"Beggars and Choosers" (1999) TV series 1999-2001

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

19 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The amusing trials of the executive staff of a television network.

Plot Keywords:

Television | Television Network | Workplace | Female Nudity | Television Broadcasting

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Tuc Watkins	...	Malcolm Laffley (37 episodes, 1999-2001)
Sherri Saum	...	Casey Lenox / ... (28 episodes, 1999-2001)
Ben Bass	...	Brian Peske (22 episodes, 1999-2001)
Colin Cunningham	...	Herb Kolodny (22 episodes, 1999-2001)
Kaj-Erik Eriksen	...	Carey Malone / ... (22 episodes, 1999-2001)
Rudolf Martin	...	Nicky Krasnakov (22 episodes, 1999-2001)
Klodyne Rodney	...	Latitia Martinez (21 episodes, 1999-2000)
Justin Carroll	...	Nigel Gibney (20 episodes, 2000-2001)
Christina Hendricks	...	Kelly Kramer (19 episodes, 2000-2001)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Granada Entertainment

Satire of the Broadcast TV industry

I watched one of these shows on a VHS cassette that I found at a thrift store. I liked the energy of the cast, and thought that the idea of a behind the scenes look at a TV network had potential, but found that the attempt to parody the network TV selection process itself came across as insensitive at times. As with many Showtime and HBO releases, I noticed that the percentage of swear words was significantly higher than one hears in real life. I can't help wondering if this might be a reason for the show's demise. Still, two years is not a bad run for a TV show these days, and I'm sure the percentage of swear words used in Hollywood and the TV industry is in fact greater than the use of such words in the general population, so in this sense the show may be said to mirror reality.

I couldn't help thinking that there were many inside jokes being presented on the screen. The episode I watched, "White Woman's Burden" presents some openly racist dialogue thinly disguised as satire. Is it possible that the underlying themes of racism and sexual orientation were found to be too controversial even for Showtime? If so, then maybe this show has potential to make a comeback as a full length feature film.

If anything prevents this show from reaching a wide audience, it's the extremely upscale lifestyles of the cast. Everyone seems to be living in an artificial reality dominated by big money, the struggle for power, and gangsters. Yet it looks enough like the reality in the Television industry that maybe it offended some of the same people whose support it needed to continue in production. Overall, I think this show has great potential and I liked the honest attempt to present a behind the scenes look at network television. Possibly this show may illustrate some of the reasons for network television's shrinking audience.