If you know anything about comedienne Kathy Griffin, you know
that her reality series,
”
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,
”
was one of the brightest offerings on Bravo when it debuted last
year.
If you know anything about comedienne Kathy Griffin, you know that her reality series, “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” was one of the brightest offerings on Bravo when it debuted last year. The series, which chronicles the comic’s quest for A-list status, won ratings and gave birth to a bevy of blogs. It premieres at 9pm June 6 on Bravo.
True, Griffin’s unabashed humor may be an acquired taste-think post-modern John Rivers – without that angry edge – but one thing the wannabe über celeb has going for her is how well she is able to shamelessly milk her non-celebrityhood without being overly annoying. This must have something to do with Griffin’s every-woman persona – that, and her devilish wit. Together, the two make a winning combo.
Griffin’s freshman season contained just the right amount of balance between the absurd and the heartfelt as viewers appeared to be seeing the “real” Kathy operating in and around the showbiz world with a posse that featured a hubby on the verge of gastric bypass surgery and two L.A. “gays.” I say “appeared” because in the cluttered wasteland of reality TV, you never know what you’re going to get. Everything seems fabricated (“The Anna Nicole Show,” “Chasing Farrah,” “Growing Up Gotti,” “My Fair Brady,” et al). Fortunately, viewers already know that Griffin is a reality TV fan. The woman will resort to almost anything for a laugh.
“I’m a purist,” Griffin said before the launch of last season. “I love my reality (TV). I watch them all. I watched ‘The Gastineau Girls.’ How many people can say that? I watched ‘Chasing Farrah’ until they found her and they caught her. That’s how much I watched. Turns out she was just a crazy old drunk. That was the denouement of ‘Chasing Farrah,’ by the way.”
Curiously, this season begins before it “begins.” Bravo’s publicity campaign to help get Griffin off the D-List – once and for all – has generated online buzz (see www.offthedlist.com). Basically, viewers offer suggestions for Griffin to improve her celebrity status.
So far, the comic has agreed to try and accomplish one of four challenges. With more than 100,000 votes tabulated so far, the breakdown looks like this: 18 percent of Americans have asked that Kathy join Scientology; 21 percent have requested that she adopt a baby in Namibia; 22 percent believe that giving Ryan Seacrest a mani/pedi would get her off the D-list.
The overwhelming majority, though – 38 percent – want Kathy and Dame Judi Dench to spend some meaningful time together and release a sex tape.
How can you not tune in for that?
BACK TO USA
Ever notice that more and more television shows lately have been resorting to “recap” episodes? It began last year with “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost.” While the latter deserved an occasional breakdown of its mysterious plotlines, some shows, like “Housewives,” have been over-using the concept. (And don’t me get started on how ill-conceived the season finale of that show actually was.)
Let’s face it, when a network has to add an additional episode to explain everything that is going on, maybe what’s going on isn’t being effectively executed. That’s not entirely the case with USA’s “The 4400 Special: Unlocking the Secrets” (9pm June 3), which hopes to bring audiences up to date before the show dives into its third season June 11. “The 4400,” which chronicles the reappearance of 4,400 people previously reported missing or dead, was a limited-run series back in 2004. It nabbed mondo ratings, and the producers immediately created a regular series around it. So far, the show has managed to successfully balance its intricate story arcs.
Watch out for newcomer Megalyn Echikunwoke (“That ’70s Show,” “Supernatural”) this season, who joins the cast as the newly grown-up Isabelle. Shows like “The 4400” and “Lost,” which rely on drawn-out, often mesmerizing plotlines, are worthy of recaps. But you know you’re swimming through nasty, uncreative water when you find a “My Name is Earl” recap airing on NBC. (Relax, it isn’t scheduled – yet.)
Greg Archer is an entertainment writer based on the Central Coast. He writes about the TV, film and being human. E-mail him at ga*****@**********rs.com or visit www.greg-archer.com.
