How long will Swingtown last?

Cafe Society
1

Swingtown debuted last night on CBS after I’ve been seeing commercials for it for what feels like forever. Even though all I watch on CBS is Survivor and The Big Bang Theory. Needless to say, the commercials have turned me off ever watching this show, it looks awful.

And it looks like that’s what everyone else thinks to. I found a bunch of articles on Google News where people just trash it. So how long do you think it’ll last before these terrible commercials are expelled from my television forever?

I give it 2 more episodes.

2

I’m just surprised it ever got ON the schedule to begin with, actually. The Swinging (literally) aspect of the 70s could be got away with as a throwaway gag on a sitcom, but I’m amazed the network greenlighted an entire series about it.

3

[QUOTE=jayjay]
I’m just surprised it ever got ON the schedule to begin with, actually. The Swinging (literally) aspect of the 70s could be got away with as a throwaway gag on a sitcom, but I’m amazed the network greenlighted an entire series about it.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the swinging subplot with Bob and Midge was painful to watch on That 70s Show. I also think the reaction of the neighbors was more realistic: “What the hell is the matter with you?” versus “We’re swingers.” “Oh.” “Aren’t you swingers too?”

4

I like period shows, but I’m tired of watching people behaving badly, so I didn’t watch this one.

I had it on last night because the local CBS affiliate does the best job with severe weather alerts, so I heard the music from the show. Maybe some folks will watch because of the soundtrack.

5

[QUOTE=Justin_Bailey]
Yeah, the swinging subplot with Bob and Midge was painful to watch on That 70s Show.
[/QUOTE]
There was also that episode where Red and Kitty (inadvertently) go to a “key party.”

6

My first thought was that it wasReefer Madness updated.

C’mon, uptight chick who wasn’t all that interested in private sex with hubby takes one 'lude and does it in front of/with complete strangers? Gimme a break.

Soundtrack was good, and lots of unintended humor ala the Holy Trinity of deliciously bad '70s-early '80s movies–Saturday Night Fever,Staying Alive, the cheesiest of them all–Urban Cowboy. I’m tuning in again; it could turn out to be the best guilty TV pleasure since Married, With Children!

7

I missed it. Is Jack Davenport playing an American or a Brit in America? One of the ads had him doing what sounded like a bad American accent.

Not having seen it I can only speculate, but it seems like a show that has a 6 episode run in its future.

8

Jack Davenport is playing an American, and it’s distracting as hell. So is that uptight laudanum-swilling bitch from Deadwood. I’m having trouble believing either of them, which is no fault of their own.
I didn’t care for it. It suffers from the same problem Mad Men does - dialog of one era being written by someone too young to have lived through it. Goddam whippersnappers…

9

Jack Davenport starred in the brilliant British comedy Coupling. I’m not surprised you didn’t think his American accent was perfect. I’m more surprised when British actors pull it off well. He fooled me enough, though, that I thought I’d seen him somewhere before but only recalled where after a trip to IMDB.

10

[QUOTE=zagloba]
I’m more surprised when British actors pull it off well.
[/QUOTE]

I personally think Mark Addy did very well in the sitcom “Still Standing”. And of course, Hugh Laurie on “House”. And Anna Friel on “Pushing Daisies”.

11

I gave the first episode a try, and I’m really undecided. The premise is interesting, and I want to be around when parentstv.org gets all over this show, but it also seems slow moving and doesn’t seem like it’s going to be able to carry much substance in the stories. I’ll give it one more episode and see how I feel. It does kind of suck that the only other show I’m actually interested in watching this summer, Fear Itself, is on at the same time, which means that at least one of them is not going to get the ratings needed to continue.

Also, it wasn’t until about halfway into the episode that I figured out for sure if Samantha was a boy or girl.

12

Saw a few minutes of Swingtown. Once they get past the novelty of ORGIES and some admittedly good music, there won’t be anywhere to go. Could make it for a couple more episodes, not that I’ll know or care.

