People enjoy complaining about the bland nature of mainstream music. I’m one of those people. But I think it’s unfair to only accuse the music industry of generating mainstream drivel. Television is just as guilty.
Today, there’s one show that continues to push the envelope and maintain its credibility. And that show is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The great thing about It’s Always Sunny is their unique characters. Unsurprisingly, nobody can associate with Dennis, or Charlie, or Frank, sweet Dee and Mac. Why? Because no one knows a Charlie, or wants to know a Frank. Unlike the predictable Pams, the grudging George’s and the comedic Chandler’s, the cast members of It’s Always Sunny are too patriotic, too petty and too indefinable to carry any quality we recognize as commonplace. So, they can act as absurdly as they wish, and get away with it without criticism.
Allow me to compare the television and music industries. Shows such as The Office, House and Lost are comparable to Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol and The Killers, respectively. Each band/show started out avant garde and as sub-cultural phenomena. But, they soon were co-opted into the mainstream, each confined by a cookie-cutter of their own creation. It’s Always Sunny reminds me of the band Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah! Inventive, brusque and unrefined, both bands maintain indie cred (well FX isn’t that indie, but it’s less mainstream than other media giants), and have full control of their finished products. We need more shows like It’s Always Sunny. Fortunately, there's plenty of Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah!s out there.
Extra TV/Music comparisons. 24 is Metallica. The Simpsons are the Rolling Stones. Home Improvement should be Tool, but they’re more Sugar Ray. Compare Tim Allen and Mark McGrath’s lives and material creations, they’re fairly similar.
- Mozart
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