It may not come as a surprise to you that, where popular culture is concerned, I have spent the last several years under a rock. I watch almost zero television; The Simpsons on Sunday nights and the occasional episode of What Not to Wear are pretty much it for me. I don’t have anything against television, and used to be quite the devotee.
As a kid, I loved getting the weekly TV listings in the Sunday paper and circling everything I planned to watch through the week, including things like The Brady Bunch at 4:35 Eastern on TBS, and the triumvirate: Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Three’s Company. I faded out of TVwatching for a while during the high school years, but watched a lot in college. 90210, anyone? Melrose? Simpsons? I used to set my alarm on Saturday mornings so I could get up and not miss the X-Men cartoon at 11am. I cried during the series finales of Roseanne and The Wonder Years.
Anyway, I don’t think I’ve been devoted to catching anything on TV since the end of Party of Five, and (I admit it) the end of Friends was the end of any interest in being on the couch at a certain time.
Knowing all this, imagine my surprise when my boss came in this morning and described a program he came across last night, about a bounty hunter named Dog. On A&E, no less, which I thought was supposed to be fairly middle-brow. My boss and I checked out Dog’s website, and found out a little more about the whole thing.
First of all, I must be an idiot. I didn’t realize there were actual bounty hunters running around in 2006. In my world, Jabba the Hut hires bounty hunters like Boba Fett and Greedo, and that’s pretty much that. And I suppose I thought there were bounty hunters in the Old West. I did some poking around, though, and discovered that you can receive training—the work appears to be a freelance-type gig that operates with the bail bonds trade and what-not. Bounty hunters seem to be able to operate outside of the law (certainly with more freedom that cops—they can enter a fugitive’s dwelling without a warrant, for example). Amazing.
The whole thing makes me feel like we’re living in a world where a spell has been cast, and Jerry Springer’s dreams are starting to become reality.
11 comments:
Okay, that show? Is awesome. I don't make a point of watching it, but if I happen to land on it while channel flipping, I can't look away.
Second of all, is it possible you've never heard of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books? The main character is a bounty hunter and the books are HILARIOUS. They have numbery titles -- I think the first one is One for the Money and they go from there. I think you'd like them if you're ever in the mood for a light, fluffy read.
Gotta love his DOGism "This is the second chance business and we are good at it because we are second chance people."
They could've called it his dogma and gotten away with it...
I have a horrible fascination with shows like this; Who ARE these People?! So I just don't turn the tv on. This is the thing that would cause me to burn dinner or ignore the children unless they were gushing blood.
I've never read Janet Evanovich, but a girl bounty hunter is something worth looking into--thanks!
My boss and I were wondering the same thing, Vickee: Who are these people, and what would it be like to run into them at the gas station?
I don't rubberneck when there's a car accident on the other side of the road, but I have been known to watch that show for hour-s. Plural. And I would put them both in roughly the same category.
Gina, I LOVE the fact that you had no idea this show was on. It gives me hope for humanity.
I never watch reality tv but I LOVE this show! He's such a fanscinating character - so tough, so soft, very wounded, and very philosophical. I think its a great show. At least he has a personality unlike the other reality shows which just rely on getting attractive young people to undress.
Roseanne? And you cried?
This way lies madness!
-J.
See? I clearly only know boring people. I have never met a bounty hunter, although someone in this country hired one as a (semi) joke to capture a failed businessman who'd swindled millions and run away to a Spanish island. Not sure what happened, except the dude ended up dying. And this wasn't even reality tv!!
Nothing wrong with Roseanne Gina! Don't listen to Joke.
Moonlighting always did it for me.
You haven't warmed to the Gilmore Girls? I adore that show and must own it on DVD as soon as I stop buying books.
Moonlighting was, prior to its terminal bout with script rot, unspeakably brilliant.
I'm afraid the charms of Roseanne (show and person) are completly lost on the likes of me.
-J.
Have to admit that I LOVE Dog the Bounty Hunter. The families compassion coupled with their kick butt attitude both enthralls me and cracks me up. Plus the whole family gets a kick out of Beth and her ginormous bossom and wild outfits.
We also loved watching A&E's series called Rollergirls last year as well.
I am not a huge fan of the Evanovich books; I've read the first one and then, eh. Maybe it's because I, too, am a Jersey girl.
I am a big fan of Scrubs, but I always forget it's on. I think ER was the last show I watched with any sort of regularity, and that was the season the nasty doc got his arm chopped off by the helicopter rotor. After that stupidity, not even the yummy Croatian doctor could entice me any longer...
I always like Roseanne's middle daughter - she made me laugh.
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