Quality TV for a Change
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: The Mark Levin Show
Topic: Quality TV for a Change
In the midst of the open sewer that is television, there have been two iconoclastic shows that deserve real merit:

During the mid-1980s, when the Cold War looked to go hot, ABC’s Nightline did a surprising good program on the U.S.S.R. as seen through the eyes of Soviet citizens. Using clips of popular TV shows on Soviet TV, as well as select interviews, it was an all-to-rare look inside the mentality of the ordinary citizens of the “Evil Empire” that proved to be as illuminating as it was entertaining. Well, this past Saturday, the king of cable news, FOX News, had a fascinating documentary in a similar vein. Entitled Winning Iraq, this one hour long program toured the Iraqi landscape showing the positive sites and sounds of the “new Iraq” that other news networks have done their best to ignore. From open-air technology markets, to the burgeoning business of American-style TV programming (including reality television shows!), Greg Palkot & Co. provided an altogether fascinating and uplifting portrait of a fledgling democracy in the making. Well done FOX, well done.

A second show, this time on CBS, is the two-part biography Pope John Paul II. Starring John Voight as the late pontiff, this miniseries has proven to be an all too rare glimpse into the life of a man who had dedicated himself not to just some amorphous spirituality, which is the closest most television programming can come to religion these days, but to serving Christ and the Roman Catholic Church. We glimpse the immense bravery of Karol Wojtyla during the difficult times of German and Soviet occupation of Poland (this is one of the *very* rare shows in which the communists are truthfully shown to be as bloodthirsty as the Nazis) as well as his immense intellect and faith that sustained him during his numerous trials. Not only is this program very kind to the pope, but it also bucks the heretical trend of always portraying the Church and its ecclesia as mired in dark conspiracy (as in The Da Vinci Code). Instead, we are presented with numerous examples of priests, bishops, and cardinals who stood bravely against the forces of evil, armed with only their faith and wits. What a breath of fresh air! Kudos to CBS!

Finally, A&E offered some chess programming in the form of The Knights of the South Bronx. Starring Ted Danson, this two hour factual drama demonstrated how an unassuming public school teacher by the name of David MacEnulty used chess to motivate his students to succeed in school, as well in their harsh, ghetto life. Initially, I was not too interested in watching this show as it seemed to be yet another “me too” effort to copy the unexpected popularity of Searching for Bobby Fischer. To be blunt, how many shows about kids and chess do we need? But I was wrong. Not only was this drama a wonderful tribute to the “Royal Game” I so love, but it also brought the very uplifting message that the only aristocracy that really matters, is the aristocracy of the mind. If you work hard and train the brain (and play chess, of course!), you will succeed---and that is a message everyone needs to hear. Bravo A&E!