I really wish that I could find a TV comedy series that actually addressed issues like the ones I'm dealing with right now: young married couple faces the shitty economy with a good sense of humor. The closest I can find is "Friends," which is, God, close to 20 years old, and it's usually a comfort bit of fluff. And well, since I don't really have cable anymore (one of the things we had to cut out of our budget because YAY ECONOMY!!), I'm having to rely on my collection of DVDs. The first season has some of the better episodes about being poor, but really? A giant apartment in NYC that's being paid for by a chef and a waitress?? I think not.

I kind of regret not ever buying "Roseanne" on DVD, because I'm pretty sure that would be about perfect right now. I wonder if it's on Netflix. Hmmmmm.


I often speculate if a show like "Roseanne" would succeed right now. It was a working class family that frequently had money issues (until the pretend lottery part and ew, no) and faced various social topics with a certain sense of grace that I think would otherwise have been very difficult to capture. Like, being a lesbian in New York City is not as difficult to imagine as being a lesbian in a small Midwest town, and having difficulty paying rent in the previously mentioned NYC apartment is much less realistic than seeing a family of five at risk of losing a moderately-sized home because the husband lost his business. And it was painful to watch at times. Even though "Friends" had the tough relationship episodes (I cry every time Rachel and Ross break up after he sleeps with the Copy Place Girl), "Roseanne" pulled at nearly every heartstring I have.

But now there seems to be a lack of realistic comedy shows out there. I mean, sure, there's a place for fantasy and silliness, and "Friends" and nearly all the comedies (that I know of) certainly fit that bill. I want another "Roseanne." I want realism and dark humor and sarcastic mothers and fathers. But by GOD, if CMT or whatever country music TV stations come out with "True Grit: The Series," I'm going to scream.