Episode 417

There are certain shows that I'm willing to give a second chance. Friday Night Lights was one of them. I tried to get through the first twenty minutes of the first episode and just couldn't do it. But something about it (perhaps the berating from my FNL-fanatic friend) encouraged me to try again, and am I glad I did. Certain shows have so much to offer and they just can't pack that all in to a pilot, so you have to have faith and see what happens.

This past week, I decided to give a second chance to The Marriage Ref. Having watched the premiere after the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, I wasn't sure how I felt: the panel of celebrities (Alec Baldwin in particular) were, not surprisingly, hilarious. Even the clips of the crazy couples who subject themselves to national scrutiny were laugh- (or at least gasp-) out-loud funny. But something about it -- and it is easy to see that that something is the host, Tom Papa -- was so incredibly grating that I wrote it off. But, when its second episode aired, I decided to give it a second shot. How can Tina Fey and Jerry Seinfeld be not funny? Well, I can't answer that, because the second time around, I only made it about 45 seconds in. I couldn't listen to one more second of Tom Papa's scripted unhilarity and so I turned it off, and just to rub salt in the wound, I deleted the recording. No turning back.

This grating terribleness might remind you of another show that I can't tolerate for more than a few accidentally-flipping-past-ABC-Family moments: Gilmore Girls. And now my least favorite show is back in the form of the new dramedy, Parenthood. Given that Parenthood is based on one of the greatest movies of all time, and that it has the same producer/writers as FNL, I was inclined to watch; but after just minutes, I was so irritated by the Gilmore Girls mom (who plays the exact same character with the exact same tiresome banter) that I had to turn it off. I haven't deleted the recording yet, but I just can't bring myself to give it a second chance. The second episode airs tomorrow, so anyone with an opinion has 24 hours to convince me to try again. Something tells me, though, that no one cares. And that, I think, is opinion enough.