Part of a possibly ongoing series where I discover something at random that I think is worth a look, and recommend it to you fine folks.

A few nights back, after finding myself under the ubiquitous sway of Wild Turkey, I decided to stay in and explore the labyrinthine menus of my digital cable’s On-Demand lineup. I poked around the free movie section for a moment, but my slightly dimmed senses couldn’t handle watching On the Waterfront or The Shop Around the Corner (though I’ve since gone back), so I opted to explore the premium section, starting with Showtime. Lo and behold, several minutes later I somehow wound up watching This American Life, and whichever demon lurking in my subconscious prompted me to do so, well: my eternal thanks and subservience to you, sire.

Having no clue what I was getting myself into, I might have been knocked on my ass had I not already been lying in bed; This American Life’s raw storytelling, creepy emotional power, and underlying intelligence made quite an impression. Forget the title, it is, after all, quite forgettable; the show succeeds by breathing much-needed life into the bloated corpse of documentary television.

As many of you may already know, TAL is an adaptation of a long-running series of Public Radio International broadcasts hosted by Ira Glass. The producers have succeeded in a smooth move to television, incorporating kaleidoscopic cinematography, eclectic music, and dry but knowingly funny narration. Being a new convert to public radio (as in, the actual antiquated radio broadcasts), and since I usually only get to listen during my daily commute, I have yet to experience the radio version of This American Life, but I imagine it’s equally entertaining.

Each episode chooses a theme and presents several stories based around that theme -- from the social effects of the all-mighty Camera, to the unexpected consequences of trying new things. In one episode I watched -- this time sober, a few days later -- genetics and pig farming come together to give us plump, meaty, light-sensitive schizo-pigs; illustrating how far our technological manipulation of nature has come, and how far we have to go.

In that same episode, titled “Pandora’s Box”, there was the story of a hot dog stand that has managed to tap into the long-simmering anger between the hyper-segregated neighborhoods of Chicago. The stand’s gimmick of treating their customers like shit succeeds in earning them constant business, but frequently backfires at night, when crowds of white patrons begin cat-calling and chanting for a “chocolate milkshake”. The so-called milkshake has little to do with frosty cocoa goodness; rather, it refers to the makeshift ritual of one of the black employees lifting her shirt to shake her tits in front of the screaming crowd. Don’t worry: they tip her.

The stories featured on TAL all follow a similar formula: they present a fascinating, seemingly harmless oddity and then widen the perspective to show the dark underbelly writhing just beneath the surface. And it works. It’s a rare example of documentary TV done right -- as far from “reality” television as anything, but far more watchable than the majority of TV-documentary fare. Take a look at the trailer for the 2nd episode:



If you get the chance, I sincerely recommend taking a look at the show. The first mini-season of 6 episodes has finished, though last I checked they're available On-Demand. The second season is scheduled to begin production soon, and will likely appear at some point in early 2008.