What was on TV? Tues, Dec 14, 2004

20 years ago...lets go back. Back to the beginning. Back to where the earth, the sun, the stars all aligned. Let's see what was on TV.

9:00 Veronica Mars on UPN

1x10 "An Echolls Family Christmas" (record House on Fox)

Available on Hulu

I love Christmas, and I love Christmas-themed art. I love Christmas romance and Christmas horror, Christmas movies that make you laugh and Christmas books that make you cry. But there's a special place in my heart for Christmas noir. Noir is all about dark underbellies and secretly miserable people, and that stuff just works even better when set against a backdrop of holiday cheer.

This episode secures Veronica Mars' place in the holiday noir canon. The case of the week involves a poker game and a bunch of dumb boys. A second case of the week involves rich people screwing the catering staff (literally and figuratively). Veronica humiliates the boys. Secrets are revealed. Someone gets stabbed. People sing Christmas carols against a backdrop of violence. It's a perfect slice of Christmas noir.

This episode was written by Diane Ruggiero-Wright. She rose rapidly to the top of the Hollywood heap in the early 2000s: Nora Ephron optioned one of her screenplay and a sitcom she created got a greenlight at CBS. Then the network meddled and the show was cancelled. She found firmer footing when she started working on Mars, penning fan-favorite episodes like this one (she would later work with Thomas on iZombie and the Veronica Mars revival). She currently works on the ABC show High Potential.

This episode was directed by Nick Marck. He directed episodes of Northern Exposure, The Wonder Years, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

10:30 Laguna Beach on MTV`

1x11 "Dunzo"

Available on Paramount+

This show has been the big surprise of this project so far. I thought I would sample an episode to get the full 2004 experience. But I loved it! I only started this project in late September, but if I made a "top 10 shows of the last three months of 2004" list, this show would be on it. The final scene of the season exemplifies what I find so compelling about the show. LC boards a plane for San Francisco to the tune of Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved," for maximum mid-2000s nostalgia. And we get a match cut from the plane to a flying seagull as we transition to San Francisco. This captures the true innovation and appeal of Laguna, all these years later. It's cinematic. The show was shot like a fictional TV show, free of talking heads and the usual reality TV trappings. It has real production value, and a real visual style, all paired with a primal story about growing up and leaving home even as you pine for the prettiest boy in your small town. Of course, this comes with a more overt artificiality. We see this in the show's final moments, as the show pretends that Spencer and LC are crossing the Golden Gate Bridge when they are clearly driving on the less cinematic Bay Bridge (I grew up in San Francisco, I would know). But I don't care. The trade-off is worth it. At least for now.

Late Night

Tonight on Conan, we got a really fun holiday-themed segment, featuring the world's fastest menorah, bungee-jumping Jesus, and eggnog-vomiting Kermit the Frog. It's classic Conan and I love it.

It's all downhill from there. Kevin Spacey stops by and literally destroys some furniture! America's once and future president (God help and forgive us) does a bit to promote The Apprentice finale. But things pick back up after that with a very fun Billy Connolly interview and the craziest musical performance I've seen so far in this project. I have no idea who Skindred are, but I am so glad they made it onto TV.

What Else Was On

Spike aired the Video Game Awards. They were hosted by Snoop Dogg and/or Brooke Burke. I've heard conflicting reports.

TiVo Status

The three-hour Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince and The Office Christmas Special from across the pond (2 hours). 5 hours with 23 hours of space left.