The Ranch is Wretched

Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson are back at it again.

Image Credit: Netflix

A few posts ago, I brought up how every time we log into Netflix, they throw new original content at us. We usually accept it and sometimes even watch it because Netflix has a reputation for good original programming. From “Orange is the New Black” to “Narcos” to “House of Cards” to “Trailer Park Boys”, Netflix has gained a name for compelling and entertaining content.

So it’s surprising when an original show is as disappointing as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”.

Created by Two and a Half Men’s Jim Patterson and Don Reo, “The Ranch” focuses on Colt Bennett, an ex-amateur football player in his mid-30s who returns to his family’s Ranch in Colorado when he has a try out nearby. He reconnects with his older brother Jameson ‘Rooster’, played by Danny Masterson, hard-ass father Beau, played by Sam Elliot, and independent mother Maggie, played by Debra Winger.

In my opinion, the multicam sitcom failed in more ways than it succeeded. Here are a few reasons:

1)    All White Cast.

Image Credit: Netflix

Every single person seen on screen at any point in all ten episodes is white. Was the intention for accuracy because they’re ranching in Colorado? A comedy with so many other inaccuracies, it’s hard for me to believe that this is the aspect they had to try to mirror. Netflix’s tendency to put out progressive content took five steps backward with this casting.

2)   Do we still love these jokes?

The considerable number of sexist and racist jokes per episode was shocking. Sam Elliot’s character often made offensive jokes about other races, which was in his character, but I still feel like we’re past this. Kutcher and Masterson’s characters perpetuated the offenses with constant sexist jokes. Even worse, there were way too many jokes about sleeping with underage girls. Several times an episode, one of the characters would say something along the lines of “I didn’t know she wasn’t eighteen” or “I’m going to the cheerleading practice at the high school”. These characters are in their 30s and going to watch high school cheerleaders. That’s way too creepy.

3)  Just talk normally.

Your options are either talking with an accent or not. Not both. Not switching between a Rocky Mountains accent, something Southern, and what you sound like when you speak to your friends. During conversations between Colt and Rooster, they would fall into an accent then lose it within a few minutes. Also, the Rocky Mountains are not in the South. They’re not the same accent.

4)    Dip

Every once in a while, and I mean I saw him do it twice, Colt Bennett would take out a can of chewing tobacco, put a piece inside his mouth, and then it would disappear. First of all, to anyone that’s even seen dip, you spit it out and you spit out pretty quickly. Is Colt just leaving it in his mouth forever? Second, why does this only happen twice? He does it at two random times, not during stressful or emotional situations, which could work as a character trait. It struck me as so random and inaccurate that I got lost.

Image Credit: Netflix

  5)    Beau Bennett or John Wayne?

Beau’s character is more stock than not. The old rancher or farmer who’s stuck in his ways, knows the value of hard work, and makes typical racists jokes. I could’ve been watching Ethan Edwards in The Searchers for all I know. Although the writers tried to give him a twist with his love for Maggie, I don’t feel like it’s enough to make him stand out.

As a shock to me, “The Ranch” has been picked up for a second season less than a month after it’s April 1^st release and following less-than-stellar reviews. Hopefully, the writers will be able to give me more to look forward to.

Saturday Night Live to Air With Fewer Commercials

The popular late night comedy sketch shows is trying some new approaches to advertising.

Next season, Saturday Night Live plans to make some changes. Not in sketches, musical performances, or pop culture jokes, but instead in the amount of advertising aired during commercial breaks. An NBC Universal spokesperson announced that the popular late night comedy show will cut two commercial breaks – about 30% of the ads.

Image Credit: NBC Universal

This is the first of many steps for producers and advertisers to try to reconcile their mutual relationship that the Internet has infringed upon. NBC Universal explained that their main audience is younger and more impatient. The target generations are accustomed to watching television and other media on laptops and cell phones via the Internet. They’re habituated to the lack of commercials and breaks from shows. NBC is attempting to get closer to that on Saturday Night Live by cutting breaks. Instead, the show will work with advertisers to incorporate products into storylines and sketches.

