Succession and Yellowstone

Both great shows: great acting, great writing, great directing. And so much overlap. I suppose any drama examining wealthy dysfunctional families will have some similarities, but these are really noticiable. Cold, driven dad who borders on abusive. Mom out of the picture. 4 kids - 3 boys and one girl. The girl is the smartest and sort of the father's favorite. The girls both have strawberry blonde hair! Except for the hair, maybe some of this is just a result of screenwriting conventions, but watching them at the same time makes the similarities stand out.

Essay for Laura's Pride Guide, 2016 (their 25th anniversary):

Television Then and Now

Who remembers what they were doing 25 years ago? For some of you reading this, you were toddling around in diapers. But for many, like me, we vividly recall those halcyon days, when we were spreading our wings in a blustery world, testing them to see if they could hold our weight.

Television was a wasteland in 1991, if you were looking for gay role models. Soap, with Billy Crystal’s Jodie, had ended a decade earlier. Ellen was 3 years down the road, and Will and Grace was still 7 years away.

What we had was Roseanne. In 1991, Sandra Bernhard joined the cast as one of the first openly lesbian characters to have a recurring role on a network television sitcom. The show’s popularity did not suffer from the introduction of Nancy Bartlett, and the acceptance of her character emboldened Roseanne. The show remained among the top 5 shows in the nation, according to the Nielsen ratings, through the middle of the decade, giving Roseanne the ability to include more gay themes and events in her show. The famous kiss with Mariel Hemingway didn’t happen until 1994, but it was followed closely by Martin Mull’s wedding to Fred Willis the following year.  The network had balked at the kiss, but Roseanne threatened to move to another network when NBC said they wouldn’t air the episode.  

The presence of Sandra Bernhard’s Nancy and Martin Mull’s Leon were a refreshing change from gay, lesbian, and transgender characters, who more generally appeared on television as prostitutes, murder victims, or murderers, or, as the 1980s wound down, as noble/tragic victims of AIDS. (It would be another couple of decades before the existence of bisexual people was acknowledged in any way on TV shows.)

The Golden Girls, a perennial ratings winner, ended in 1992. It occasionally featured a gay character, including Blanche’s brother, Clayton, portrayed by Monte Markham, who eventually got married in an episode airing in 1991. The show was generally gay friendly, probably because openly gay Marc Cherry, who went on to create Desperate Housewives, was a producer and writer of the show.

Similarly, Designing Women, another popular sitcom which hit its ratings peak in 1991, featured a gay character, Anthony Bouvier, portrayed by Menasch Taylor. Antony’s character occasionally wore women’s clothing, through various tortured plot twists, but otherwise his orientation was only expressed through the character’s stereotypical portrayal, rather than having a romantic or sexual life of his own. Tangentially, the show won a GLAAD Media Award in 1991 for the episode “Suzanne Goes Looking for a Friend,” in which Suzanne discovers that her former pageant friend, Eugenia, portrayed by Karen Kopins, is a lesbian.

Drama series did not do as well as Roseanne, in terms of presenting fully formed gay characters. The popular baby boomer drama, thirtysomething, which had featured an HIV positive character, ended in 1991, as did the night time soap opera Dallas. (Dallas didn’t have any gay characters, I just included it so you’d realize it’s been gone for 25 years.)

Melrose Place, created by Darren Starr (who later would develop Sex and the City from Candace Bushnell’s popular NY Observer columns), included a gay character, Matt Fielding, portrayed by Doug Savant, and began in 1992. Critics continually complained about the lack of romantic, and especially sexual, life of Matt, in a show that emphasized both for its straight characters. The show admitted that it wanted to avoid backlash from conservative activist groups who notoriously organized product boycotts whenever a TV show challenged their moral standards.

LA Law had a lesbian lawyer (C.J. Lamb, portrayed by Amanda Donohoe) on staff in the middle of the show’s 8 season run (which happened to straddle 1991), but she disappeared after a lesbian kiss generally acknowledged as a publicity stunt during ratings sweeps week. Sadly, the show initiated somewhat of a trend of featuring a kiss between a straight woman and a lesbian character, done for publicity value only.

Fast forward 25 years. We no longer have to scour the TV schedule for the occasional gay character or gay issue reference. Now we regularly have entire programs devoted to us (HBO’s Looking just finished a successful 2 season run, a 2-hour series finale will be aired in July). Indeed, we have an entire network (Here).

