There’s this amazing show on Bravo which really looked like a recipe for disaster. I don’t know who was the actual genius that gave it the green light.
When I first saw the commercials for The People’s Couch, I thought it looked ridiculous. It seemed like a whole new low for TV; let’s do a reality show of people sitting on their couches watching TV! But one day with nothing else on after a probably equally ridiculous episode of The Real Housewives” of some city, I watched an episode and it was hilarious. I actually laugh out loud several times during an episode.
The premise is real people sitting at home watching TV with family or friends and commenting on the shows. It’s like the peanut gallery of each person’s house. There are clips shows of about 6-8 TV shows from the previous week and we are getting to hear how different people react. They range from reality to prime time dramas. They are at home having a glass of wine or some snacks, like everyone else yelling back at the TV when you think something bad is going on and criticizing some pseudo celebrities fashion choice. There is one family, an African American husband, wife and teenage son, that appear to always be eating something delicious. Last night they had both cake and popsicles.
The genius is in everyone’s genuine reactions to the shows they are watching and how they interact with each other. Besides the aforementioned family, there’s three older woman who last night spent like at least 1 minute trying to figure out how to take a selfie. There is a husband and wife with their 2 teenage sons who watch the show from their bed. Last night also produced a hilarious moment when the dad kept trying to figure out how to ask his phone how old Kris Jenner was as they watched the Kardashians. Other “watchers” include girlfriends, a father with his daughters, and three gay men.
Most of the shows that they are watching are ones I’ve never watched myself and there is definitely some pretty crazy TV out there. I’ve never watched Honey Boo Boo or Devious Maids so watching the clips are fascinating glimpses into them. It’s at times even funnier when they are watching something I already watched and they have a similar reaction to mine at first viewing.
This isn’t a show that I would binge watch or watch if it were on every night, but there’s something to the weekly guilty pleasure of laughing along with others who seem to watch and enjoy as much TV as I do. I urge you all to just give it a chance because it’s perfect mindless TV without feeling icky like I do when I watch the Kardashians.