Help Save ‘Men of a Certain Age’
by Jon BryantEd. Note: When I asked him to come on board as a contributor to make the case for “Men of a Certrain Age,” Jon told me he wasn’t a writer. After reading this debut piece, I have to disagree. Please welcome him aboard – JN.
I’m not a big television-watcher. I’ve had my fill of series devoted to assorted cops, lawyers and doctors, along with sitcoms that weren’t funny and reality shows that bored me to tears. But in 2009 the TV gods had mercy and directed me to a series that became one of my all-time favorites.
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“Men Of A Certain Age” is one of those rare shows that makes you glad Philo Farnsworth invented television. I was hooked at the opening intro — a montage of what looked like grainy Super-8 home movies of three kids growing up together, with the Beach Boys’ “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)” playing in the background. The show’s basic storyline is deceptively simple: three male friends-from-childhood are shown living their lives and relating to each other, their families, workmates and friends.
Ray Romano plays Joe, newly-divorced party store owner, father of two teens and struggling gambling addict. Andre Braugher is Owen, married with young kids and selling cars for his overbearing father’s Chevrolet dealership. And Scott Bakula plays Terry, a usually-unemployed actor and ladies’ man who is finally breaking free from his extended adolescence.
What makes MOACA remarkable (and truly memorable) is its understated way of looking at ordinary lives. There is no “formula” to this show – you won’t find the stereotypical gay brother, smart-mouthed brats who disdain their idiotic parents or heavy-handed political messages. These friends are just attempting to support each other through their daily trials and tribulations while trying to remain good and decent men along the way.
The guys are all pushing 50 and some of the plotlines deal with various midlife issues, but never in a stodgy, “AARP” kind of way. The scripts are very well-written, with dialog that feels comfortable and down-to-earth situations that are totally believable. MOACA can be heartwarmingly funny and then serious within any given episode. The actors are superb, especially the three leads. These guys play “ordinary” so incredibly well, one never gets the feeling they’re “acting.” And the interactions between the guys are so true-to-life and often touching that the characters remind you of your own buddies. “Men Of A Certain Age” is a show that quickly becomes endearing and a must-see weekly appointment.
Sadly, after two seasons and 22 episodes, TNT Networks recently cancelled the series, to the absolute shock and dismay of its growing band of passionate fans. It’s frustrating that TNT didn’t give MOACA more of a chance, especially when the network began the second season in December, then split the season into two 6-episode mini-seasons divided by six months! Couple that with very little promotion from the network, and it’s no wonder potential viewers lost track of the show.
But then, something incredible happened. Fans of the series — who had never tried to save a TV show in their lives — began gathering together to bring MOACA to another network — ANY network. Uber-fan Jeff Martinous started a “Save ’Men Of A Certain Age’” page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/notifications.php#!/SaveMenOfACertainAge), which has already attracted thousands of other fans who have been busy making phone calls, sending faxes, letters and emails, while maintaining an online petition — all in the hope of attracting a new home for the series. The campaign has the blessing of MOACA producers Ray Romano and Mike Royce, who are also working hard to keep the show alive.
Will we be successful? We’d like to think so. At the very least, we believe that “Men Of A Certain Age” is more than worth the effort. We hope you’ll agree and join us on Facebook. As television becomes evermore a vast wasteland, it would seem incredibly tragic that there couldn’t be a place for a truly exceptional show like “Men Of A Certain Age.”
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51 Comments
Is Christ in it, in any way?
I just want me some more Jesus. Sorry, I'm a Jesus freak now… OMG… I am… I can't believe it… The show sounds good, but I wonder if these shows are selling a life, one can fulfill, in a caring humanist way… w/o Christ. I mean… let's say Christianity never existed… wouldn't anudda dictator just sweep through with men in boots as these 3 were huddling together for comfort? No magna carta with a limited govt here… no Christ…
l'll help save Men of a Certain Age; The day BH starts reviews, updates, ANYTHING,on GAME of THRONES. (yes I'm gonna continue to Rant bout it) But at least I'm not as pissed as THE MOUNTAIN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK82-891QkM&fe...
