"can you photoshop your life with better decisions, jerry?"

[falulatonks]

Yes, I'm very busy and important, I just want to say -

NBC just ordered a full season of Outsourced, which means it's not ending in six episodes, which means the slot that we were hoping Parks and Recreation would take in January is full.

NBC, what is your problem. Why did you order a full season of Outsourced. Have you seen any critics liking that show. Why did you order a full season of Parks and Recreation and then not bring it back. Have you seen any critics not liking that show?! I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND YOU RIGHT NOW AND I WANT TO PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE. NBC, I WANT TO PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.

I'm sorry, I'm just really annoyed that the show with my favourite 2009-2010 TV season, which already has seven episodes ready to air, which has people working at NBC and not with the show itself saying S3 is even better than S2, which has writers who have clearly outlined the purposes and ideas behind every storyline and character, which ended the season with genuinely interesting new characters that I want to watch exploring and affecting and being affected by the characters on the show, which is warm and funny and fantastically well-constructed, which has a brilliant/interesting/diverse cast, which is five hundred billion times better than Outsourced, IS NOT COMING BACK. I dealt with it for five months, NBC. I can deal with it until January. I will not stand it any longer. After November, I will have the time to drop everything, take a flight to your offices, and burn them to the ground. (First I will steal all the recorded film from S3, of course. Obviously.)

Oh, guys. Last weekend I ordered the S2 DVD online. I don't order shows on DVD a lot - I have maybe four altogether (which is actually kind of terrible for the amount of TV I watch). Do you realise this is a big deal?

This is maybe a lot of rage directed towards something of disproportionate importance, but I've been studying a lot and mathematical equations are equating themselves to facts about Cold War history right now and the internet is getting annoying and Fringe isn't back until November and I DON'T KNOW WHEN MY FAVOURITE SHOW IS COMING BACK, IF IT'S COMING BACK AT ALL.

There was a sentence here somewhere containing the words "teetering", "melodrama", and "really fucking wrong", but I can't remember what it was, and I think I may have accidentally deleted it. Oops. It's probably for the best; I start using unnecessarily long words (e.g. "disproportionate importance", what does that even mean) when I get angry.

---

In other news, today, one of my friends and I dissected everything that's disturbing and wrong and offensive about Twilight to a friend who genuinely wanted to know. We did this instead of studying for an economics test this afternoon. It was time well-spent.

TV for the next few weeks are as follows: Castle, Cougar Town and/or Modern Family, and Fringe. This is a big improvement.

-- rachu

ETA: Stephen Fry on Language, in kinetic typography. I love this. I love words!

ETA again: To be honest and completely rational, I get why NBC is doing what it's doing. And my problem with Outsourced isn't entirely its handling of racial issues, because they do make an effort to make ignorance not mean, but with good intention. I just don't find it funny. (And I'm feeling irrational now, deal with it.)

Comments

[torigates.livejournal.com]

:((((((((((((((((((

[sonni89.livejournal.com]

I don't have words for how much I disapprove of that. Granted, I've never watched an episode of Outsourced, but I keep seeing trailers for it and it JUST DOESN'T GET ANY LESS OFFENSIVE. Why, NBC? WHYYYY?

I want Parks and Rec back. I don't even care if it's not on Thursday. I just want it baaaack. Preferably with MUCH better ratings, too, but I feel like that's too much to hope/wish for.

[anoel.livejournal.com]

It's all a ratings thing, Outsourced pulled better ratings than Parks & Rec. I hate it but that's all there is to it right now. After Pushing Daisies which devastated me I just became numb to this sort of thing (and it's why I watch the ratings for Glee and Modern Family so closely-don't want to lose them). All I can do now is hope that they will find a way to air the episodes and if not (*sadness*), savor the good stuff we did get.

[moirariordan.livejournal.com]

To be fair, Outsourced is actually very conscientious of the racial issues involved. It's just as hard on white Anglo culture - I would say harder, since they make us all look like unintelligent rednecks (the company in it sells novelty products, like boob lamps and singing fish). Not to mention that since it takes place in India, Americans are othered - not just through the customers on the phones that are like caricatures of Stupid Americans - but through the main guy (he's kind of a dink, he meets this guy Manmeet and immediately makes an off-color joke) and Diedrich Bader's character Charlie, who represents the foil to the main character Todd. Charlie is all about eating American food, by himself, not touching any of that gross Indian crap or letting himself be in the culture at all with this subtle overtone of racism and ethnocentrism, whereas Todd decides to approach his team, try the food, have an open mind, etc. The show makes a pretty obvious moral statement right there, in the pilot episode. Plus I'm all for television with this awesomely adorable and hot lady in it.

That being said, the main character is still a white guy, so. There's also a lot of stereotypes, characterization-wise, but that's true of any show in its beginning stages.

But I still want Parks and Rec too. :(

[hyacinthian.livejournal.com]

Wait, wait, wait, does this mean for sure that P&R is done? Because I will want to cut some bitches. Can they shift it elsewhere?

[cashewdani.livejournal.com]

I have been watching S2 of Parks and Rec again because all the episodes are streaming on Netflix and I can't understand how on earth this show is not airing S3 right now! The way the characters feel like people, and evolve and can change within the context of different relationships is so much more authentic than anything on TV that I can think of, and that's usually the thing I complain is lacking everywhere! For example, it's my biggest complaint about The Office at the moment, because the show has lost most of its heart, and logic, because whatever's funny, as opposed to whatever makes sense for a character.

On Parks and Rec, I like that I can understand who all these people are to one another, and why they're that way. I like that I can laugh with them, and at them, and feel excited about their excitement, and sad about their failures. I like that Leslie broke up with a guy because he wasn't a good fit for her. That she has friends who are women, and can be her friend beyond talking about their boyfriends. That the triangles of April-Ann-Andy and Leslie-Ann-Mark were all dealt with in ways that felt authentic and not melodramatic. And mostly, that even though these people are only co-workers, they are so much more in a way that has been shown and justified time and time again. They have shared things, and we have shared it with them.

Ugh, I'll just be over here, crying in the corner. Don't mind me.

[amyho.livejournal.com]

Okay, I know this is kind of late-ish, but I don't know if you've seen this but basically even though Outsourced was picked up for a full season, Parks & Rec will definitely be added mid-season. To be honest, I don't think there was a chance at all that Parks & Recreation was going to be cancelled. What with Amy's emmy nom and Amy being one of NBC's star actresses, I really don't think it even crossed their minds. However, I do think that they'd prefer to give Community the boot. NBC is all about ratings, and Community really doesn't fare well in that department. And I don't recall if you like it, but really I don't care about Community anymore. The show is just so bland now, and every episode is about the same to me. Yes, I love (almost) all the actors, but the show isn't getting any better. I have personally never watched an episode of Outsourced either, but I really think it does well mostly because America is full of people who like that kind of "humor." Also, with a lead-in from The Office, there is absolutely no way the show wouldn't do better than Community.

So basically my tl;dr reply is saying: I'm going to guess that Community is going to get the axe, but Parks and Rec will be extremely safe and will continue to be for at least another season - especially since 30 Rock is probably going to end soon, as Alec isn't coming back and Tina herself said that she couldn't see the show going on for more than 5 or 6 seasons.