Perhaps even more impressive is that popular programs directed at every conceivable audience now include fully developed LGBTQ characters without fear of backlash. 

Programs on network television (Modern Family on ABC), on cable (American Horror Story on FX), and on alternate services like Netflix (Orange is the New Black) and Amazon (Transparent) feature LGBTQ characters and address LGBTQ concerns unabashedly, comprehensively, and with compassion.

Shows aimed at youth audiences, such as Glee (which just completed 6 seasons on Fox), The Fosters (whose 4th season on ABC Family starts this month), and Faking It (which just finished 3 successful seasons on MTV) increasingly have honest, positive, and complex presentations of LGBTQ lives.

Even historical dramas manage to showcase LGBTQ concerns, such as Downton Abbey showing a gay man in the early 20^th century attempting a damaging “cure” for his homosexuality. The massively popular Game of Thrones includes LGBTQ characters among its cast of thousands, without concern about the sensitivities of its straight viewers.

Perhaps most encouraging, and, most surprising, is the runaway hit, Empire, a drama on Fox about a family-run music business, based loosely on King Lear, and, as producer Lee Daniels admits, borrowing from the 1980s primetime soap, Dynasty. The show features a Who’s Who of today’s African American acting royalty, including Oscar nominated Terrance Howard as the patriarch, Lucious, and the indelible (and Oscar and Emmy nominated) Taraji P. Nelson as the matriarch, Cookie, along with a string of famous guest stars. The African American community has been much slower to accept their LGBTQ brethren, so having one of the three sons on the show be openly gay was a bold, unexpected, and welcome situation. The show begins its 3rd season this fall.

Comparing the scant offering of the bygone era of the 1990s with the cornucopia of characters in today’s entertainment landscape almost boggles the mind. Feminists like to say “we haven’t come a long way and we’re not babies” in response to the famous Virginia Slims cigarette advertising campaign. But looking back at the progress that has occurred in our societal acceptance of LBGTQ people as measured by their portrayal in in popular television culture, I can’t help feeling that we were only half right.

Essay for Laura's Pride Guide, 2017 (she asked me to write about Will and Grace):

It’s been 11 years since the ground-breaking comedy, Will & Grace, went off the air, and much has changed in the intervening years, and much has stayed the same. Many of us soared on the audacity of an African American president, on the Supreme Court decision requiring all states to recognize same sex marriage, and on the new visibility and acceptance of transgendered Americans. Last year, many of us reached new heights regarding the possibility of the first female president. And then we crashed to earth with the election of a retrograde candidate who had risen to prominence by embracing some of the most backward and uninformed ideas still simmering in the American culture wars.

If there is good news after this apocalypse, it is the vigorous resistance that has emerged from the ashes of November’s election, ready and willing to fight to hold on the progress that has been made.

The reemergence of Will & Grace is inextricably tied to the 2016 election. In September 2016, in complete secrecy, the cast got together with some of the crew to film a 10-minute mini-episode to encourage voting (preferably for Clinton). In the episode, Jack admits that he does not know who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election, so Hillary supporters Will and Grace and Trump-supporting Karen make their (very funny) respective cases. The video was a smash hit, receiving 7 million views online.

After this somewhat unexpected success, the show’s creators were open to the suggestion that they consider a reboot of the show, which is currently filming. The show will follow NBC’s runaway hit, This Is Us, which is moving to Thursday night - NBC hopes to resurrect the “Must See TV” buzz that Thursday nights held for many years through the 1980s and 1990s.

The reboot originally called for 10 episodes, but after the positive reception that the announcement received, an hour-long holiday episode was added. You can watch the very “meta” promo for the show on YouTube or NBC.com

The show’s cultural impact is undisputed. When it launched in 1998, it was the first primetime show to feature an openly gay male character in a lead role. The consistent humor and (you could argue, cliche) odd couple pairing introduced millions of Americans to a warm gay-straight friendship. Many more shows today feature lesbian, gay, and (finally) even bisexual and transgender characters.

During its 8 season run, Will & Grace garnered 83 Emmy nominations and won 16. The show was often in the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings (including the 1 hour series finale in 2006) and at its peak had over 17 million weekly viewers.

In 2012, then-Vice President Joe Biden went on Meet the Press to discuss a North Carolina ballot initiative to approve a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage (it won, but the 2015 Supreme Court ruling makes it void). During that interview with David Gregory, he said, "I think Will & Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has ever done."