The way it was screwed by the network kind of reminds me of Firefly or Arrested Development.
Even though AR was given a fair chance by Fox, the never really promoted it and waited till part of the way into the last season to put it after the Simpsons.
They didn't even show the 2 hour first episode of Firefly, a serial action drama, and expected people to just pick up on it. The they aired a few episodes out of order, in a serial drama.
Both ended up being DVD/Hulu sleeper hits.
To bad it probably won't adapt well into a movie as that is all Firefly got.
is hollywoodron an alias for Joe Biden?
MOACA is an excellent show…I've watched it since it started…I will join the FB effort to save it…Jon you're an excellent writer..thx to Nolte for another great BH contributor
Dude, Fox gave Arrested Development three seasons to find an audience. That's not exactly neglect.
How many jarring anti-Iraq war jokes do you really need anyway?
Not a BHer, but here's my GAME OF THRONES review:
Remarkably faithful adaptation of the book, marred by a couple of sex scenes that were thrown in (not in the book) by producers who didn't know how to make character exposition interesting by any means short of character exposure (of skin). Can't wait for season 2; sort of expect HBO to cancel after that, no later than by the third season (which should get us as far as the Red Wedding, at which point everyone will tune out anyway).
I've never watched an episode of MOACA, but this review has piqued my interest. I intend to search it out and I hope the show's fans are successful in saving it. "Good TV" has always been sort of an oxymoron, and in this day and age in particular. Every good show counts.
I signed the petition, but be advised this is somehow linked to change.org, which is the Obama left wing support site. I'm hoping this is just an honest petition to save a great show, and not some back door attempt to get support for change.org, which I vehemently oppose. There were links to other petitions that have nothing to do with the show, so I skipped them. If I start getting junk mail from these idiots, I'm going to be pissed.
Networks no longer give shows a chance to grow. You have to do gangbusters out of the gate or you're through. "Lone Star," which had the best reviews of any show in years, got dismal ratings and NBC axed it after two airing. My beloved "Terriers" didn't make it either. I confess, I didn't watch MOACA despite the good buzz…it just never appealed to me (or a lot of other people, clearly). It's interesting because TNT took the mostly mediocre (to me) "Southland" when NBC dumped it. I think their success model is crime procedurals, not thoughtful dramas.
I hear ya, I do. I love me some Jesus too. But I also love the skills and abilities he endows to each one of us (saved or not) and I love to see how those things manifest themselves. MOACA is actually a really good show that speaks to the challenges and joys of aging in this God-given life. Does it glorify Jesus directly? Well no, I'm willing to bet that would get the show tanked in a hot second. But it does speak of God, like everything good does. Its a show about coping with the lives we have instead of always wishing for the lives we fantasize about. Its about men dealing with letting childhood go and becoming adults and becoming the real men they are meant to be, and the growing pains of that.
1Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
Me:Even though AR was given a fair chance by Fox
you:Dude, Fox gave Arrested Development three seasons to find an audience
They just changed its time slot all the time, and didn't market it at all, much like this show, that was given 2 seasons to find an audience, but they split the last one abruptly.
How many jarring anti-Iraq war jokes do you really need anyway?
That is a bit of an overstatement. Michael, the only sane man and voice of reason in the series, even says that preemptive strike is necessary if you anticipate aggression in an episode. I wouldn't call most of the "anti-iraq war jokes" that, just Iraq-war jokes, I certainly wouldn't call them jarring.
I'm confused. Who is Jon? Why should I read this article about a show that couldn't distract me from the paint drying on my wall? Thank you for your kind indulgence.
Yeah, I don't see how they can sustain all the books given so many actors have decent careers, as well as the expense. (of course, given the average lifespan of a Martin character, I guess they don't have to sign up for too long) HBO has a nasty habit of cutting off expensive series (Rome, Carnivale, etc.) so I'll be happy with 3 seasons. I'm fascinated because the first season was SO close to the book. But I know the time's going to come when they slash the plot lines to cram them in.
Well, Nolte doesn't seem to have cable, so he hasn't seen it. So expect his review in about six months when he gets the dvd's.
