Don't Cut The Muffin

I have always found more mirth in English comedies than in most bland formulaic American shows. Recent mirth makers have been My Family, My Hero, Dead Ringers, Smack the Pony, and Black Books. I'm not passionate about them, mind, but I laugh and have an enjoyable viewing experience.

I have seen Coupling a few times in the past, but it has never grabbed me. It may have been time slot or my disinterest; I'll never know. The past couple of Monday nights have been rather thin on watchable TV. I'm actually watching parts of The Biggest Loser, which is just scary.

Last week's Coupling was about how one of the guys can tell his new partner that he wants to sleep at home for one night. It was interspersed with fantasy scenes from what looks to be a bad Shakespearean play, that results in the lovers playing chess. The cutting between the real and fantasy world worked brilliantly, and I stuck with it. I was back again this week.

It is a pleasing experience to find a new comedy that doesn't play out like every other comedy. It is no wonder that the U.S. version of this failed miserably.

I also sat through the pilot of Desperate Housewives. Seven, as usual, really misrepresented this show in it's promotion. I thought it was going to be a new Melrose Place crossed with murder scandal-of-the-week. Instead it actually has characters with some established depth, totally dysfunctional families and a mystery to top things off. I don't think I'm likely to be a devoted viewer yet, but I think it's worth coming back to.