# Brockmire - Is this just too much pain for Home TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269 "2020-01-11T06:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/1 "2020-01-11T06:51:03Z")
If you have not yet seen Brockmire, here is the IDMB link for it: > **[Brockmire (TV Series 2017–2020) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5722190/)** > > Brockmire: Created by Joel Church-Cooper. With Hank Azaria, Tyrel Jackson Williams, Amanda Peet, Hemky Madera. A famed Major League Baseball announcer who suffers an embarrassing, very public meltdown live on-air after discovering his beloved wife's... I feel the need to be very careful with this post because I know that I want to say some very negative things about this show and I often get into trouble when I do that. So, I’ll start by saying that for those people who may not know, the lead actor on this show is Hank Azaria and he is a terrific voice-over actor who plays several roles on The Simpsons. I think he voiced Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggims and maybe Mr. Burns too. But as far as this TV show goes, I have never seen a character portrayed on a Home TV show that is as self-destructive as is Mr. Brockmire. The first season starts off by explaining over and over again how he has essentially ruined his life by becoming addicted to alcohol and his life which can aptly be referred to as one huge trainwreck just keeps on getting worse every episode. The key phrase is “self-destructive” and I know that I used to sneer in derision when people in the 60s would demonstrate against The Beatles music and warn us how it would be destructive to American families to listen to this “Devil Music”. So, I am now torn between wondering just how negative I can be about this show versus how ridiculous I will appear if I do the same sort of thing those people in the 60s did by smashing Beatles records. Bottom line … I’m guessing the only appropriate thing to do is to ask you how you feel about this show? Is it so gruseome that it actually is over the top and provides good comedy? Or will it harm small children to watch this show and should people be warned to keep small children from seeing this thing? I honestly can’t figure this out. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/2 "2020-01-11T07:25:20Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Bottom line … I’m guessing the only appropriate thing to do is to ask you how you feel about this show? I love it. > [@](#): > > Is it so gruseome that it actually is over the top and provides good comedy? IMO yes. That is where most of the humor comes from. It also does a good job at being serious and showing the real struggles Brockmire has. There is even growth in small steps as the series goes on. > [@](#): > > Or will it harm small children to watch this show and should people be warned to keep small children from seeing this thing? That is not really an “or.” It provides some gut wrenchingly funny dark humor. It should also be kept far away from small children…very far away. Not everything is society needs to be kid friendly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/3 "2020-01-11T07:31:17Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Or will it harm small children to watch this show and should people be warned to keep small children from seeing this thing? > > I honestly can’t figure this out. You can’t figure this out? The show is rated MA and warns you to keep children well away at the beginning of every single episode. It’s a fantastic show with fantastic characters who develop and grow over the course of the series. Brockmire is self destructive but not irredeemable, which is very important in terms of the show’s overall quality. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/4 "2020-01-11T09:21:27Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > So, I’ll start by saying that for those people who may not know, the lead actor on this show is Hank Azaria and he is a terrific voice-over actor who plays several roles on The Simpsons. I think he voiced Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggims and maybe Mr. Burns too. Slight nitpick: Azaria voices Chief Clancy Wiggum, Moe Syzslak, and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on _The Simpsons_. Monty Burns is voiced by Harry Shearer. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/5 "2020-01-11T15:23:42Z")
Note that the real low point in Brockmire’s life was before the start of the show. The overall arc is him on the “up” swing in his life story. However: Swings are not all unidirectional. He lapses back quite a bit. But never as low as when he found out his wife was cheating on him and went ballistic on the air during an MLB broadcast (and ending up doing play-by-play at cock fighting tournaments in the Philippines). There is a lot of profanity. Some of it quite, um, “creative”. Adult activities occur. So there’s swear-offs with prostitutes the morning after. You want to have your kids see that? ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/6 "2020-01-11T20:32:58Z")
It’s a show about a damaged man trying to rebuild and recover. It’s definitely for adults. But Brockmire’s behavior is so over the top that it’s hard to imagine any impressionable young person being damaged by it. That’s an issue far more likely to arise with anti-heroes like Tony Soprano, Don Draper or Walter White. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/7 "2020-01-12T18:49:56Z")
