The fat cop. The Jersey guido. The surgically enhanced housewife. The white trash redneck. There are gobs of stereotypes perpetuated on some of television's most popular programs each week. It's a disappointing trend that will yield even less sophisticated audiences, but hey, this is America. It is our right to create and watch television that oversimplifies characters for the easiest possible punchline. And now, thanks to Movieline's handy new feature, you can track each week's hottest stereotypes so you have someone to make fun of at the bar this weekend. Or if you're a cop, at the donut shop. Ding! You get the picture.
1. Fat Cops Who Love to Eat, Break Tables (Mike & Molly)
Confession: I have an odd fascination with Mike & Molly if you haven't yet noticed. 12 million people tuned in this week to watch an overweight woman who can't find love sing "She's a Brick House" on the elliptical while eye-ing her mother's chocolate pudding cake. 12 million people laughed when the fat cop broke a table. Because he leaned on it. And he's fat. And then he made a joke about it after ("I"m OK but I don't know about this table."). And then the oppressive laugh track kicked in. Telling viewers that this fat cop who breaks tables is fat and funny!*
2. Redneck Homophobes (Survivor)
Thank you, Les Moonves, for providing television audiences with one of the most offensive tirades ever aired on a network without appending it with any kind of politically correct message like "CBS and Jeff Probst do not support homophobes." I understand that it was imperative that you air Shannon's (a.k.a Homophobic Adrian Grenier) speech at length because America loves to hear small-minded crazy talk like "New York is where all the gay people are."
3. The Bitchy Cheerleader (Glee)
So there are about a dozen other stereotypes begging to be discussed on the show -- and believe you me, we'll get to them -- but this week, I'm going to talk about bitchy cheerleaders because Quinn really hit her mean girl stride during the Glee premiere. She Benedict Arnold-ed her teammate Santana (after Santana came back from summer vacation with a boob job), started a fight (in her cheerleader uniform no less), and scratched her way to the top of the Cheerio pyramid with using war tactics perfected by Regina George back in 2004.
And this is just Week 1 folks. Tune back in next week for the hottest new stereotypes hitting the small screen.
*Come see my slam poetry performance about Mike & Molly next week. I'll be making the fliers tonight.