FX: Gritty TV for a Gritty Economy
Last night while finally getting around to catching my Tivo'd premier of Sons of Anarchy on FX I pulled the usual half attention to the screen half attention to smartphone. YouTube videos and checking Twitter on my Samsung Exibit 4g Android phone during commercials are the norm in my household. Adapt or die! While sedating myself with cable news networks and cartoons, I noticed that Sons of Anarchy was a trending topic on Twitter. After pulling a 14 month stint in a California federal prison, several plots began to come together.
One thing I noticed while going over Twitter responses to the premier was that just as many men as women were partaking in the discussion. Instead of going to the broadcast networks for feel good sitcoms and dramas with happy endings; more people from a broad range of demographics are turning to cable stations like FX and the premium networks to get a dose of reality injected into their entertainment.
With the country in tough economic turmoil and catastrophes looming around every corner; watching the normal fare offered for the masses is becoming more passe and cable networks are cashing in on the need for edgier commentary on the absurdities and subtleties of society. Here are a couple of shows on FX which take charge and expose American life from different angles than we've seen before on television.
One of the toughest parts of watching the economic downturn is seeing the upswing of corporate culture. Jobs are being cut in this country at a staggering rate and wages remain stagnant. The small business community is being cut out of the economic equation and it seems like there is no way to stop it. The members of Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original, take control of small town Charming, CA back into their own hands while starting an illegal arms trading and assembling business.
After the tragedy of 9/11, most people around the country didn't know how to piece anything together. The men and women of the New York Fire Department had no option to mend the city back to place. The characters in Rescue Me showcase how the people we see as invincible heroes can often have shaky personal lives and hidden demons of their own.
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