The realism trend probably began with shows like Survivor. See, for a time, TV shows were becoming incredibly predictable. You always knew exactly what was gonna happen, you knew every punchline to every joke, it was just the same old stuff time and again, and people just didn't care anymore. It wasn't hard for shows like Survivor and Top Chef to steal viewers away by the thousands.
Along came reality television. Say what you will about it, but it did make some changes. TV producers found that viewers really responded better to more realistic scenarios, more real people. Even if reality shows are staged, even if they can be crass and artless, the fact remains that they use real human emotions and drama to build the whole package, even if that real drama is sometimes twisted around in editing to seem more extreme than it really is.
The first show to adapt and survive in this new television climate was The Sopranos. Twenty years ago, it could have just been some mafia show. See, in Goodfellas, the characters worry about the business, but on The Sopranos, the characters worry about business as well as family, personal finances, their relations with their friends, sex, health, psychological well being and so on. You know, everything we have to worry about in real life.
Weeds follows the same trend and utilizes a great concept: Suburban single mom runs a massive marijuana selling empire. You get an equal mix of great stoner humor, crime storytelling and family drama, and it's always funny.
The show is both real and funny, and full of great characters like The Candyman, actually a woman, a fitness nut who runs a bakery and refuses to sell to anyone who won't promise to exercise regularly to burn off the fat they get from her delicious cupcakes and brownies.
The show follows two primary plot threads: One following the mother's journey in building her criminal empire, and one following her family issues and the local gossip. Watching how the two stories affect one another is always worth a laugh.
Be warned that the show is quite addictive. Each season is really designed as a self contained story, as opposed to each episode, so when you watch one, you'll want to watch the next one right away. Make sure to download a whole season at a time if you really want to enjoy the series. Just be ready to set a few hours aside whenever you want to sit down and watch.
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