Loudermilk

Isaiah 58:10: If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 

That's a good statement of the potential of altruism. And the priest doesn't share his sandwich with Loudermilk after giving the quote. The show alternates between compassion and callousness. 

The premise is Loudermilk used to be a rock and roll journalist documenting the debauchery of bands on tour, and then he couldn't do it anymore because he went over the invisible line.

That's what the priest quotes to Loudermilk to the filth talking substance abuse counselor. He wouldn't let him use the room in his church unless he helped a rich ladies' daughter. He has a roommate who isn't sober, and that is discovered when the wretch of a daughter lives with him to get sober.

Anja Savcic is Claire the messed up daughter. Loudermilk is played by Ron Livingston. Will Sasso plays Ben Burns, who is Loudermilk's sponsor and roommate. Laura Mennell is the romantic interest, who in a little bit of a clang, Loudermilk wants to impress with his virtue. Eric Keenleyside is the priest. I honestly don't know any of these people except Sasso, and Livingston looks familiar. 

I think it's unethical to leave someone out alone in the wilderness. Especially a woman. Even if it gave her sober time.

Recovery shows are always sensational: Mom, and My Name Is Earl. It's because they're trying to entertain. The realism comes in slowly. 

The show is really good at having people with physical differences. The one guy with the funky arms in the group and his ex-wife who lost part of her leg. There are little people, and one woman has a huge birthmark on her face. I love it. It's not your usual hollywood buff job where everyone is beautiful. 

The show plays with the callus approach and the empathetic approach. Both approaches can have their downsides and inappropriateness. I tend towards the compassionate, and you can also express your frustrations and doubt.  

Lots of good music I've put onto a playlist. 

I might just be projecting but Loudermilk's crankiness is something I identify with. I don't really connect it with Seattle, but I guess it stands out more in Seattle. The show was actually filmed in Vancouver, and just showed the needle in the first shot.

S3E4 is a great episode about women's issues. I loved it. Only a crazy show like this could pull off something like that.

I read the third season was not aired, and the 3 seasons were sold to Amazon first, and now it's getting to Netflix, which is where all obscure shows go to be seen. It was originally on AT&T, which is a paid network I'd never heard of.

I don't want to say the acting is bad sometimes, but the show kind of forces the actors be bad. I'm watching S3E5 and Claire is on a date, and he date is oblivious to her objections about drinking and obviously the script calls for him to ignore her and it's just so cringe because he's obviously ignoring her because it's in the script. I find that dramas always dumb down the characters, and force them into weird situations where they have to pretend to be something a natural alive person wouldn't usually do like ignore your date. I know dramas aren't realistic because that is the tension of the scene, the boyfriend doesn't get that she's sober. That's the tension, that's the drama. I guess I like more naturalistic dramas, this sitcom confection at times can be very very funny, and sometimes super cringe. Mostly it's cringe, but I found myself laughing when after Ben gets his wisdom teeth out, he's doing Godfather impersonations. I know I shouldn't laugh, but I found it quite funny. 

S3E6 is a fascinating episode, reminds me a little of My Name is Earl. He tries to make amends for an artist who's life he ruined with a bad review. 

It's a good show, even if it's weak at times. Three seasons was a pretty good run for it, 30 episodes. If they somehow get a 4th season, I could watch it. I don't mind how Arrested Development and Community limped along.