Once upon a What to Watch Wednesday, in an enchanted box lived a horrible, monstrous pilot. One day, villagers from far and wide sat down at their boxes to see their evening tales, and what they saw sent many of them running, never to return.
Yet a few stayed, not frightened, but intrigued by what might lie beyond that ghastly first meeting.
Join me as I weave a magical tale of what can happen when you look past first impressions to give those beastly (at first sight) shows another chance…
There’s no denying the importance of a pilot episode. This is a story’s first encounter with its audience. It has to hook them immediately or risk losing them forever, but here’s the thing. Not every show gets it quite right on that first try. Which is why I implement the three-episode test. A show has three episodes to hook me. If by the rolling credits on the third episode you haven’t hooked me, you turn back into a pumpkin. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but it’s served me well.
I understand that not everyone lives their televised lives by the same tenets, so today I thought I’d share a few shows worth a second glance…
“Superstore”
Admittedly this show did not pass the three-episode test, but a chance encounter with an online clip got me to give it a second chance (the power of social media!). Anyone who has ever worked in customer service or shopped at a store will find something to love here (probably more so for the former). It’s a crazy cast of characters that you will “so know someone exactly like that.” I’m also biased by the fact that it takes place in my hometown…but would it kill them to throw in a Cardinals hat or two?
Parks and Recreation
Anyone who regularly reads the 2WC is probably confused by this. Our love for Leslie Knope and the citizens of Pawnee is something we’ve shared often, but in truth, the first season or so was a bit of a dud. In retrospect it’s brilliant, but at the time, a lot of people wrote it off…and the rest is history…
Emerald City
If you only know the Oz where scarecrows, tin men, and cowardly lions sing and dance on their way to see the Wizard, then at first glance this telling of the tale might seem a bit far-fetched. But if you’re a bit more well-versed in the stories of the land which Dorothy dropped in on then Emerald City is a delightful homage to those tales that were well ahead of their time. If you don’t know Ozma, you don’t know Oz. Check this series out and expand your horizons past the yellow brick road.
So with that I’ll leave you to fall under the spell of these nascent narratives just waiting for an audience…
…bi-daily smile…
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