THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
THE BLEAK ECONOMY
Escape From It or Plunge In
The economy is horrible and getting worse. Thousands of people are losing their jobs, their homes, their savings and their optimism.
It’s all too much. There are two ways to handle the grim news, as far as I can tell. Escape from it with a bit of fun, or become better educated about the economy, to figure out how to make it through this recession.
On TV tonight, both options are available. On the fun side, there are shows like the new season premiere of CBS’s Survivor and Adult Swim’s ridiculously funny new series Delocated!
On the more serious side, CNBC has House of Cards, an informative special that nobly leans on the side of being better informed.
Tonight, for me, it’s all about escapism, which brings me back to Delocated!
The scripted comedy is a mash-up of reality show subgenres. There’s the Real World-type premise, where a family in the witness-protection program is relocated to New York City.
Then there’s every VH1 reality show, where semi-celebrities have emotional meltdowns and shoo away the cameraman, who, in a gem of a moment on tonight’s Delocated!, zooms in.
For good measure, there are dating-show-type segments. And actor Paul Rudd’s murder (by the Russian mafia) is fodder for another emotional meltdown.
Jon Glaser, a writer whose credits include The Daily Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, stars as Jon. He, his wife and son wear ski masks – the government’s best attempt at concealing their identities – and have had their voices altered by implanted chips.
The show is completely over the top and silly. But it’s the delivery by Glaser and the other actors where you find the magic in Delocated! – it’s subtle and anything but subtle, all at once.
Delocated! premieres tonight on Adult Swim at 10:30pm et/pt. House of Cards on CNBC and Survivor on CBS both air at 8pm et/pt.
