The new HBO show Here and Now is going to be kind of an odd show to get used to it seems. Maybe odd isn’t the right word, but it would seem that it’s close. So far it looks like it focuses on everything but being a white Caucasian in America and that seems pretty cool. Maybe I’m reading it wrong but there are definitely undertones of something other than the story of the typical white family that has a bevy of problems they need to somehow figure out all while their token friends, who are from different ethnic backgrounds of course, provide color commentary and some very interesting peripherals. This is however something that seems like it’s going to be taking a broader scope and looking at everyone else as well as the white folks but with more emphasis on the ‘everything else’ as the main point. I think I’d like to watch it already.
Let’s face the facts, the same old routine for the same old shows is boring and has had it’s time for way too long. There’s no patronizing tone here and no need to ingratiate myself with anyone, it’s the straight truth and I’m glad to say it. Shows that feature a predominantly white cast that tends to take over and kind of push everyone else out have been done over, and over, and over again. Sure some of them have become award-winning shows but the idea is to branch out and make something different, not go with the same recipe time and again with only subtle differences added in so that people will think it’s something else.
The look at a multi-racial family isn’t going to be something entirely new but it’s going to be another look at something that is growing increasingly more normal in the US and needs to be recognized a little more as something that’s quite healthy and in some ways the best thing for kids. The attitude of the adults however seems to be that their parents only adopted so many kids to become a multi-racial family so that they could show how progressive and open they are to new experiences. It might not be that way but if a child grows up thinking it then it might be construed that way. In any case it seems like this show is going to be something interesting to watch and it could provide a very deep look into something that a lot of people don’t have a great deal of experience with in a way that’s both comical and dramatic all in one.
It’d be nice to see a show like this do well since it could be a breath of fresh air that people need. More diverse shows that depict more than just white individuals that have ‘problems’ is always a good thing at this time. No offense to the shows I just mentioned but eventually the problems of rich white folks or poor white folks tend to get old because it’s just one part of the spectrum. Let’s see how other folks of different color and cultures live.
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