The first 2 seasons of Seinfeld sucked. If that show were made today, it never would have made it at all. It's almost not worth it to try out new shows anymore since they are cancelled like this.
I have enjoyed MOACA since it started too because I like Ray (ha!). This is the first I've heard of the show being cancelled. Unless it remains on a cable channel, it might not find a home a a regular channel because of the language, and if they change the language, I don't think it'll be the same.
For those of you who haven't seen it, it is an adult program with a few swear words every now and then, but not too many that it's overbearing (and who hasn't used an expletive now and then). Not only that, but it's a real "guy" series.
I hope it makes a return. Maybe if the network didn't wait forever between seasons, it might be a little more well-known.
Thanks for chiming in, Senator Byrd…
Some of the best shows on TV are on cable, but for some reason a lot of the cable nets cut their seasons into two parts and I don't understand why. A cable season is only 12-15 episodes to begin with, then they put a months-long hiatus in the middle of that so you're only getting 6-7 eps in a stretch. I'm just glad Showtime doesn't pull that crap. I'd rather have a longer period between seasons than two short half-seasons. That's the main reason I've soured on USA despite how fun some of their shows are. Just when I get used to a show being back, it's gone again and as a viewer I feel like I'm being jerked around. Forget it. The 6 episode "mini-seasons" couldn't have helped MOACA and probably hurt it.
My favorite shows of the last year or so? Terriers, Lights Out, and Men of a Certain Age. All gone now. Give Men a look. It was more than just a TV show for me. It, like the best years of Friday Night Lights, was like watching real people–not scripted actors. If there is even a ghost of a chance of saving this thing, I'll do what I can. I'm a tad worried about that change.com thing mentioned above, though. I want to save Men, not Obama!
Yep. Hosted on change.org. I love MOACA dearly, but I'm not having anything to do with that site. I'll reap the benefit if they're successful, but I'm not adding my name to change.org's database.
Arrgg!! Curse you for reminding about "Light Out!!" I loved that, too!!
Banhammer. Now. Please.
I'm sorry, but honestly MOACA is terrible. It is like watching paint dry micxed with some Napoleon Dynamite. It is really making me question Ray Ramono's comedic skills, maybe he just stumbled into Everybody Loves Raymond, because Men…is unwatchable.
I was a lot more pleased by the adaption of A Game Of Thrones then I was with The Lord Of The Rings. I knew both source materials very well and AGOT was in my opinion done better, the only way they could have improved it was if they had the full LOTR budget to play with. I am looking forward to season 2, very excited for it, I'm also currently reading A Dance With Dragons and don't know how they will make the later books into series without some changes and an increased budget.
Oh and back to the original topic, I haven't seen the show, it didn't sound that interesting to me.
Watching the pilot on FiOS OnDemand now. Pretty good so far.
I like it! and look forward to the stories in life we can relate too! I'm getting really tired of the housewives too much fighting and meanness. Reality TV is to real need some relief from the reality of the current administration!
Let it Be for us 50's buy stuff K!
Why would it make you question his comedic skills? Men of a Certain Age wasn't a comedy.
It's just wierd how we can't even say "Jesus"… especially in TV shows… I mean, was there some law we created to… seperate it? And 3 adult men… none of them pondering or relating to the teachings & salvation of Christ? Could we statistically round this out? All across America… people clinging to their guns and bibles… but on ABC, NBC, CBS, TNT… there's like… no Christ…. no America… I'm sorry, but I'm just going to have to call it out.
Not shocked. TNT NEVER gave Crusade(the B5 spinoff) a chance.
If the show is canceled then Scott Bakula can do that Star Trek movie. Ready lens flare generators!
I think the show's problem is it's premise: 3 guys pushing 50. It's a well known fact that Hollywood is youth-centric, they want to attract the under 40 demographic and many of their execs are also young. Older writers have complained for years that they lose work when they hit their late 40s. I'm sure if you are famous enough or have gotten into tv production it's a different story.
The other problem is that it's about men. If these were 3 40ish women ranting about life, ala First Wives' Club, the network would probably try to keep it going just for PC bragging rights. Even with women, get much older and you have Hot in Cleveland.
