That’s why last night’s episode of Glee down right ticked me off.  While gays everywhere are celebrating it as a victory (because, lets face it – there’s quite an abundance of homosexuality on the show these days), their “win” comes at such a cost that it’s revolting.  The show’s two closeted gay characters (who happen to be the biggest bullies in school) start an anti-bullying campaign in the school as a means of making themselves popular and, therefore, prom king and queen contenders.  As if that wasn’t enough, Kurt (the openly gay character) finds out about the plot and is okay with it.  He won’t tell anyone as long as they start a PFLAG chapter at the school.  PFLAG: Parents, Friends, and Family of Lesbians and Gays. 

Are you &*%#ing kidding me?  For starters, you’re going to cloak a serious problem around something as superficial as prom king and queen?  That pool is so shallow it couldn’t drown a blonde if it had a scratch ‘n sniff sticker at the bottom. 

Moreover, this is on primetime, people!  It’s rated TV14.  Kids everywhere are going to march into their school counselors’ offices today and demand a PFLAG chapter.  Look, as evident from my last Glee post, I think there’s room in the conversation to address homosexuality in the conservative camp but this is rubber room-certified insane.  Compromise your beliefs and then blackmail whoever you need to in order to get what you want? 

Is this promiscuous, bullying, closeted lesbian cheerleader on Glee one of your kid's role models?

This is not a victory for the gays or for bullying victims of any kind.  This is a victory for the bullies!  <cue sarcastic tone here> Sure, Mr. Bully, you can squeak by with a fake, scripted apology.  Of course, Miss Bully, if you can pretend long enough to not publicly hate people, you too can have a shiny new tiara.  Lie through your teeth and you can fool anyone.  School principals?  Yah, they’re all dopes.  Teachers, they won’t care.  <end sarcastic tone now> Is this really the message we want to be sending kids, that it’s okay to be so ugly as long as you can manipulate your way around it? 

You’d think with the creator being gay that he’d take a more practical approach to the issue, but instead he’s busy figuring out ways to make his adolescent fantasies play out on television.  How else would you explain Kurt’s roommate being the star quarterback whom he has a crush on?  And this is a zeitgeist show… 

Okay, now that I’m no longer seeing red, let’s address the real problem at hand.  Kids in hallways all over the country are harassed every day for a multitude of reasons.  I was bullied because of the way I looked, or didn’t look, rather.  My friends were fellow bullying victims who were beat up for being overweight, mocked for having bad skin, even ridiculed over their parents’ professions.  Teachers looked the other way, principals gave detention, but at the end of the day, nothing was fixed.  We’ve talked about legislating our way around it, teaching our way out of it, and (now, thanks to Glee) starting on-campus groups for it.  This is not how the problem will be fixed. 

It comes down to parenting.  If a child is never disciplined for negative behavior or if a child witnesses his/her parent(s) behaving that way, it will continue.  But what am I talking about?  You all already know this!  You’re responsible parents who are dedicated to the goings on of their kids’ lives.  You know who their friends are, what grades they make, and you have access to their Facebook pages.  I don’t want to preach to the choir, so I’ll give you a piece of very sound advice: 

Your children are not likely to volunteer the fact they’re being targeted; no one wants to admit they’re insecure or weak, especially not to their mom or dad.  Talk to your kids about being bullied and make sure you do everything humanly possible to let them know they can tell you if they’re being picked on, tormented, or harassed.  When your child does tell you, take it seriously; it’s so easy to brush it off as “toughening them up” or “real life lessons.”  Help them find the solution because that’s when they need you to be a parent the most. 

In terms of their plots, “24” and “Lost” have very little in common. “24,” which ran for eight years on Fox, was about a counter-terrorism agent named Jack Bauer. Each episode detailed an hour in the life of Bauer and his work fighting against terrorists and threats to the United States. “Lost,” on the other hand, ran for six years on ABC and told the story of a group of plane crash survivors who land on a strange and mysterious island and had to learn to live on that island while dealing with a “smoke monster” and a group of mysterious individuals on the island’s other side.

Admittedly, I have not seen every episode of “Lost” (I recently watched the first few seasons  and the sixth season when it aired), and I likely missed a few random episodes of “24″ along the way, but it only takes an episode or two of each program for a viewer to realize that these shows are not typical network fare. Firstly, both addressed issues that are seldom brought up on network television. This USA Today article about “Lost” in mid-May noted:

“Lost covered topics not usually seen on series TV, with an array of references from the Casmir effect in physics to philosophers both famous, including John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and more obscure, such as Jeremy Bentham.”

