"American Justice" Another show about crime. Why do we need to know so much about every brutal crime ever committed? Are we really going to cut down on criminal activity by giving the most sensational, cruel and notorious killers so much free press? The episode of "American Justice" I watched focused on keeping kids out of gangs. According to the host, you do this simply by telling kids that "gangs are a dead end," and warning them that if they do join a gang, a group called the Gangbusters is going to come after their sorry asses. The Gangbusters must not be all that powerful, though, since they couldn't prevent an ad for "The Sopranos" from appearing on the screen while an anti-gang activist was speaking. (A&E)
"America's Psychic Challenge" Let me begin by saying this may be the best show I've ever watched in my entire life. In the repeated episode I was lucky enough to catch, four psychics were asked to compete against each other to see which one was the most psychic. In the first challenge, the psychics had to give readings to three strangers. Most of the psychics knew odd details from each person's life, and three out of four knew that one of the strangers was also a gifted psychic. (My God, they're everywhere!) In the last challenge, the psychics had to describe what happened at the scene of a crime. One of the psychics not only described the murder accurately, but he touched the victim's friend on the forehead, which the friend said the victim had done in a dream she'd recently had. Rigged? Maybe, but poignant nonetheless! Psychics are the greatest. Why do I waste my time watching "Grey's Anatomy," when I could be watching high-quality programming like this instead? (Lifetime)
"Australian Princess" Are Australians wrapped up in the idea of royalty or something? This competition is sort of like a finishing school for unsophisticated Australians, a cross between "Kath & Kim" and "Australia's Next Top Model." They start with a handful of rough-talking, big-boned gals, and teach them how to dress and act like Princess Diana, except without the wealthy Arabs and the prescription drugs. At the end, the ladies don ugly prom dresses and one of them is crowned "Australia's Princess," which would probably be a little bit embarrassing here in America, but somehow I suspect that in Australia, she'll be treated like an actual celebrity. (We)
In short, my excursion into the untamed back country of cable TV was truly an adventure! Sure, sometimes it was bewildering, sometimes I felt a little discouraged, but it was totally worth it! After a while, I felt just like that guy in "Grizzly Man" must've felt ... well, except when he was torn limb from limb by hungry bears.
Welcome to the U.P., bitch!
In keeping with my dirty-hippified pledge to shake things up around here, next week I'll finally look into some of these Web shows the youngsters keep braying about. (Be sure to send me your suggestions!) But in the meantime, we have to squeeze in a quick discussion of what may be the most odd and original show currently on the air: "Nimrod Nation" (9 p.m. Mondays on Sundance), an eight-part documentary series about the residents of Watersmeet, a small town in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
It might sound like just another sleepy burg, but Watersmeet is a seriously interesting place. Half of the people in the town appear to be related, and even though it's always snowy and way below freezing outside, they all march out into the snow with great big rifles in order to shoot bullets into the heads of innocent birds and deer and such.
While the dirty hippie in me objects to this careless slaughter, the amateur anthropologist in me ("Amateurs: Big Game Hunt") is fascinated by this strange and exotic culture, where people simply traipse willy-nilly across the snowy backwoods in search of food to sustain them through the winter. The people of Watersmeet are also pretty into high school basketball. They go to all the games, and when they're not actually watching a game, they're arguing about the game they just watched.
"Nimrod Nation" proves that, despite the prevalence of obvious, idiotic shows like "The Hills," a documentary or reality series can be smart and nuanced. The music here is odd and moody. The scenes are loose and boundary-less, with snippets of conversation fading in and out of the background. We join each scene halfway through, we're not quite sure what they're talking about, and then we leave before things get too repetitive. Most important, the tone and sense of humor of this series are always spot-on, and the storytelling can be pretty artful.
In one episode, we ride to school with the high school team's forward, Nathan Vestich, who's straining to see through his cracked windshield in the glare of the morning sun. Next, we see a bunch of high school girls gossiping about Nathan's habit of dating three girls at once, which they say always ends in tears and angry recriminations. When comparing notes on the girlfriends, one girl asks, "Didn't she trash his truck?" Cut to Nate and his friends, standing by his truck. "This just spells pure love," one of the guys teases him, pointing at the windshield. "That's a broken heart right there!"
"Nimrod Nation" feels like an experiment in storytelling. The editing choices are clever, the personalities are pretty fascinating -- or they're made to seem fascinating, thanks to the great editing -- and the story leaves you feeling like you just got back from a weekend visit to an odd little town far away.
A TV show that takes you to a new, unfamiliar place? I don't think there's anything better than that. Because, even though the televised universe is vast indeed, mostly it's just miles and miles of the same snow and ice and pacing, hungry bears. And no matter how badly you're in need of inspiration and enlightenment, sooner or later, you're going to want a taco.
Next week: We wander deep into the snowy badlands of the Internet, try to start a fire and eventually run out of matches!
About the writer
Heather Havrilesky is Salon's TV critic. She also maintains the rabbit blog. You can find more of her columns in the I Like To Watch directory.
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