The Netflix sleeve for Season 1, Disc 1 of Weeds claims that the show is "hilarious and poignant." Having watched the first episode, Julia agrees with poignant but I think they're wrong on both counts. (That said, I think I'm more willing than she is to keep watching.)
I've never seen Desperate Housewives but my wild guess is that Weeds has a similar feel (with slightly racier subject matter).
One general premise behind this whole category of entertainment is that suburbia breeds vapidity and ennui. Seems plausible to me, but whether it's actually interesting is another matter. I'm not sure whether we're supposed to identify, to empathize, or to pointedly do neither.
(There's always a "protest too much" element when someone claims that potentially controversial material is boring. But I'm libertarian enough to sympathize with your friendly neighborhood drug dealer, be it a newly single mother, an awkward gay teenager, or whoever we become acquainted with when we finally get to The Wire.)
Posted by Matt Bruce at December 29, 2007 02:10 PM