cannabisnews.com: Weeds Could Make Showtime Must-Pay-for Television





Weeds Could Make Showtime Must-Pay-for Television
Posted by CN Staff on August 11, 2006 at 07:01:36 PT
By Tim Goodman
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
USA -- Not only is "Weeds" the best series on "Showtime" -- run out immediately and get the first-season DVD, and do not delay in that quest -- but it's also one of the best shows on television, end of story. Ah, but when you're dealing with Showtime, that can never be good enough. People want to speculate on whether "Weeds" will bust the pay cable channel into the must-buy arena now dominated by HBO. Many people who are paid to ponder these issues also like to wonder aloud whether "Weeds" is the series that will open the door for more great series, writers and actors to flood into the Showtime family, thus making it particularly hard on working families with good taste to meet their monthly cable nut.
The answer is, don't worry about it. Greatness will out, and when that doesn't work as it relates to the business end of television, there's always the DVD. Let's not overly concern ourselves with how "Weeds" helps Showtime and let's certainly not compare it to "The Sopranos." Expectations are a bitch, and it's hard enough to live up to the relentless praise of critics, much less be the series that turns Avis into Hertz in the pay cable universe. Besides, that only detracts from speaking to the merits of television's best pot comedy -- and they are many. First, it's important not to think of "Weeds" as a comedy (some might say dramedy) about marijuana and, specifically, a suburban widow who turns to dealing to maintain her lifestyle. That's merely the jumping-off point, the neat trick that sets up a series with a much bigger, less easily categorized agenda. Showtime makes the pot jokes and allusions go very, very far, but it's debatable whether the series wouldn't reach a wider audience by an ad campaign that separates the smoke from the substance. In that regard, it's easy to think, having never seen the series, that "Weeds" uses marijuana as a crutch to hipness and too-easy descriptions of suburban life and a less-than-upstanding existence. Note: Weeds: Comedy. 10 p.m. Mondays, Showtime. Complete Title: Greatness of 'Weeds' Could Make Showtime Must-Pay-for Television Snipped:Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/gvvabSource: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)Author: Tim GoodmanPublished: Friday, August 11, 2006Copyright: 2006 Hearst Communications Inc.Contact: letters sfchronicle.comWebsite: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/Related Articles & Web Sites:Showtime's Weedshttp://www.sho.com/site/weeds/Weeds Musichttp://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.doWeeds on MySpace.comhttp://www.myspace.com/weedsonshowtime 'Weeds' Grows Into One of TV's Best Shows http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22054.shtmlFirst Puff of 'Weeds' Now Available on DVD http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21986.shtml
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Comment #20 posted by Dankhank on August 13, 2006 at 12:08:56 PT
a vehicle for change ...
"Weeds" is activism of a sort, there are so many ways to educate the masses, this is one.Lemonboy,congrats for finding the nicest bunch of Cannabis activists on the net. I empathise with you, I too, have felt an instant instinctive dislike for some things that many liked and had to put them out of my mind. When I arrived at one site years ago I alienated many on the Bboard with the force of my dislike.  I read reviews of many things and try always to keep in mind that I have my own mind. In spite of the subject matter, many reviewers like "Weeds." That pleases me.My spouse and I and our 12-year-old grandaughter like "Dead Like Me" very much. It is witty, perceptive and fun to watch. We are as excited about DLM as we are re: Weeds.What are your thoughts about the new "Battlestar Galactica" on SciFi? We really like that show, too, though, I will concede that a episode or too was weak.Anyhow, welcome to CNews 
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Comment #19 posted by whig on August 12, 2006 at 21:28:27 PT
lemonboy
I wouldn't like to call you hysterical but you are really too concerned with the purpose of things. We don't always know what the purpose of things is until later, if at all. What we can do in the meantime is enjoy them if possible, or avoid them if we don't. Sorry if that sounds too abstract to you, but it really is that way.People become heroes without intending to. People become victims, too. We can try to avoid being victims and not worry about being heroes.
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Comment #18 posted by lemonboy on August 12, 2006 at 20:26:01 PT
I mean there is so much crap on TV, who cares?
