TV: Let's Keep It Real and Not Genteel: Class, moms and other things they don't talk about.

As we've spent the weekend on research, which included watching all the episodes of Girls so we could write about it, we're mainly stuck by what certain women in the media rush to embrace.

Girls can (and did) portray abortion as a casual decision a woman makes.

But damned if every White woman 30 or older in The Water Cooler Set doesn't praise that show as the height of feminism.

It's not feminist at all.

We question whether it's even pro-woman?




And then we thought about 2 Broke Girls.

Some don't care for it.

It's not their (gentle) cup of tea.

All those sex jokes!!!

They prefer their sex jokes cloaked in whimsy and delivered by upper-class 'ladies.'


And, at the end of the day, that's really what it's about, isn't it?

Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) work in a diner.  They sling hash.

It's just not classy enough for The Genteel Ladies of The Water Cooler Set.

And women talking about sex is way too much for The Limp Dicked Males of The Water Cooler Set.

So 2 Broke Girls delivers laughs and an audience and gets ignored.

The critical reaction to this show and these two actresses is little more than slut shaming.

You may have noticed The Genteel Ladies of The Water Cooler Set are already posting -- and have been for some time -- about how Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting The Golden Globes January 13th.  It's about 'sisterhood,' The Genteel will insist.

Alleged 'sisterhood' doesn't include noting that Dennings and Behrs are hosting The People's Choice Awards January 8th.

Alleged 'sisterhood' doesn't include advocating for the women (and Jennifer Coolidge) to be nominated for Emmys.


Oh, if only Caroline hadn't lost her fortune, she could be part of the Lena Dunham world and The Genteel Ladies could applaud her.

What's the funniest new show this season?

The Crazy Ones?

It's very good.

Sean Saves The World has also become very good.  We also like Super Fun Night.

In fact, let's show you what women are really up against.  From Wikipedia:

David Hinckley of The New York Daily News gave the show a 2 stars out of 5 and said that it was "not all that much fun".^[23] Brian Lowry of Variety gave the show a negative review, calling Wilson's American accent "uncomfortable" and the material "slight".^[24] Matt Webb Mitovich of TVLine lamented that the show had replaced Happy Endings, saying that even after watching Super Fun Night a second time to make sure he hadn't "missed" something, it still disappointed. A "live-action cartoon", he particularly disliked the lead characters.^[25] Verne Gay of Newsday gave the show a B− and called Rebel Wilson the show's "glimmer of hope".^[26] Robert Bianco of USA Today gave the show a 3 out of 4 stars.^[27] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter gave the show a negative review.^[28]


Well what do you know.

Six reviewers passed judgment on Rebel Wilson's show.

Six reviewers.

All men.

Now see, The Genteel Ladies lie (or "whore," let's keep it real and not genteel) that they like Lena Dunham and her show because it's not about body types and it's not this and it's not that.

Rebel Wilson is fat.

Did you gasp?

Are we not supposed to say that?

She's fat.

There's nothing criminal about that.

A large number of Americans are overweight (Rebel's Australian).

Rebel, at any weight, is prettier than Lena Dunham on Dunham's best day.

It's interesting that the same women salivating over Girls and insisting it's so great with different body types, ignore Super Fun Night which actually has diversity in body types.  There is fat, there is stocky, there is way too thin -- and that's just Kimmy and her two best friends.

Apparently, when The Genteel Ladies of The Water Cooler Set speak about diversity, they really just mean Lena Dunham has no tits.

Because for all their talk of 'body diversity,' they don't want to embrace the overweight.

It doesn't matter that Rebel Wilson's hilarious or that she's attractive.

What matters is she's fat.

So The Genteel Ladies see her as lower class.

And stay silent as the men set out to destroy Rebel and her show -- her very funny show.

The Genteel Ladies also stayed silent on the best new sitcom this fall.

CBS has it.

Mom stars Anna Faris as Christy.  She's also a waitress so The Genteel Ladies already lost interest.

Add in that Christy is a "Mom."

That's almost as bad as being fat in this patriarchy.

In fact, the ideal "mom" on TV was established years ago:  Dead or missing.

Hence not only My Two Dads, Blossom, Full House, I Married Dora, et al of the 80s but also The Courtship of Eddie's Father and many, many more.

Society values women for being sexy because that can lead to sex and sex can mean babies.

Society values women carrying babies.


It's just after the birth that the mommys lose their value.

Anna Faris' Christy is a recovering alcoholic and the mother of two children -- including a pregnant 16-year-old daughter.  Like Christy, her mother Bonnie is also a recovering alcoholic.  However, Allison Janney's Bonnie recently had a slip and is now living with Christy.  Along with those two strong leads, it's developing a fine recurring cast with standouts in Mimi Kennedy as Marjorie and Octavia Spencer as Regina.

It's been consistently funny and frequently surprising.

But the leads appear a little too gauche for The Water Cooler Set to buzz about.

Which reminds us of reality.

Today, Roseanne is repeatedly praised for her self-titled sitcom.

That's not how things were in real time.

In real time, John Goodman got an Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in 1989.  Roseanne didn't.

In real time, Roseanne's weight was always a press issue.  Not so with Goodman.

Roseanne would finally get an Emmy nomination in 1992.  In 1993, she'd even win.

Now that Roseanne is no longer in production, it sure has a lot of admirers.  But in real time, while it was loved by the viewers, the critics didn't show it the same warm embrace.

And they also don't call for Roseanne to return to TV, you may notice.

NBC has the chance to reunite Roseanne and John Goodman in a sitcom and takes a pass and The Water Cooler Set doesn't bat an eye.

Roseanne's character was the triple offense to The Water Cooler Set:: Fat, poor and a mother.

Whatever you think of the 'buzz' shows The Water Cooler Set admires, try to grasp that women are either objects (Mad Men) or shiny and new (Girls).  You don't get women playing the leads in Breaking Bad or Mad Men.  You certainly don't get 57-year-old women starring in them.


Most of all, you don't get The Water Cooler Set complaining about that.