At least we got a full story arc with Lights. With Terriers, too, though it ended Thelma and Louise-like. I say Britt served his time and came out to raise the kid as his own.
Don't watch "Men of a Certain Age", saw it once I think. Never saw "Arrested Development" and have no idea what it's about. I love "Firefly" though! I never saw it when it aired, but found it on NetFlix and watched it on "The Science Channel". I have no idea who thought to put re-runs of a cancelled Sci-Fi show on a science fact channel, but I hope they got a bonus! "Firefly" was a great idea! An old west meets the future type of show. "Star Wars" combined with "Have Gun, Will Travel".
My wife and I have watched the show since the beginning, and I think the reason that we're ok with letting it go off into TV's sunset is that, when we heard the news, we weren't surprised in the slightest. Its characters really are going nowhere, and the stories are beginning to even slow down more than they were at the show's outset. Yes, it's very well-written, and it's very well-performed, but I can't imagine what the writers can do with it at its current pace.
Include me out! Why would this show want to link itself to such a disgusting cesspool of a web-site? Two of the three friends depicted on this show (the small business owners) would definitely have nothing good to say about the current administration. The other one though…the self centered, irresponsible, id driven, pot smoking, narcissist…he is a definite Barry supporter!!!
I'm confused…who is socalmike? Why would he waste the molecules from his fingertips to post such an inane, idiotic comment?
Sorry, folks, I'm with antidan. My wife and I were inspired with the cast, so we watched for a few weeks. But the stories were, well, pretty lame. And I guess some other channel suddenly had something better on at the same time (that wouldn't have been so difficult), so we stopped watching. Now I can't remember anything memorable, except maybe the Romano character staring off into space like, is this really happening?
WOW, Nice thoughtful comments.But with a – 8 , I was expecting Negative comments
I like "Men of a Certain Age" a lot, which surprised me because I hate Ray Romano as a comedian – his sitcom was excruciatingly bad. But all the characters and dialog in this show seemed very real. And Andre Braugher is awesome.
But this show has a rather common problem: it's good, but not compelling. Everyone I know who likes it says the same thing: when I stumble across it, I watch it and think "that's a good show". But few people seek it out or plan around it.
Shows like that need someone at a high level pulling for them. I thought with Ray Romano's name behind it, it might have a chance … but in a youth market, I guess once you get past a 'certain age' even one of the highest-paid sitcom actors in history can't do much.
I loved this show, and I have an idea on how to save this-write in to TNT and send in men to save this! And if they dont respond, keep on sending men into them!
The show is entertaining, but TNT really goofed up splitting it into two six-episode seasons six months apart. I only recently found out that I had missed the second half of season two, and there aren't any repeats on TNT right now! I wonder if some FoxTV execs moved to TNT, because you don't usually see such bad scheduling decisions outside of the people who canceled Firefly and Futurama.
I haven't either but I loved Andre Braugher in Homicide: Life on the Street about 10 years ago. He was terrific.
Because ol' Jon pops up with an article and I looked him up and could find no info on him. If you have info to enlighten my confusion would be alleviated. Thank you for your concern. <DIV style=”FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt”> <DIV style=”FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt”> <DIV style=”BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px”></DIV>
me again- so who is this Jon guy???
Hey Chiefy, your old buddy meso/quietshy/tossednturned/etc. (LOL) here. Have you checked out KVAL out of Eugene? Smaller crowd, but a lively bunch. Plenty of liberal lean to the comments too. (cracking myself up) Anyways, hope you are well and hope you check it out sometime. It could be another notch in your belt.
I'll check it out, but I don't have anymore room on my name when I get banned, hehe. I could dump komo I guess, they were too far away and I never really cared for it anyways.
Hahaha, you could always add them in your "description" section.
WooHoo Chiefy! Maybe I'll even show up there…….if you promise not to call me a skank!! Pinky promise, k?
Pinky promise.
I loved the show, and urge anyone who feels the same to read my blog post on its sad but ultimately predictable demise. http://mcantil.com/on-tnt-drama-and-viewers-of-a-...
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