"The reason is because how some of us are actually changing things here, there and everywhere is by building up community between ourselves, by having friendships with people and shared experiences and things like music and, yes, television can help to knit us together when we are far apart."See now I'm confused. Is this show an effective activism tool that will convince me to smoke pot for the price of an upgrade to my cable bill (as all these articles have implied) or a simple stonerism I watch when I'm getting baked? "Not only is 'Weeds' the best series on 'Showtime'..." REALLY? Can I not like the mom on their new show, Brotherhood, instead? I mean she smokes pot in the bathroom and has two more kids than Nancy does. Doesn't that count for anything?If it's just a series, it's fine. I mean there is so much crap on TV who really cares? I accept it as simple TV because that is what it is. For all of these reporters to paint it as some grandiose act of activism is insulting to me though, because compared to actual television the series is a mess.Where is the argument that the series is an effective vehicle for prohibition? A premium show about an illegal subject in an effort to make money for an otherwise legal corporation. Are we kidding ourselves or am I just hysterical?
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Comment #17 posted by ekim on August 12, 2006 at 19:56:24 PT
see how the protest is writen up here--good one
http://daregeneration.blogspot.com/
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Comment #16 posted by whig on August 12, 2006 at 19:41:59 PT
lemonboy
If you are sincerely asking, and according to your own stated rule I suppose you must be, why do we rally around shows and activism which in themselves seem so small and inconsequential in changing things?The reason is because how some of us are actually changing things here, there and everywhere is by building up community between ourselves, by having friendships with people and shared experiences and things like music and, yes, television can help to knit us together when we are far apart.Like I said, if you don't actually like the show, you shouldn't feel any need to watch it. Tell me what do you like to do?
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on August 12, 2006 at 19:40:38 PT
lemonboy
Hello. I didn't see your comment until now. I like Weeds because it is entertaining. There is definitely some of the series that I could do without but all in all it is good. They make good points sometimes too. I don't think of it as activism just a series I think is mostly funny.
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Comment #14 posted by ekim on August 12, 2006 at 19:29:20 PT
hello lemonboy
thank you for your posting and time.
please join us in trying to tell this sorted story.
 if you have any ideas eyes here would like to see them.
you sound as if you have strong feelings of how you would like to see someone portrayed, the people need to see all matter of portarayls. 
give us a short peice of how you would write a script.see you mike
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Comment #13 posted by lemonboy on August 12, 2006 at 19:02:27 PT:
All exposure is bad exposure?
The idea that you would take my comments personally, as I doubt anyone would call another person a "troll" without some sort of strong emotional response, is exactly why I react the way I do.Our community tends to glorify even the most pathetic of activism for activism's sake. It simply isn't a good show that simply isn't very entertaining when you stack it against the rest of commercial-free TV. If this opinion, and the resulting time it took me to compose my post, makes me a "troll" then so be it.As Bill Maher might say, new rule: People shouldn't ask for responses if they don't really want them.
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Comment #12 posted by whig on August 12, 2006 at 15:37:37 PT
lemonboy
Why so negative? If you don't like the show don't watch it. I could understand if you thought the show was saying something you disagreed with, but it seems like you're saying you just don't particularly care for it, while putting energy into being dismissive of the program. Are you trolling or what?
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Comment #11 posted by lemonboy on August 12, 2006 at 15:33:35 PT:
Are we watching the same show?
"Expectations are a bitch" well that's for damn sure. Especially when you're talking about someone like Mary Louise Parker who is practically drowning in her role as Nancy Botwin, the always ignorant pot-dealing mom in some posh California neighborhood. I find the show mostly horrible. The acting is bad, especially in the first several episodes, and the plot is rather non-existent. They simply don't understand most of what they are talking about and it comes across to an aware viewer almost instantly. Test it yourself.Yeah it's cool that there is a "premium" show about the "reality" of pot distribution on cable. The actual quality of the show and the "raving" reviews I've read seem a bit out of touch however. I have to wonder if we are watching the same show.Despite what your 4th grade drama teacher told you, all exposure is NOT good exposure. Go spend your cash on DVDs of both seasons of Showtime's Dead Like Me if you're interested in entertainment. If instead you're interested in poorly-written cable "activism" that you and only those like you will gladly pay $12 a month for, subscribe to Showtime for the next couple of months. Do this especially if you actually live in California, smoke pot, and own a TiVo. Burning Man attendance and 6-figure income optional.For those unconverted, the entire first season can currently be found on Usenet. Enjoy, or don't.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on August 11, 2006 at 14:06:33 PT
Dankhank
I think that's why I just watch the Discovery Channel and related channels. Once a person burns out on something it's hard to get back into it again. 
