Why You Should Be Watching "Men of a Certain Age" on TNT

"Men of a Certain Age" should only appeal to married men, single-older men and dads. But that's just bullshit. It appeals to a lot of us - single women, single older women, married women, women with children and moms. This show is fresh, yet we relate to every word, every scene, every scenario and every character on the show. The show is about all of us. About our everyday lives. No frills or over the top tragedies or rich neighborhoods or plastic surgery. It is our life right there on TV. Usually we want to get away from that, watch a fantasy, but "Men of a Certain Age" begs us to hang in there, and they win us over every time.

I will admit, when I first watched the show, I was not a huge Ray Romano fan. I never got into his hit series "Everybody loves Raymond," however, he is brilliant on "Men of a Certain Age." His character, Joe, is one we all know - divorced dad, works hard at his business (he owns a party store), has the kids on weekends and certain week days, still has feelings for his ex (who cheated on him,) had a gambling problem (everyone has some sort of bad habit) but has core group of two other men he hangs out with. This is "Sex in the City", but with men, and in the suburbs, and they are older, and less fashionable, but there is definitely sex.

Scott Bakula, who, for those of you "of a certain age," remember his great roll as Sam Beckett in "Quantum Leap" in 1990's, plays Terry, an actor who never quite made it, except for a popular commercial he was in that he is always, embarrassingly, remembered for. He lives in a rental apartment, has flings (although finally falls for someone who does not fall back), and lives day to day, hour to hour, always trying to find the next best thing, even though he is lazy about getting there. He is lucky to have this core of men to hang out with because they care about him and are there for him no matter what.

Finally, the fabulous Andre Braugher who plays Owen, a man who finally took over his "daddy's" car lot, (he still calls his dad "daddy",) but constantly lives and struggles under his shadow even at this middle-age part of his life. He is married to a fabulous wife who wants to go back to work because she is bored with the suburban housewife routine, so he wants to help out with the kids to make that happen. Unfortunately, the car dealership keeps him very busy. Owen is your everyday man, the guy you see leave his house for work each day in his jacket and tie, coffee cup in hand, that comes home at night for dinner with the family, but waves to you from the driveway before he goes inside. The thing is, you never know what he is going to say or do, because Owen himself does not always know what he is going to say or do. He is unpredictable. And for him, this is saving his life. He does not want to be predictable. He needs a little crazy to maintain order.

These three men compliment each other, and have been friends since childhood, something that a lot of men can relate to. They have kept these friendships all these years, and sometimes women don't understand it. But, it's not for we females to understand. It is important for these men to be friends and for the women in their lives to accept it. After all, they are good for each other, which in turn is good for their families. And that's how a fan feels when he or she watches this show.


"Men of a Certain Age" airs on TNT on Wednesday nights.