Thanks to book blogger Maud Newton, I caught up to this amusing year-old clip for a fake TV show about young intellectuals (‘llectuals — “it’s Read the full post.
Jul 21
2009
03:45 PM ET
Why aren't there more bookish types on TV?
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Temperance on “Bones” is an intellectual and author so I think it is safe to assume she is also a reader. Of course she is portrayed as lacking the ability to “read” emotional responses as opposed to her partner Booth, the handsome, charismatic FBI agent. Implication: being a reader is being flawed.
Someone said before that you can’t write bookishness without it coming off as pretentious or nerdy.
Take Jim Parson’s Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory. He actually comes off as both. It’s brilliant.
Plus I don’t think anybody tunes into their favorite show to watch a character reading. There is an action packed plot for you. Can you imagine Lawrence Fishburne on CSI saying “Wait I want to finish the chapter in Pynchon’s latest before I solve the murder!!!”
Are we really prepared to measure book-ishness by being a member of a book club? That’s the bar?? Most book-club meets once a month? So if you read 12 books a year, you’re book-ish? Seems low.
If you read 8 pages a night before bed, (maybe 10-12 minutes of actual time) over 50 weeks you’ll read 2800 pages. Hardly strikes me as overly bookish.
Do you think this is a modern phenomenon, or is it just human nature to disregard the sex appeal of bookish people?
What about Chad Michael Murray’s character in One Tree Hill? The entire show is based on his love of literature.
Ben McKenzie’s character of Ryan Atwood on The OC was often seen reading and his new character Ben Sherman on Southland has been seen reading also with a stack of other books on his coffee table.
I would point out that a HUGE problem with the way that Brennan is written on Bones is that it has always driven me crazy that does understand colloquial language and we’re supposed to believe that she writes GENRE fiction? Ridiculous. It seems that we’re supposed to believe she began writing genre fiction without reading it, which would mean, quite frankly, that she would never be published.
OK, it’s been a few years since the show departed too soon (as did, alas, its star) but “Spenser: For Hire” showcased the most literate of private eyes, who tossed off classical quotes and once described his possessions as “my good name, an apartment, and a few good books.”
Lucas on One Tree Hill is a great example of a character who is bookish. While it is heavier in the earlier seasons (he even gets his skanky cheerleader girlfriend to read The Winter of Our Discontent & in the first episode he receives a copy of Julius Caesar), the entire series until now has revolved around his love for the books. I mean, he turned out to be an author! If Lucas isn’t bookish, then I don’t know what is.
Was watching old episodes of Friends and Chandler was forever reading the newspaper and there was a whole episode of Joey reading Little Woman and Phoebe taking literature classes and liking it. It wasn’t a focal point but you got the sense reading was a part of their lives.
Gilmore Girls was the BEST TV show ever! I would say that it’s one of the most intellectually oriented shows ever.
I really liked the Gilmore girls and liked Rory, but even though it showed her reading, it never really came off right in my opinion. I remember once she was sitting on a bench next to a busy street reading Joyce’s Ulysses. Ridiculous! How could anyone ever read that book in such a setting? Or I may just be broadcasting my own deficiencies by saying this …
What I dont understand is why does the term “intellectual”(llectual) have to geeky nerds???
You can have a Shanna, just not MINE. Calpurnia Tate is dietniefly going to my TBR list!