Since the show ended, the actors have been busy with their individual projects, and all have taken public stands on various progressive issues.

Sean Hayes did not officially come out until after the show ended and he was criticized for that. He addressed the controversy in a 2010 interview in the Advocate:

“I was so young . . . I was so overwhelmed at 26 or 27. I didn’t want the responsibility, I didn’t know how to handle the responsibility of speaking for the gay community. I always felt like I owed them a huge apology for coming out too late. . . I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it.” In 2014, Hayes announced that he had married his partner of 8 years, Scott Icenogle.

Shortly before Will & Grace ended, Hayes created the production company, Hazy Mills Productions, which has done quite well, with TV hits such as Hot in Cleveland and Grimm. Hayes has also appeared in movies and voiced animated characters. He appeared in several Broadways shows, and was nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for Promises, Promises.

Eric McCormack also started a production company, called Big Cattle Productions. He has worked on TV, in movies, and on Broadway in the intervening years. He has always supported a number of charitable causes, including Project Angel Food, breast cancer awareness (his mother successfully battled the disease in 2004), and serves on the Board of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. He advocated for same sex marriage in California when Prop 8 was on the ballot. He was born in Canada, but has held dual citizenship since 1999.

In general, the ladies are more politically outspoken than the men.

Debra Messing has been busy since Will & Grace ended, mostly doing television work, most recently in the critically acclaimed series, The Mysteries of Laura (2014-2016). She has also appeared in films, and voiced several animated characters. In 2014, she appeared in the Broadway play Outside Mullingar, which was nominated for a Tony. This year, she appeared as Marjorie Houseman in the ABC remake of Dirty Dancing on television (broadcast on May 24, 2017).

Messing became somewhat of a darling of the Resist set after a rousing acceptance speech for the Excellence in Media Award at the 28th Annual GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) award show in May, in which she scolded Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump for enabling the president, and encouraged everyone to keep fighting.

Megan Mullaly and her husband, Nick Offerman, has always been proud Democrats.

Last December, on The Late Show, she told Stephen Colbert that she ugly cried (“wrenching sobs” is how she put it) after meeting President Obama at the White House Christmas Party, one of his last official WH events.

Colbert then showed her a photo of her and Donald Trump dressed up like the main characters in Green Acres. Mullaly explained that she and Trump has been on “Emmy Idol” during the 2005 Emmy awards show. They had performed the Green Acres theme song while the opening sequence of the original show played in the background (she sang in character, as Karen from Will & Grace). They won the contest. The next day he called her to thank her for her role in the win. She says if he felt that fiercely about winning Emmy Idol, she could only imagine how he felt about running for President. (She also pantomimed vomiting several times during the Colbert segment while discussing Trump. You can watch the full interview on YouTube or CBS.com. You can also watch the Emmy Idol segment on YouTube.)

Mullaly has appeared in TV shows (frequently as a guest star), movies, and on stage, and even had her own (short-lived) talk show. She recorded and performed for several years in the band, Supreme Music Program, and in 2012, formed the band Nancy and Beth with Stephanie Hunt - they have been touring recently to promote their self-titled album.

When asked in another interview if the Trump presidency will figure into the Will & Grace reboot, Mullaly says the show will first and foremost focus on being funny, but of course the current political situation will be included.

For those who loved the show in its original incarnation, or who want to support powerful committed performers, or just enjoy great comedy, be sure to set your DVRs for Thursday nights on NBC when the fall TV season rolls around.

Deadwood

As with Battlestar Galactica, I watched this series mostly over the winter break, when very little of interest is on regular TV (most shows are on extended hiatus).  I had been meaning to watch this series for years, for basically 3 reasons - it has a devoted cult following, it got strong critical acclaim, and Timothy Olyphant.

I had a hard time getting into this series - the first few episodes are uneven in tone and don't introduce the main characters as strongly as other beloved series like The Wire and Battlestar Galactica.  But about halfway into the first season, they seemed to sort out some of their difficulties, and I got more caught up.
There's a lot to like - the actors are wonderful and colorful. The evocation of the place and time is so authentic and fun. But I have a bunch of complaints.

