PRIME LIVING
Transformative
tele vision Stacie Charbonneau Hess
I have never been much of a TV person. I watched Breaking Bad, like the rest of the world, and Downton Abbey. I have never seen Game of Thrones or Keeping up with the Kardashians. In general I am a restless person, so if I am going to spend time sitting and consuming, it better be on something super-engaging or educational in some way. I’m looking for a show that transports me or enlightens me. Think Ken Burns documentaries or French cinema… to some of you that may sound like torture, but to each her own, right?
This year, having oodles more downtime with my schedule stripped of commuting and shuffling my family around, I have found some amazing and uplifting educational television. I can travel without leaving my house with Rick Steves and HGTV. I can cry as “football” coach Jason Sudeikis and his cast produce touching, funny 30 minute episodes on Ted Lasso. I have found social justice documentaries that I can work into my syllabus at BCC. Since I miss traveling, I like to find shows that give me a glimpse of a new culture. My 12-year-old introduced me to Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted series, by National Geographic. We’ve been watching it together, a reward after our daily work is done. We sit enraptured as the intrepid chef scuba dives for scallops in wintery Norway, rides a bull across a giant mud puddle, and treks to a remote hut to learn about medicinal plants. Ramsay is sarcastically entertaining, and the show is replete with “beeps” to censor his swearing, but his visits are enthralling and culturally sensitive. The premise of the program is that Ramsay shows up
18
S ou th C oast P r ime T imes
in far-flung places on the globe, spends one week, befriends citizens with local knowledge and prestige – an indigenous leader or a governor of a small country – and goes head to head with a local chef to prepare a dinner at the week’s end, judged by the dinner guests. The meal preparation – on a makeshift stove on a mountain-top, for example – is always creative, exciting, and fun to watch. It’s Ramsay’s bold enthusiasm, however, that hooks Charlotte and me. Well, that, coupled with the aerial shots of Peru, Hawaii, Scandinavia, Indonesia – places we really want to learn about. Other times, if I am feeling really restless and winter-laden, I go to my Apple TV and select the show House Hunters International. Here, American citizens, and
M ay /J une 2021
not always of extraordinary means, hunt for homes in places like Australia, France, even Japan. I especially love the island edition of this show, where northeastern expats look for an escape in the Carribean or Hawaii. This show, like Ramsey’s, has a comforting routine as well: a local realtor shows the buyers three houses and before the show is over they choose the one they like best, or the one that fits their budget best. I love to dream about retiring in a sunny location, and this show helps me believe my dreams are possible. Cayman Islands here I come!
Catching my breath Another thing I could not do without my television screen (well, actually my laptop) is Zoom. Without Zoom, I would
I love to dream about retiring in a sunny location, and this show helps me believe my dreams are possible.