“Lost” also dealt with questions of faith, destiny, and redemption and was not afraid to answer them. On the other hand, “24” dealt with the topic of counter-terrorism in this country. It had its own share of controversies (including the choice of villains) but it also added to the debate about torture and harsh interrogation techniques — a debate that will likely continue with references to “24.”

Neither of these popular shows was built as a typical episodic program, which is one of the best things about them. Both relied and celebrated viewer loyalty. With other shows, such as “CSI” or “Law & Order,” fans could watch on a casual basis. Many of the episodes are self-contained and formulaic. I have nothing against that format, but I applaud shows that decide to pursue a more unique course, as well.

With shows like “24” and “Lost,” watching an episode here or there was difficult. With “Lost,”  there were clues and foreshadowing in varying episodes and a lot of the episodes and story-lines built off of one another. For instance, it’s difficult to fully understand John Locke, one of the lead characters, without being aware of his complete back-story. You had to watch a lot of episodes to see what happened to Locke before he crashed on the island. On the other hand, each season of “24” was a day in the life of its protagonist. Each episode built on the previous one, which in turn continued the excitement throughout the season. Missing an episode might mean that a viewer missed a resolution to a previously presented conflict or the death of a major character.

The willingness to kill off major characters was also an exciting part of both programs. With a lot of network shows, the same characters (both in major and minor roles) remain for long periods. However, both “24” and “Lost” were willing to write off certain characters to serve the purpose of the story and because of that there were a lot of casualties (some welcome, but many unwelcome). These deaths were sometimes shocking and showed viewers that the stories wouldn’t be predictable thanks to writers willing to make tough choices.  

This is not the only similarity between the two. Both were also critically acclaimed and both won a Best Drama Emmy during their runs. They also featured large casts.

Finally, both should serve as encouraging signs that television can and should take risks and find success outside of normal formats. So let’s hope that this summer season has a few surprises on the schedule so we know the networks are still willing to take risks for the sake of  a satisfying story.

In a move that bodes well to strengthen TV programming overall in both primetime and late night, NBC has confirmed that Jay Leno will be moved back to his original 11:30 slot and his 10 p.m. show canceled on February 11, as rumored over the past week. USA Today reports:

Under the new plan, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon would move from 12:35 a.m. to 1:05. (Carson Daly’s talk show, which now follows Fallon, would be canceled, though Daly would remain under contract at the network.).

O’Brien, however, decided not to agree to the changes, in a public statement:

I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.

Thus Leno will return to the Tonight Show in its usual time slot, and O’Brien will move on to presumably greener pastures.

The new 10 p.m. schedule will likely include a return to scripted dramas. Insiders argue that cost-cutting moves at NBC instituted by CEO Jeff Zucker denuded the primetime schedule of quality shows and helped make way for the disastrous Leno-O’Brien moves. That allowed a big increase in audience numbers on cable/sat stations in particular, while also helping NBC’s broadcast competitors. NBC is now playing catch-up, but analysts consider the move good both for the network and primetime TV in general:

To replace Leno at 10 starting March 1, Gaspin said, NBC is likely to add two more hours of scripted dramas (it can use repeats of Friday Night Lights and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which now first air on other networks), along with an expanded Dateline NBC. Other current series, such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, could shift to later slots.

For fall, NBC ordered seven drama pilots Sunday as potential replacements, including series from high-profile producers David E. Kelley, Jerry Bruckheimer and J.J. Abrams and remakes of Prime Suspect and Rockford Files.

Gaspin said NBC is spending 30% to 35% more on new-program development than in recent seasons and promises viewers will see “high-quality, more traditional NBC programming” next fall with “smart, sophisticated and fun content.” After years of audience erosion, “I think we have a shot at actually going up.”

Jonathan Littman, who heads Bruckheimer’s TV division, welcomed the Leno news.

“Any time you can get more scripted programs on the air, the better,” he said, noting that a typical drama employs 200 workers.

“A lot of people really saw this as having a pretty negative impact on our business,” said CBS programming chief Nina Tassler, who called Leno’s move to prime time “an experiment that obviously did not work.”