Chief among them is the Seth-Alma relationship. Of course I'm a total shipper, but this relationship was such a cheat. They got the viewer completely invested in the couple and then rather abruptly tore them apart. That was, of course, rather inevitable (since Seth was married) and is pretty standard stuff in TV drama. My objection is that the two pretty much go their separate ways subsequently. There's a couple of tense scenes between Alma and Mrs Bullock, but that's about it. This just totally violates a cherished audience expectation - that the torn apart couple will openly yearn for each other and surreptitiously reunite amid much guilt. But not in Deadwood - Seth especially seems to make his peace with the new arrangement with a minimum of emotion. No fair! All I'm asking for is one furtive kiss a la Brokeback Mountain or even an agonized brushing of hands a la The Age of Innocence. C'mon - you can see how it's done in plenty of films - give us something!

Another complaint I had is that the show is just downright depressing. I had just finished watching all 5 seasons of The Wire, which I adored. That is not exactly a feel good series, but it somehow manages to strike a much better balance, with some humor and some hope. This series is pretty relentless. People are just murdered and murdered and murdered. And most of the characters seemed generally miserable. It might be accurate, but it's not that fun (for me) to watch. I especially disliked the way female characters were regularly killed.

Another frustration I had was the way they constantly introduced new characters. This is probably accurate, in a boom town, but there's no way a series can effectively juggle that many story lines. Again, I found that although The Wire introduced a number of new characters each season, they kept the main characters front and center, and managed a better balance overall.

Case in point is the character of Saul. He was so interesting, and John Hawkes is a wonderful actor. But other than a few scenes each season, the series did very little with him. He was often limited to reaction shots, which is just a criminal waste of the actor.

The bad guys got worse and worse as the series progressed. Al started out mean and cold, but developed  a much more nuanced persona, to the benefit of the series. But he was replaced by increasingly sociopathic, one-dimensional, evil cretins (first Cy and then Hearst). I thought the series would have been better if the bad guys had been more nuanced and therefore more complex and more interesting.

Of course the foul language went overboard. The series was famous for this - even though the "f" word was not widely used at the time, they included it to create the right scatological tone. But it was too much. And it wasn't just that word - it was pretty dirty in general. Of course cable shows think they have to go that way, because they can.  I was embarrassed more than once, knowing that the kids could overhear the show, even though they were in the other room.  Not just the endless use of "cocksucker" - several other colorful phrases got a serious workout as well.

And the language in general was a barrier. Some characters, especially Al, but others too, spoke in a convoluted style that could be fun, but just as often made an entire scene hard to understand. There were times when I really had no idea what was going on, between the myriad characters, sometimes convoluted plots, and impenetrable language; it could get kinda frustrating.

The series only ran for 3 seasons (cable seasons - 13 episodes per), but a fourth had been planned and unexpectedly never materialized, much to the consternation of fans. The final episode of Season 3 is definitely structured as a cliff hanger rather than a wrap-up. (Even though I knew this, it contributed to my general frustration.)

I really wanted to love this series, but instead I was left with pretty mixed feelings. The acting is wonderful and I look forward to seeing everyone in other shows and movies. But it won't stick in my head or heart the way that other series will.

The Glee Project

The kids and I had a great time watching this show over the summer.  We got very caught up in the contestants, the winners and losers, and the various possibilities they represented for the scripted show.

I noted earlier that the more offbeat contestants seemed to be eliminated early, and so we shouldn't have been surprised that the ultimate winner, Blake Jenner (20, Miami, FL), was truly the most conventional and most vanilla person in the contest.

Even Larry, who only watched a couple episodes with us, and wasn't paying especially close attention, commented without any prompting that Blake was an awfully safe choice.

I started to think about halfway through the show that Ryan Murphy, and the other writers and producers, probably knew from the very beginning who they wanted to win, based on their vision for the scripted show's 4th season. I could be overly cynical, but Blake is such a blatant clone of Finn, who will be mostly absent this season, it now seems like he was virtually preordained to win.

He obviously terrifically talented, and no less deserving than any of the others, but I guess we feel a bit gypped to think that we got invested in a competition that probably wasn't much of a contest after all.

The Glee Project

We didn't watch this show last summer, but since we watch Glee, we thought we should see who's going to join the cast in the fall. As it turns out, the show is pretty compelling (and quite fun), and Alana and I are die hard fans (Cal sort of comes along for the ride).

I've noticed that while the cast of Season 2 was very diverse in the beginning, the elimination process seems to have culled most of the people who are not conventional and conventionally good looking (by which I mean Blake, Michael, Ali, Aylin and Shanna) - the two androgynous women, Dani and Nellie, are both gone, and the black guy, Mario, and the transgender guy, Tyler, are also gone. The only unconventional looking contestants left are the heavy girl, Lily, and the androgynous guy, Abraham (and they've both been in the bottom 3 more than once, so their prospects to actually win are somewhat low).

