Post-Seinfeldian Cynicism, Season One
Several weeks ago, I was shopping at the FYE record store in Eastdale Mall.
The clerk on duty saw me browsing the “TV on DVD” section of the store. Several series were on sale at 50% off, so I perused the titles in hopes of finding something the family would enjoy.
I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, and have fond memories of many television shows that aired during those years. For some reason, there are several series whose episodes and dialogue remain seared into my brain, settled alongside trivial knowledge about the pop records of the era.
By the time I’d made it into my twenties, TV programs like SEINFELD had gone a long way toward redefining expectations of a television show. Sitcoms from the 90s onward have had a sarcastic, cynical edge. Not saying that they aren’t funny, but everyone is trying so hard to be irreverent, real hilarity is often uninspired. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but 12 years after the end of SEINFELD, THE BIG BANG THEORY is a pale version of the real thing.
Action shows and dramas have taken a cue from the CSI franchise and become as dark, depressing, and gruesome as network television will allow. And while I enjoy many of the police and medical procedurals on TV today, I wouldn’t necessarily continue watching if a young child entered the living room.
For years, I’ve pined for the days of the variety show. Bring back Sonny and Cher, Carol Burnett, Dean Martin, Tony Orlando & Dawn, and even Lawrence Welk. Those shows – corny as they may have been – found ways to spotlight the famous performers du jour while being entertaining and somewhat wholesome. In other words, those shows had a mass appeal.
So, that day at FYE, I had the 1970s on my mind and searched through the titles. I came across the first seasons of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE and THE DUKES OF HAZZARD at half price – and my shopping trip was nearly complete. Except for the fact that I also spotted season 3 of WONDER WOMAN and picked it up.
Somehow, Lynda Carter’s costume on the cover reminded me of the Campbell’s Chicken and Stars soup my mom used to put in my school lunchbox Thermos.
I was putting WONDER WOMAN back on the shelf, when the FYE clerk approached. “WONDER WOMAN season 3,” she began. “I loved it, too. Those were the days.”
As our conversation got going, we name-dropped every TV show from back in the day. For every LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, she had a DIFF’RENT STROKES. We discussed today’s entertainment, and how superheroes like WONDER WOMAN have been getting the treatment in the movies – as in, last year’s animated, violent, R-rated take on the Amazon princess.
Comic book movies have made the superheroes so multi-layered, they have become predictable. Diana Prince – a.k.a. Wonder Woman – wouldn’t wear brooding uncertainty well, but her uniform sure looks a lot better than Batman’s.
A show like this could only have succeeded in the 1970s, when a celebrity like Lynda Carter could bounce out of her Wonder Woman costume and into a three-ring circus on BATTLE OF THE NETWORK STARS.
And so, I went ahead and bought WONDER WOMAN that day. As the summer ends, we’re watching all the episodes that aired during the 1978-79 season. So far, viewing it with post-Seinfeldian cynicism, it looks cheesy. The effects aren’t too special, the acting is so wooden it’s an insult to trees everywhere, and the plots had moved beyond the World War II-era stories of earlier seasons into a bizarre sci-fi world featuring a disco soundtrack.
But I can’t take my eyes off the show and its peculiar charm. More than just a time capsule, lead actors Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner seem to truly believe in their roles and bring an intensity to even the lamest storylines. Seeing WONDER WOMAN reminds a viewer of a time before TV had to be sarcastic and profane just to get a viewer’s attention. Wonder Woman has commanded mine for over 30 years now just by being herself.
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Finally! After almost a year and a half since Montgomery locals were turned up on Direct. Picture quality is great. ...
You’re so right about the (too) extremely edgy shows of today. My wife LOVES Criminal Minds because she has a background in psychology, but it’s just too gruesome for me to enjoy much. I just don’t find that grittiness to be entertaining.