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Comment #9 posted by Dankhank on August 11, 2006 at 13:54:25 PT
sorry that happened ...
but, much like a kid's desire to work at a candy factory fails to consider what proximity to an endless supply of his favorite candy will do to his desire to consume it, you were similarly affected, re: movies.Most movies suck ... will always suck ... and clutter up the landscape for those trying to find quality products.We're not burned out because we refuse to watch just anything, sometimes regret our decision to watch a particular movie and continue to search out quality product.Frequently we still find that there is nothing interesting on and read a book or play games with the grandkids.With all the streaming media online these days, we have another source for quality programming ...http://www.homestarrunner.com/http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail.html
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on August 11, 2006 at 12:43:22 PT
Dankhank
We are different but different is good. Different makes us learn. It gives the option of deciding what is important to us as an individual. I don't like movie channels because we had a video store. I had to watch trailers when I got home from work. Like homework. I watched movies that I just didn't like but I had to to see if I had to buy it for the people who visited our store. I had to step outside my feelings and think of everyone. We refused to put any snuff films like the Faces of Death or X rated in the store. We lost money over that decision but when a young child was in the store they could go to the childrens room we made and it had books, a little sliding board and a whole room of fun things for kids.I don't like movies anymore. I burnt out.
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Comment #7 posted by Dankhank on August 11, 2006 at 12:20:59 PT
showtime
I understand ...Here in the Dankhank household, we had NO networks for almost eight years. No ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX, UPN, WB.We opted out of the madness and went to satellite back in 98 or so ... Nothing worth watching on the networks.So we had to "suffer" for years watching HBO, SHO, later STARZ, and all the other movie channels, dodging all the trash among that bunch ... TBS, E, use your imagination.SHO used to have "SciFriday," which eventually ended up on SciFi channel."Huff" is a show about a psychiatrist, his quirky family, his emotionally/mentally-challenged brother, his alcoholic mother, his quirky patients, his coke-freak lawyer buddy, and the amazing things they get into. Two or three shows were about Huff's search for meaning via MDMA, a theraputic compound that made it to the streets and got a bad rep. He was introduced to the idea by a very fine doctor played by Angelica Huston, who supervised the session and ended up tokin' a couple of doobies with Huff, later.The drug Huff wrestles with is Nicotine.This show is a Psychiatry-soap, much as "Weeds" is a Cannabis-soap.anyone who hasn't seen season 1 of Weeds will be handicapped getting all the message of season 2.Huff is the same way ...Dead Like Me is the same way.All three shows offer observations on life from very different perspectives ... the kind of stuff we like like 'round here ...CNews allows us to see that many here, and everywhere, have different sensibilities, but can gather, and share.Viva Le Difference ...Viva SHO
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 11, 2006 at 10:23:25 PT
Dankhank
I tried to watch Huff but it seemed to be about drugs so I didn't watch it. I don't like movies about drugs. I never have. I am strictly interested in Cannabis.  I never saw Dead Like Me. We will cancel Showtime after the second season of Weeds is over. We've kept it since last year but we just don't watch it so it won't be worth keeping we decided. 
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Comment #5 posted by Dankhank on August 11, 2006 at 09:52:07 PT
must see tv?
This writer hasn't seen "Huff???"This writer hasn't seen "Dead Like Me?"In truth I think showtime blinked and "Dead Like Me" first season is now showing on SciFi. I think SciFi has it now ...Showtime has been must have TV for years now, at least in this house.Where's this writer been?
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on August 11, 2006 at 07:55:39 PT
FoM
Back at ya! Gotta run. I'll check in tonight.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 11, 2006 at 07:28:11 PT
afterburner
Now you've got mail.
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Comment #2 posted by afterburner on August 11, 2006 at 07:25:41 PT
FoM
You have mail: is Saturday OK with you instead of Friday?
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 11, 2006 at 07:10:22 PT
New Song from Weeds
Fuck Was IPerformed by: Jenny Owens Younghttp://www.myspace.com/jennyowenyoungshttp://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.do
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