Saturday is a sad day for me. It’s the series finale of one of the better new shows to come along in a long time, Pushing Daisies, 10 p.m. on ABC.
Courtesy of ABC
Courtesy of ABC
It’s a charming, if faintly macabre show about Ned, who can bring the dead back to life with his touch. But there are several caveats if he does, not least being if he touches a resurrected person a second time, that person will go back to being dead permanently. So when he resurrects Chuck, his childhood sweetheart and One True Love, he can never touch her again.
But alas, the show was just a little too different to take off, never mind all the Emmy awards and critical acclaim. Emmys and critcal acclaim are all very well, but what the advertisers are paying for are eyeballs – lots of them. And there just weren’t enough people watching the show. Sad, but that’s how it goes.
On Sunday, however, is one bright spot and I can’t believe I’m saying this about a reality show.
Courtesy of A&E Networks
Hammertime, premieiring on A&E at 10 p.m., is a basic follow the former massive celeb and his family around, this time featuring Stanely Burrell, better known as MC Hammer, the rapper, dancer, musician, who made a small fortune in the 1990s, lost it and now seems to be back on his feet and doing well, albeit more modestly.
He and his wife Stephanie have been together for 23 years and have their five children and one nephew with them. Most of the kids share their dad’s interest in music, singing and dancing. But what I loved about this show is that Dad is incredibly affectionate, positive and loving, but no pushover, by any means.
The good news is that he and Stephanie are effective parents – at least as we see them in the show. In the first half hour, son Jeremiah brings home a less than stellar report card. While neither parent yells or puts their son down, they make it darned clear that they are disappointed and he’d better get his act together. And dad does sit down and help Jeremiah with his homework, then rewards him for the effort with a game of hoops. What a perfect reward – more time just playing with dad and your brothers. Then when Jeremiah brings home a good test paper, both parents give him just enough praise to reinforce the good behavior.
Same thing when Hammer’s shy younger daughter shows some significant singing talent. Dad and his elder daughter push Sarah just hard enough to get her into the studio, then up in front of an audience at an open mike night. And the whole family is there to support her, even if the boys tease her. Better yet, Dad stands up for her, teasing the boys right back, but letting them know their behavior is not appropriate.
I won’t say there’s a lot of drama here, but it worth watching. So check it out. You might want to ask your kids if they think Hammer is a good parent and why. When you see pictures of Hammer 20 years ago, you can ask your kids what they think they’ll look like in 20 years and maybe show them pictures of yourself back then. There’s a lot of room for discussion here and that may be more valuable in the long run.
Anne Louise Bannon
Your Family Viewer