13

[QUOTE=zenith]
…
C’mon, uptight chick who wasn’t all that interested in private sex with hubby takes one 'lude and does it in front of/with complete strangers? Gimme a break.
…
[/QUOTE]

I thought that part was terrible. At least drag it out for a few episodes.

I thought it was terrible. Not even a guilty pleasure.

14

The characters are developing, and I’m really starting to enjoy this show. I will call it my guilty pleasure for now. I mentioned it to my best friend and she almost freaked. For shame, how could I watch that? I told her it was pretty good, but held back that I have more than a passing interest in the premise. :slight_smile:

Last week, Janet started to come out of her shell, ate a pot brownie and suggested the group go skinny dipping!

I can’t wait to see what happens tonight.

15

I’ve watched the episodes before tonight’s, and after last week, I gave up on it.

As near as I can tell, that will seal its destiny as the next new blockbuster hit.

16

I really like it. Of course, I pretty much adore anything set in the 70s, but the characterization (although developing slowly) and storyline are getting progressively more and more interesting. There isn’t a single plot that I’m not looking forward to finding how it turns out. I think the portrayal of the kids are refreshing. I like that the Deckers aren’t held up as the perfect example of enlightenment. I like that Janet (and by extension Roger) are growing as people, whether or not they conform to the premises held up for them as ‘the’ path to follow. And I feel that Molly Parker is terrific and very layered to be the focus of the show.

I hope it sticks around. I could use a little more feel good type nonsense where the boy next door holds up his ranking (a la’ the Olympics) for the cute tomgirl across the way. As a matter of fact, I’m still smiling over the sincerity and sweet innocence of it all. Maybe it’ll continue.

17

I didn’t care much for the Seventies the first time.

18

[QUOTE=faithfool]
I really like it. Of course, I pretty much adore anything set in the 70s, but the characterization (although developing slowly) and storyline are getting progressively more and more interesting.
[/QUOTE]

My husband and I are really enjoying it as well. It’s an amazingly refreshingly accurate and complex look at the “open” lifestyle and all that means. None of the characters are one dimensional, no one is being either demonized or lionized. I keep waiting for Trina to be mean and manipulative and nasty, the way gorgeous sexually strong women are on television shows, and she’s just not. But she’s not Mother Theresa, either - she did really enjoy pushing Janet’s buttons at the cabin, but Susan totally called her on it, which was great! Janet seems like she’s pushing caricature, but then she ends up being warm and supportive. Susan very realistically (IME) runs the gamut weekly from “Wow, this is all just too frickin’ weird, I’m not sure I’m okay with it,” to “Woo-hoo!” to “Oh…this actually has larger implications and repercussions, doesn’t it?”

The men, too. It would be so easy to portray Tom as a sleazeball - hell, his profession practically begs it - but they haven’t. Bruce and Roger are both a bit bewildered by the changes in their wives, and are (again, realistically) both pleased and not-pleased by their becoming “new women,” in totally different ways.

I really hope Janet and Roger don’t become open, actually. It would be really nice to have a nice loving couple who can loosen up a little bit within their own monogamy. I’d like them to be okay with their friends being open and yet honestly decide it’s not for them - not because it’s the default social expectation, but because they make monogamy an informed choice.

The dynamics and patterns of exploring the poly lifestyle are SPOT ON, so far. From the “this was just a one time thing, okay?” to one partner telling your mutual friends before you were sure you wanted them to know to confiding in a non-poly friend that the experience brought you and your wife closer and them looking at you like you just said you like to rape puppies…it’s just all very realistic.

I keep expecting the show to stoop to common television conventions - for the sexy ones to be evil and manipulative and the “normal” ones to be tested and found “virtuous”…but so far, at least, it’s not going there.
Because I like the show so much, I expect it will be canceled before the season finale.

19

This show is just painful to watch…sort of like watching a bunch of teenagers get drunk and then decide to go drag racing down by dead man’s curve. Somehow you know this isn’t going to end well.

Gave up after two episodes.