Deadorsomething

Back in the 1980's, I watched a few episodes of the TV series that gave us the oxymoron "dramedy," Thirtysomething. It told the story of ad men, their families and friends. So thoroughly did they cover their hopes and desires that Michael, the nominal focus of the show, was married to Hope. I watched because it was the zeitgeist. It was the story of baby boomers claiming their place in the cultural firmament. It was also hard for me to watch. It wore on me, watching these pretty and exceptional people struggle over what direction their already comfortable lives might take. Which hundred thousand dollar a year job should I take? How do I win my wife's trust back after I have been out cheating on her? Where is that whining sound coming from? Oh. It was my TV.
It wasn't until I moved to California and found out that my wife was a big fan that I caught up on all the dramedy I was missing. I watched the reruns and finished off the arcs of Hope and Michael and Elliot and the rest of those thirtysomethings. I endured their suffering to better understand and relate to my wife. The same became true of the sufferings of the students of West Beverly High. I learned the dangers of using television to bond with those closest to you.
That's why, as the years have passed, we have made these important choices together. We have a nightly appointment with "The Daily Show," and until recently we were habitues of "30 Rock." And we got on the Mad Men bandwagon a little late, but early enough to remember Don Draper as a tortured soul. He's an ad man. We've met his family and friends, even though he tends to keep them all at arm's length. Now, six years down the road, I'm wondering if this isn't the darker, brooding retro version of the show I was watching back in 1987. I keep watching because I see Don as a conflicted person for whom I want to root, but he makes such awful choices. Contrast that with the show that we watched in those AMC interims, The Walking Dead. Here's a conflicted group of people, led by Rick Grimes, who are making real life and death decisions in every episode. That's what I've been missing.
I guess what I'm saying is this: I would have liked "Thirtysomething" better if Gary would have come back from the dead and tried to eat Hope.