BY MIKEY MIGO
Since the dawn of man there has always been television shows about music. The first sounds in the visual media that is film were the musical accompaniment. It's impossible to imagine visual media without the audio and vice versa now in our current cyber baby generation. This occurs through music videos, televised performances, soundtracks in movies and television, and other means. In some cases it was proven that music doesn't just have to be part of the foreground, but rather featured in television.
Off the bat we have the variety shows of the early color TV age. The "Sonny and Chers", the "Bing Crosby Christmas'", and random other shows were popular for years. I would suppose the closest thing we have now is when there is a musical guest on a talk show or on SNL. Even then, it's not featured but just kind of a side show to the normal routine.
Then there are the reality shows. The "Star Searches" of old have become the "American Idols" of today. There is "Nashville Star", a fair amount of dancing shows, Diddy has a random music related reality show on at like all times, and if you've seen any TV or any form of publication advertising TV or around anyone who speaks of TV then you know about a dozen of these shows off the top of your head already.
A lot of shows sneak music in. There's been plenty of musical numbers on "The Simpsons". Check the archives; I did a column on it in like 2007 I believe. "South Park", "The Office", "Big Love", and the late great "Six Feet Under" all have had musical segments. We're not talking about them today. We're talking about the television shows in which the main theme or vehicle is about music. Shows like "The Muppets", "The Partridge Family", "Kids Incorporated", the great NBC Saturday morning show "California Dreams", and the recently departed cult classic fav "Flight of the Conchords" would all be accepted in their respected times. While their time is up, there are still at least seven television shows I can think of that feature music…
To watch any of these shows, please check your local listings.
(I've always wanted to say that.)
Glee
(22 Episodes | FOX) - This show is the perfect example of how adding music to a lame show can make a world of difference. They should have just called this show "WOW! This is TV" as it's as generic and bland as those CDs. They've made a lot of money by covering and repackaging past and present Top 40 hits to the masses. There are some talented actors and singers on the show, but it's hard to take it serious. Even serious for a comedy. The tongue is so far in the cheek that gagging is a given. I will give them credit for their marketing and branding. They've taken these covers featured on the show and have put out some very well selling albums, some books, their DVDs, and anything else you can throw the boringly simply "glee" logo on. This is probably the only show on the list that wouldn't survive without their musical numbers. With well over seven million digital sales, we might as well get used to this American Idol smeared sitcom.
Treme
(10 Episodes | HBO) - I've been talking about this show so much lately that I feel like I should be getting paid for it. I, like many, loved me some "Wire". This David Simon show about a post Katrina New Orleans is most likely going to be the best show to debut this year. It has great acting, great writing, and great direction. If you have a maturity level higher than high school kids doing Bon Jovi covers then THIS is the show worth checking out. While the main cast for the show is made up of great actors like Wendell Pierce, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, and the awesome Khandi Alexander they bring in a lot of locals to fill in smaller roles. Sometimes these smaller roles become bigger, but it's awesome that they bring in trained and untrained New Orleans natives. Along with that, comes the music. The music on this show is downright amazing. It's New Orleans jazz in its purest form. They've brought to light a lot of great local musicians and feature them playing for large portions of the show. At first, for the unknowning, it comes off a little jarring. Before you know it, the music has taken on a life of its own. No matter the characters on the show, it's safe to say the music is the heart of it.
Memphis Beat
(10 Episodes | TNT) - This show is the newest one on the list. It's only like three or four episodes in, but seems to be getting favorable reviews. I typically wait for a season to finish before tapping the tivo and binging on a show. So because of that I've not watched any of this show yet. I caught like five minutes and it seemed fun enough. I'll wait it for Jason Lee, who rarely lets me down when outside of the Rated G/PG world. The little I did see and from the promo for it, I see that it's about a cop who occasionally plays blues music. The show is supposed to have a huge blues music vibe going for it and I could see that. Oddly enough most of the first season was shot in New Orleans due to the better tax break than Tennessee itself. That's kind of lame, but still not enough for me to dismiss the show. I'm looking forward to this one. If anyone has seen it can you tell me two things, is it any good and how is Jason Lee's singing voice?
Z Rock
(20 Episodes | IFC) - This three piece band gained notoriety through a unique channel. Instead of playing dives, making no money, and trying to get the world's attention through passing out flyers and e-vites they went out and got their own show on IFC. They played a three piece hard rock band that play kids parties to earn a living as they rock out at night as their normal Z02 selves. The show at its best is like "A Hard Days Night" meets "Curb Your Enthusiasm", but at worse "the Monkees" meets "Jersey Shore". The show is edgy, silly, and shows a fair glimpse of the rock and roll lifestyle of many hard(ly) working bands out there. I've probably seen at least fifteen of their episodes, a few multiple times, but I couldn't tell you ANY of their music at all. I think I know the melody to the opening credits, but that's about it. I like the guys, the show is enjoyable, but the music side is kind of forgettable when it comes down to it. That either means they're really good actors or just really bad musicians. I'm hoping for the really good actor part.
Hannah Montana
(97 Episodes | Disney) - With just over ten episodes left, Miley Cyrus is turning her back on her Hannah Montana persona forever. Like the "Monkees" or "Partridge Family" type shows of the past, this show completely capitalized on the young girl market and was a crazy merchandising machine. For the last four years the "Hannah Montana"/Miley Cyrus circus has been running wild. Miley is growing up so obviously a Disney show isn't that appealing to her. This show is solely responsible for number one albums, a theatrically released concert, DVDS up the wazoo, folders, stickers, shirts, dolls, and anything and everything you can make pink and slap a logo on. The hoopla seems to of faded considerably over the past year or so, but it's still there and we know it. A lot of people thought it was going to be hard for Miley to shake the image and stand on her own name, but she's managed to do it with somewhat ease. She and her fan base are older now. For that, this show is no longer needed.
Metalocalypse
(45 Episodes | Cartoon Network[adultswim]) - I have to apologize to friends and family who have pushed this one on me. For the life of me, I can never seem to catch any episodes of this show. I've seen a few very minutes of the show and I got the vibe of it. I'm pretty sure I'd love it if I gave it a full chance. For those who don't know, Metalocalypse is 15/20 minute cartoon on adultswim. It's grown to be a pretty popular show among a growing cult of fans. The show is about the crazy live of the death metal band "Dethklok". I will eventually watch this and hate myself for putting it off.
Hip Hop Harry
(15 Episodes | TLC/Discovery Kids) - I had a lot of problems racking my brain for any shows that featured hip hop. I know there are shows that have a rapper character, but never a main feature as the other shows on this list. I did some research and Hip Hop Harry is all that I could come up with. From the looks of it, the show is like any other kid's show. It's like "Barney", but with a Hip Hop singing bear. Harry is obviously a thug. He rocks that big red shirt, blue hat, baggy pants, and a gold chain. Not be to confused as a "crypt" or a "blood", they mix up "his colors" very well. I'd be lieing if I claimed to of seen any of this show, but who wouldn't want to be taught about social, educational, physical, and creative skills to the music of "age-appropriate hip hop music".
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