I've been struggling with things to write about for my blog, which is why I keep taking these long breaks in between posts. But tonight, I got me a topic, and I'm going to rant.
Now, understand that I no longer watch TV. Nothing current, anyway, unless it's a documentary about history or farming or something like that. TV shows these days? They're largely garbage. I know, there are people who disagree with me, and that's fine; everyone is entitled to their opinion, even when they're wrong.
My wife and son watch Survivor, which I've never been able to understand. I mean, people act shocked when they get stabbed in the back by someone they trusted. Why is anyone surprised by backstabbing in Survivor? These are people fighting to win a million dollars. I've seen people do worse to each other to get a corner office.
Anyway, tonight they were watching a show called 'Bel-Air.' Here, I'll quote from Wikipedia:
"Bel-Air is an American drama streaming television series developed by Morgan Cooper, Malcolm Spellman, TJ Brady, and Rasheed Newson. It is a reimagined version of the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and is based on Cooper's short fan film of the same name."
Fresh Prince, reimagined into a drama. Again, I don't watch TV, so while I had heard my son talk about the show, I had no clue what it was about. I do remember the sitcom; I wasn't a regular watcher of Fresh Prince back in the day, although I did see it once in a while, and there are some very good episodes that mix drama and comedy very, very well. The show was never really that edgy, certainly not by today's standards, but it touched on important themes, including the importance of family.
As I'm walking through the living room, I catch sight of the scene they're watching. I see a young black man snorting cocaine off a desk and cursing at the other young black man about some girl. Okay...? That's really not appropriate material for my son to be watching, so why is my wife all--THAT WAS CARLTON?!?!?!?!!!!
CARLTON?!
Carlton is a coke-snorting headcase in this version of Fresh Prince?
This Carlton?
What in the actual bloody hell?
Is this what passes for entertainment today? I realize I'm getting older, but that has nothing to do with the fact that this is a horrible concept. And what makes it worse is that Will Smith loves this 'reconceptualization' of his break-out series. I wonder what Alfonso Ribiero (the original Carlton) thinks of what's been done to his character. I can't imagine he's too thrilled that he's become a cliché, and a pretty awful one, at that.
Maybe I'm way off-base here, but when I see this sort of thing, I weep for society. This is pure garbage. I'm picking my words carefully, because I would rather not start using the same words new-Carlton uses. Call me old-fashioned or whatever, but I would much rather see a more wholesome form of entertainment than what I just saw. I'm not going to post a clip of the new show, because it really isn't appropriate for kids. I don't care that it's 'relevant,' or 'updated.' I care that the show's creator, and the star of the original, just took a massive leak on his legacy.
Fresh Prince was a show that showed positive role-models for young people of any race; sure, Carlton was a rich dweeb, but he had a lot of depth. Uncle Phil was a great father, tough and stern when he needed to be with the kids (including Will), but an absolute bear when he was standing up for them. There was a real sense of family in the show, which is what made it a classic.
Reading the Bel-Air episode descriptions on Wikipedia, the pilot episode manages to include drug dealers, guns, racism, drug use, innuendo and fighting. And I'll bet no one was laughing. And this is what passes for entertainment today?
Maybe I'm just yelling at kids to get off my lawn, but this is what our 'entertainment' has ben reduced to. And I want nothing to do with it. I'll stick to the classics, the shows with a positive message, the stuff that is actually entertaining. In the meantime, I'll keep the cable cut and the networks off.
