursome is really truly happy; this makes them more realistic and somewhat flawed and misguided by their own rampant materialism.

What is truly disturbing is that young women grow up now believing that the example shown to them in SATC is the way of the world and the normal way to act. A girl who spreads her legs with a different man every week is no shining light for gender equality. Sure, fans of SATC will argue that it is different because the woman holds all the power, but it isn’t; if the man gets sex when he wants it then he wins. The shunning and belittling of traditional values in favor of sexual promiscuity and consumerism hardly amounts to liberalization and progression for the female gender.

Despite the unhealthy empowerment derived by consumerism that unites the quartet of characters, their interaction is the principal reason for their popularity with viewers. There is a sense of chemistry and personality about each of them, no matter how contrived their individual traits may be. As entertainment not taken too seriously, Sex & the City certainly has its fanbase out there. But as satire and social commentary, much like the shallow designer-obsessed stars of the show, there isn’t much beneath the surface.

TV Review: Gavin & Stacey

This rather ordinary sitcom would not have garnered the acclaim and award recognition that it has were the British comedy landscape not so bereft of exciting scenery at present. G & S is popular because it is about ‘everyday people’ and it is ‘warm’ and ‘cosy’. ‘Funny’ is never the word that anyone will use above all to try and convince you that Gavin & Stacey is actually worth watching. This show is not understated and brilliant; it is a comedy with no comedy and represents little more than a syrupy cuddle on the sofa.

That’s not to say that a warm and fuzzy sitcom is a bad thing; in an age where most comedy shows are engineered to shock and offend or make the viewer squirm with embarrassment, a show with a more wholesome and traditional flavor is actually quite refreshing. However, light-hearted entertainment though it may be, Gavin & Stacey is actually too nice and bland to be funny. It is more in the ‘mildly amusing’ camp, which, again, isn’t necessarily something negative.

For those who don’t know, the groundbreaking premise is that Gavin and his family are from Essex (and are stereotypical and therefore hilarious) and Stacey is from Wales (so her family are stereotypical and therefore hilarious). Gavin and Stacey become a couple in a boy meets girl comedy that is unfortunately as pedestrian as it sounds. There is fun to be had in the vaguely diverting nothing-else-on sort of way, but nothing remotely imaginative enough to evoke any real excitement.

The greatest disappointment is that the comedy is so sub-par. Jokes are so badly telegraphed (as is the case in most current BBC sitcoms) and any other humor is generic, insipid, predictable and downright lame. One wonders how mediocre a show has to be in order to not get huge ratings and win awards in the UK. Some of the US comedies are in a different stratosphere to shows like this; NBC’s worldwide smash hit Friends had its share of treacle moments and spent a lot of time in the romantic comedy genre but it was funny in a way that Gavin & Stacey can never even hope to be.

In essence, Gavin & Stacey is a show about middle of the road people, living middle of the road lives and is aimed squarely at middle of the road Britain. It has an endearing charm that has enabled it to tug at the heartstrings of an awful lot of people, and that is a very good thing indeed. It is undeniable that Gavin & Stacey has the charm all of its own. But perhaps that shouldn’t be enough; there are numerous shows that do this sort of comedy better.

GRADE: B-