The analysts are correct: a stronger, more competitive NBC will make for better programming at the other broadcast and cable/sat networks as they compete more aggressively for viewers.

The flattening of the audience disparity between broadcast and cable/sat outlet has been highly salutary for TV audiences, creating more variety and more options as networks such as USA, TNT, Lifetime, and A&E, but the process was reaching the point where weaker networks such as NBC, CW, and MY TV were in serious danger of insolvency. The cutbacks in original scripted programming at NBC and MY TV were reducing variety and competitiveness in the TV industry.

NBC’s addition of at least some original scripted programming will help stabilize the network and increase the amount of choice for TV viewers. Thus it can be a good thing for all parties—provided NBC plays it smart and schedules programs intended to please audiences, not transform them into political progressives. The current reworking of the schedule is Gaspin’s first big move since taking over as NBC Universal chairman, and it’s a smart and tough choice on his part. Perhaps NBC is headed for an upswing under his tutelage.With the increased amount of competition already provided by stronger cable/sat channels, any arrogance toward the audience NBC covets will be quickly and severely punished by the audiences themselves.

That’s what brought on the network’s current travails, and it will happen again if they don’t learn the right lessons from all of this. The same applies to the other networks as well: competition makes for better products, and the customer is always right.

And contrary to conventional wisdom, Letterman’s not edgy. In fact, he’s just the opposite. Doing exactly what those who can criticize you want you to do is not edgy. Kissing the big Manhattan/Los Angeles bi-coastal ass of the elite is not edgy. He’s their jester; their puppet; their bitch. Worse, he’s about as funny as watching your old, half-deaf Uncle intimidate, humiliate and demean your Aunt and then smile at the rest of the family as though he’s just reaffirmed his manhood. Letterman reminds me of the Jason Robards character in “Parenthood” in more ways than you can imagine. In other words, he’s a jerk, but in a sad end-of-his-life kind of way.

Oh, and how the elite critics resented nice ole’ Jay Leno for cleaning Letterman’s ratings’ clock all those years. And now that Jay’s back eating up primetime, they couldn’t wait to jump all over him with sniffing disapproval fed through a filter of wrist-flicking dismissal.

After exactly one show the knives came out:

L.A. Times: “Sixteen minutes into the new ‘The Jay Leno Show’ it was difficult not to panic. This is the future of television? This wasn’t even a good rendition of television past.”

New York Times: “So much ink has been devoted to describing how Mr. Leno’s new show would depart from his old one that it was startling to see how little difference there was.”

NPR: [N]o one expected Leno to reinvent the wheel. It’s just that after so many years on the job, you’d expect he’d make a better one.

(For those of you unfamiliar with these organizations, the first two once had a reputation for doggedly pursuing news stories and holding the powerful accountable. As far as what they do now, other than perfecting the art of thinning their publications to the edge of not disappearing, no one really knows … as far as NPR, they’ve always sucked.)

Good heavens, the L.A. Times was ready to panic after only sixteen minutes. Panic! And did anyone’s irony-alert go off when NPR criticized someone else for not reinventing the wheel? I’m surprised their review wasn’t interrupted by a twenty-minute pledge drive promising a butt-ugly tote bag and a CD of “Neil Sedaka Goes Cajun” for Premium Members.  

Jay Leno scored 18 million viewers yesterday. Letterman draws around 4 million on a good night. If you like your television personalities too cool for school that’s got to be troubling – if you prefer those with a hold on the popular culture five nights a week not parade around with a United States flag (unless it’s on fire), today you’ve got to be a little frustrated. First ACORN, now this... What’s happening to my Amerika?!?!

Even worse, those five hours Jay’s eating up could’ve otherwise been used to trash Christians and Republicans on “Law & Order: God We Love Obama.”

You have to wonder if it will ever happen… If the coastal critics and their ilk will ever figure out that today they are the establishment … they are The Man … and that the only real accomplishment of the cruel little needy Letterman who bounces at the end of their string is tarnishing a long history of sell outs.

You want to be edgy in the entertainment business today? Be polite and keep the politics as across the board as possible. Walk on stage with the “edgy” goal of wanting to entertain and take away from their daily frustrations as many people as possible.

Jay Leno’s the new edgy, the new ballsy…

And that lapel flag makes him a downright iconoclast.

I didn’t see his show, but I’m pulling for him because all the right people are not.