You Again?

You win some, you lose some when TV channels offer a host or reruns.

By RUTH BELOFF
Everwood 521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Everwood 521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Television reruns are like relationships. Some are like old friends you are always glad to see no matter how often they come to call, while others are like guests who have overstayed their welcome.
Two series that have recently returned to the HOT airwaves (Channel 3) are Lost and Everwood, and both are more than welcome in my home any time.
The wildly popular Lost is a series to watch with total suspension of belief as you blissfully immerse yourself in the lushness of the exotic location, the depth of the well-rounded characters and the intricacy of the convoluted plot. If you have not yet gotten into it, so far a plane has crashed on a seemingly deserted island, and the planeload of survivors are trying to find a way to be rescued or to find a way off the island. Seems simple enough – accent on “seems.”
On the other hand, Everwood is a series that is as down to earth as they come. Warm, intelligent, funny, moving, charming and so human, it is one of the best shows I have ever seen (and take my word for it, I have seen a lot!). So far in the story line, the recently widowed Andy Brown, a renowned neurosurgeon from New York, has moved to the small town of Everwood with his teenage son and young daughter, who are half-Jewish on their mother’s side. He opens a private practice, where he treats patients for free, as opposed to the town’s only other doctor – and so the story continues.
Dr. Brown is played by Treat Williams, an actor I never particularly liked because he always looked like he was acting on the stage. But he has so embodied the character of Andy Brown, that he is totally believable and, well, lovable. As are the rest of the very well-selected cast.
Another show in reruns that I never tire of watching is Gilmore Girls. Also set in a small town with a cast of wonderfully quirky characters, the show is well paced, brilliantly written, very funny but also very touching.
Two pals have also returned to our screens via Channel 2 – Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld, respectively. Jerry seems never to have left, while Larry makes a comfortable comeback.
As the saying goes, there’s no friend like an old friend, and after many seasons of airing, the minute the last episode was over, Channel 2 brought Friends back, right from the beginning. But that’s okay because that gang is welcome any time as well. It’s interesting, though, to see how young they all look, as the original first season was made in 1994. But I’ve got to hand it to Courteney Cox, who at age 46 looks amazing in Cougar Town.
The gang on Baywatch look amazing as well, but that’s one of the shows in reruns I simply have no patience for. The stories seem dated and not that interesting. Although the dedicated lifeguards look great combing the beach in their formfitting orange attire, the show seems a little washed up.
And speaking of the beach, reruns of China Beach? Really? What’s up with that? Who wants to be dragged back into the Viet Nam War, for goodness sake? If they’re going to bring back an old warhorse, let it at least be M*A*S*H*.And Boston Public is no great shakes, either. Back to school? Been there, done that. Let’s graduate to something a little more classy.
The advantage of TV, of course, is that while you can’t close the door in the face of an unwelcome visitor, you can always change the channel on a boring rerun or turn off the TV altogether – and it won’t get offended.