MY BOYS is TBS’s first scripted TV show and debuted in 2006. The story is set in Chicago and revolves around a female sports journalist, PJ, and her hopeless-in-love guy friends who meet weekly for poker and beer. All of the characters are basically single, except for a few short-term flings and, of course, PJ’s married brother Andy, who is pretty funny.
From my scholarly Wikipedia research, I learned that the series was created by Betsey Thomas, a name which I had never heard before but struck me first as Betsey Johnson and then as Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s. Many of the references in the show are very specific to seasoned Chicago suburb-turned-city-dwellers, like when PJ’s friend asks the group, “How do you get from Midway to Hoffman Estates?” Such insider references to the Chicago metropolitan area can certainly be credited to Thomas, who is a Chicago Cubs fanatic, although no Chicagoan. That’s OK, though; she gets extra credit for writing PJ and her two best friends in as Northwestern grads. Yay!
PJ is played by Jordana Spiro, whom Wikipedia confirms as having studied under Alfred Molina at the Odyssey Theatre in LA. I am not sure what cred studying under Alfred Molina generally gives one, but in Spiro’s case, it makes for a very sympathetic and watchable main character. Actually, I am more drawn into PJ’s life as a 20-something sports journalist in Chicago than the one of Carrie, the 30-something sex columnist in New York, à la SEX AND THE CITY, the show’s close cousin.
Chicago vs. New York?
The Chicago which MY BOYS portrays is a carbon copy of my real-life perception of it. From time to time, each neighborhood is casually name-dropped, and obscure landmarks are sprinkled around to keep the situtation authentic. I am familiar with the surroundings, so the story is not exotic to me. The city seems just as quiet and peaceful on TV as the way I remember it being. I move past the setting and onto the characters, who are completely loveable!
The New York-ness of SEX AND THE CITY is its selling point. I love the suggested adventure and serendipity which the characters encounter in such a dense place. However, the characters are hyperboles of real people. I would be hard-pressed to find a Samantha walking around New York today, no matter how much we reject double standards regarding women and sex. Although she is entertaining to watch, New York wins me over more.
Perhaps a third show should be created to show the small, lively niches in Chicago. And I’m not talking NYPD-Blue style. I mean the CBGB’s of the Windy City! And skinny jeans (caught on 6 months after the trend in New York), thrift stores, pierogies and parades. For now, MY BOYS is a good overture to that.
So, two thumbs up! Come see what I am talking about; the season-two finale of MY BOYS airs next Monday at 9PM CST.
Photo courtesy of tbs.com
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