Weeds: The Non-P.C. Sitcom

CBS is heavily fined for showing one of Janet Jackson's exposed breasts (I've seen better, bigger and younger!). Many award shows now have a five-second delay in case someone uses a four-letter word (or worse). Network television has been so sanitized that reality has somehow been ignored. Therefore, once in a while one can watch cable networks to see programming that is definitely NOT P.C. One such show is called "Weeds". It takes place in a fictional California suburb- full of P.-T.A and soccer moms, well-manicured lawns, pristine houses, and a single mom selling marijuana to make ends meet. It may be fictional and pretty funny, but there is a sad truth behind this series: single parents and sometimes even Mom and Dad may have to resort to extra-legal means to keep up with the Joneses and with their ever-mounting bills. Of course, there are critics who resent Nancy Botwin (played by Mary-Louise Parker) selling pot. On the other hand, there are plenty of college-age kids who are wondering "Wow! If Dad dies could my mom earn a living doing that?"

There is no doubt that the premise is outrageous, and sure to cause alarm among conservative Christians who do not believe that marijuana was one of God's creations, unless he smoked some on the seventh day when He rested. While the show is really funny, the characters are believable. And the point, while not hammered home is that wherever there's a buyer's market, there will be a seller, even if it's Mom.

Why is this show successful? Because it is a relief from the creaming contestants on game shows and the faked "adventures" of shows like "Amazing Race" and "Survivor." "Weeds" is far different from so-called "sit-coms" featuring semi-actors with story lines at which one is supposed to laugh along with the sound track. You laugh AT sit-com characters, from "The King of Queens" to "The Old Christine." In this "Weeds" series, you laugh gently WITH the characters and their situations, because they are far more real than the contrived network series of shows. Even the African-Americans on the show, illegitimate though their occupation may be, have realism built into them. Yes, they could be convicted as felons but you hope that they'll never be caught, because the ones who wouold take their place are sure to be worse.

Of course, even some fair-minded individuals may carp at the fact that Mom's happy-go=-lucky dealers are black. Hey, this is non-P.C.- and it's a fact of druggie life- whether in the inner cities or in the suburbs. You can't help but like Nancy and her kids, because they're not cute sit-com types doing cute sit-com things, which may be one reason the cable networks are picking up younger viewers who aren't interested in "Desperate Housewives".