Rather than advertisers paying NBC for a thirty-second commercial slot during SNL, they will pay to work with the writers and producers to integrate their products into the show. The method has already been attempted a few times in previous SNL sketches and on Fox’s “Empire”, where they worked with Pepsi to weave their drink into a three-episode story arc. SNL will be the first to try it on a regular basis, and NBC Universal may inaugurate the approach to advertising in other late night shows.

But what does this mean for Saturday Night Live itself? The show runs smoothly because of the commercial breaks that allow for set and costume changes. If the structure reforms, and one sketch moves immediately into another, how will the crew and cast handle such a shift? My prediction: the sketches will either be longer or contain fewer characters.

If the sketches are longer, I think it’s more likely for the comedy to get lost. Writing a longer sketch means writing more jokes, and writing more jokes means there’s a greater chance for the jokes to miss. They would be risking their comedy for longer airtime. The other option, fewer characters, is also a chance to lose the jokes. During the blocks with two or more sketches, the crew and cast will be airing on one set while setting up another. This means that only half the crew and cast can be involved with what’s happening on the air.

Comedy is always a risk. There’s always a chance the jokes will miss. I love SNL and usually think they’re hilarious. But if the longer airtime means less comedy, then, over time, it will lose its reputation and the target audience will watch it even less.

Will the new advertising plan successfully set a precedent for other shows to rebuild their money from advertisers? Will writers and producers be willing to sacrifice storylines for the sake of integrating products? I predict we will soon see a major change in the way advertising is done on television, and this very well might be it.

Should You Flake on "Flaked"?

Will Arnett's new show on Netflix feels difficult to get lost in, not the type of comedy attached to Arnett's name.

Image credit: Netflix

  

In recent years, we’ve seen a huge surge in original content from popular streaming services, especially Netflix. It seems like every time we log in to binge watch our favorite shows, Netflix has thrown three more new shows in our faces. Within the past few months, Netflix has released shows “Love”, “Fuller House”, “The Ranch”, and many others, including Will Arnett’s “Flaked”. I watched the eight-episode-long premiere season within a couple days and I had mixed feelings about it.

“Flaked” focuses on a recovering alcoholic, 12 years sober, and his willingness to help everyone around him while personally and covertly spiraling out of control. Before I hit play, I noticed Will Arnett’s name, which grabbed my attention (because who doesn’t love Will Arnett?). After I learned Arnett was the star, I fully expected to sit back and have a good laugh at a comedy.

I was wrong. I spent the whole first episode waiting for the jokes to start, for the mood to lighten. Yes, Will Arnett is a fantastic actor for both comedy and drama, but the dark tone took me off guard, and I was a little disappointed. I was stressed with school; I was escaping from reality; I wanted something light-hearted. When I realized I was in for drama and emotional stories, I considered quitting and starting a new show. But the uniqueness of the show kept me curious. Even though I was disappointed at the lack of laugh-out-loud comedy, I continued watching the next seven episodes.

The visuals were captivating, and after I accepted the solemnity and a few instances of dark comedic dialogue, I could not get used to the slow pace. Once again, possibly an accurate portrayal of life in Venice (I’ve never been there), but the slow pace was very difficult for me to get sucked into. It seemed like little happened in each episode, and I waited for answers for what felt like hours.

While the storylines were dramatic and the characters were both likeable and flawed, the slow pace makes me reluctant to watch the next season (if there is one). The show has set up several storylines to continue, such as London’s ex-fiance and Chip’s divorce; however, it only committed a handful of scenes throughout all eight episodes to those arcs. I did not have enough time to become invested in the long-term conflicts, allowing me to move on with my life, on to a new show, and not return to “Flaked”.

Image credit: Netflix

If you’re looking for a unique yet unexciting show to impress your hipster friends with, check out “Flaked” on Netflix. But if you want something to escape from reality, give you a laugh, or make it impossible for you to stop watching, I would look for a different show.