The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The Channel Surfer: “The New Normal”

After weeks and weeks of waiting, finally new fall shows are starting to air, and the one that I chose to watch for this week is “The New Normal,” which airs on Tuesday’s at 8:30 p.m. on NBC.

The show is based around Bryan (Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha), a couple from Los Angeles whose dream is to have a baby. They look through many surrogate choices and end up meeting Goldie (Georgia King) who has moved to Los Angeles with her daughter.

They all decide that Goldie is the perfect choice for a surrogate, but the story doesn’t end there. Goldie’s crude, homophobic grandmother is determined to stay in her life no matter what by following her to L.A.

Upon first glance, I thought that this show was going to be hilarious and definitely worth watching every week and as I began to view the first episode, I could hardly keep up.

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The first episode went from point A to Z in a matter of minutes, and by the end of the episode it was like a whole season went by. But even though the first episode was fast, I really, really loved the acting and the actors they chose to play the parts.

It was believable and honest and I hope that the show continues this way. Fantastic acting definitely makes or breaks a show. They only qualm I had was about the grandmother.

Her and her homophobic and racist remarks almost deserved a show of their own. I spent most of the time trying to understand her character and why she said the things she said instead of focusing on the main characters and their life story.

In a comedy with such a lovable plot line, the grandmother kind of sucked the fun out of it all.  I get how her character is supposed to be an extremist, but wow, one nasty remark after another just got tired and boring.

It’s one thing to have different viewpoints and conflict or tension between characters, but all I saw was a one-dimensional character, and at the end of episode one, I was wondering who were supposed to be the real main characters.

Even though I feel like this show could have been executed a little differently in regards to the pace, I love how shows are coming out now that are embracing the fact that there is no such thing as being “normal.” Or there is no such thing as a “normal” family.

The show is a great example of the fact that the nuclear family is hardly a “be all, end all” family structure.

I appreciate the show for really going for it and not shying away from anything controversial.  It is a great way to show acceptance in today’s society.

Maybe I won’t plan my schedule around the next episode, but I didn’t feel like the time I spent watching was wasted. So decide for yourself, take a half an hour and watch the first episode and make your own judgment, you may find your new favorite show.

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The Channel Surfer: “The New Normal”