I thank you all for your comments. You have helped me to understand what is going on with this show. Now I will try to face the challenge of seeing whether I can enjoy this show. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/8 "2020-01-12T20:07:47Z")
What is “Home TV”? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/9 "2020-01-12T21:42:09Z")
It was funny for a couple episodes, but it gets old pretty fast. I quit watching. It also comes of as _extremely_ self-indulgent for Azaria. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/10 "2020-01-13T00:35:00Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > What is “Home TV”? Heh. Heh. I just meant TV programming that is routinely beamed into peoples’ homes without any restrictions to prevent children from viewing the shows. Maybe I could have found a better way to describe this. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/11 "2020-01-13T00:36:58Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > It was funny for a couple episodes, but it gets old pretty fast. I quit watching. It also comes of as _extremely_ self-indulgent for Azaria. Thank you so much. I had a hard time with this show. I found it was just relentless making the same points over and over. More than one person has said they found some “growth” in the characters. But I honestly had a hard time seeing any growth because it seemed covered up in debauchery. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/12 "2020-01-13T00:46:14Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > It was funny for a couple episodes, but it gets old pretty fast. I quit watching. It also comes of as _extremely_ self-indulgent for Azaria. Thank you very much. I am having a hard time with this show. I found it was just relentless making the same points over and over. More than one person has said they found some “growth” in the characters. But I honestly had a hard time seeing any growth because it seemed covered in debauchery. A whole lot of debauchery in this show. So much of it that I found it difficult to see much else. I think that may be why I started my post saying what a great voice-over actor Azaria is. I think I said that instead of saying how disappointed I was in the writing of the show. I don’t know exactly how much of a hand Azaria had in the writing. I suppose I just hold him accountable for the entire show because he seems to be the show runner since he is on air for almost the entire show and that bothers me. I find it hard to enjoy an ensemble show when one character is on air for approx 90 percent of the time. Can you imagine what Community would be like if Chevy Chase was on the screen for 90 percent of the show? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2020, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/13 "2020-01-13T01:22:20Z")
I can only think of one actor who could stay on air for almost every second of every episode and still result in an enjoyable episode. That was Lucille Ball. But I cannot recall anyone else who was ever able to accomplish that. I think it’s just too much pressure and it requires a massive talent. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/14 "2020-01-14T19:54:18Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I thank you all for your comments. You have helped me to understand what is going on with this show. Now I will try to face the challenge of seeing whether I can enjoy this show. Why? Is someone forcing you to watch the show? ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/15 "2020-01-14T20:31:54Z")
The first season was excellent. I think it helped that I am a baseball fan, but that isn’t required by any means; it’s just a show set in a baseball environment. But, being a baseball fan aided in picking up on some of the references and jokes. If I had children, I wouldn’t watch the show with them – there’s too much, as someone said, over-the-top debauchery. The stuff with Joe Buck, Bob Costas and George Brett is funny, and both Martha Plimpton and Linda Lavin are flawless. Actually, the entire cast shines. I’ll have to rewatch Seasons 2 and 3, but I recall not being as impressed with them as the first. And I don’t really get why the OP would compare the actions of the anti-Beatles crowd 50+ years ago to any criticism that he may have of this show. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/16 "2020-01-14T20:35:01Z")
Don’t ever watch _Shameless_, then. Either version. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/17 "2020-01-14T20:46:01Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Don’t ever watch _Shameless_, then. Either version. Is this when we start recommending shows to the OP? Try _Dexter_, bloody good family fun! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/18 "2020-01-14T22:18:27Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Is this when we start recommending shows to the OP? > > Try _Dexter_, bloody good family fun! > > CMC fnord! The OP should definitely also try to seek out **Happy!** on FX. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brockmire-is-this-just-too-much-pain-for-home-tv/846269/19 "2020-01-14T22:26:24Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > The OP should definitely also try to seek out **Happy!** on FX. That’s got a cartoon unicorn, right?