To be fair, Samuel Larsen, last year's winner (he played Joe Hart on Glee), was not conventional looking, and the runner-up last year was a transgender black guy.  But it seems like this year's trend is toward conventional, which is sort of a shame and sort of a surprise.  There's only 4 weeks left (and 7 contestants), so we'll know their final decision(s) soon enough (they said there will only be one winner this year, so they have a lot of people to eliminate in a fairly short time).

Mad Men - Season Finale

Peggy's back! I literally danced around the kitchen!  Here's THE iconic image from the finale:



Some great quotes:

"You have no right to fill a man like that with ambition.”
- Rebecca Pryce

"Put that on your face, not in a drink."
- Joan Harris

"Don't be demure. You're already on the bed."
- Roger Sterling

“Not every little girl gets to do what they want. The world could not support that many ballerinas.”
- Meagan's mother

“But that’s what happens when you help someone, they succeed and move on.”
- Don Draper

Mad Men

What a thoroughly depressing episode!  This scene was as painful to watch as the one last week between Don and Peggy was moving. And Don complaining that he can't trust Lane - delicious irony!  While I thought this scene was effective, I thought having Lane commit suicide was lame. Suicide in real life is the ultimate manipulation and it's the same in TV drama - when you've run out of ideas, have a major character off themselves. Lazy. But I understand that all the other characters' behavior in the show is ultimately there to frame Don and his moral struggles. This, along with the impact of Joan's choice and Peggy's departure, gives the writers lots to work with in the coming season.

I read some grumbling on other blogs about Don's presentation to Dow, but I thought it was awesome - classic Don.  "What is happiness?  The moment before you need more happiness."  And Roger was marvelous in this episode.  His line after the presentation was one of several classic Roger deliveries - "I'll buy you a drink after you wipe the blood off your mouth."

Only one episode left; 13 episodes in a season - what a gyp!

Supporting players

As both these shows ended their seasons, I got to thinking about the similarities between the character of Roger Sterling (John Slattery) on Mad Men and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) on The New Girl - they're both played by very talented actors, and both have all the funniest lines.  They're both charming, memorable, and have impeccable comic timing. And neither show would be as fun without them.

Peggy - Elisabeth Moss

Please please please tell us that Peggy will be back on Mad Men!

Mad Men

I cried. Seriously.

Effing Mad Men

Weekend entertainment

I can't believe that I didn't watch a single movie over the weekend, but I did catch up on several TV series.  I watched several week's worth of Smash (on NBC), which I thought was getting boring until Derek and Tom had a marvelous argument about their friendship and the theater business which woke me right up and will keep me watching for awhile.  I watched several week's worth of Awake, which is insanely moving for a pretty formulaic cop show.  I watched several episodes of In Plain Sight (on USA), which were definitely an improvement on the season premiere, but the series still doesn't feel nearly as compelling as the first season. I watched some episodes of Happy Endings, which were mostly mildly amusing - that show is starting to feel more contrived than it was initially, though it's still entertaining.  I also watched part of the first episode of Magic City (on Starz), but I thought it was a snooze - I can't see myself making the effort for this one.

Mad Men - Season 5

I didn't get to watch the 2 hour premiere live last week because I was attending the J Street conference (that's my story - I was actually watching The Hunger Games with my friend Suzanne).  So I watched it On Demand during the week.  I had read a few reviews, and they all said the show was terrific; one said there was "something for everyone" (meaning every fan).  So I was shocked at how inert and almost boring the premiere was, especially the first hour.  There was a few good scenes (Joan and Lane, toward the end of the second hour, was the best), and I loved the race story line, which was pretty bold.  But overall I was very disappointed.

I almost didn't watch this week's episode live, because I was completely unenthusiastic, but the kids were settled, and I didn't have any excuse not to.  I was utterly thrilled.  I found the episode delightful - Roger being Roger, Peggy having several terrific scenes, and even the much reviled Betty creating scads of empathy, so unexpectedly.  Now I'm properly excited for the season.  But I'm still scratching my head over "A Little Kiss."

Side note: Watched the final episode of Shameless on Showtime right after Mad Men; terrific show and I'll miss it until it returns in 2013.  Also watched the last episode of House of Lies, also on Showtime; if Don Cheadle isn't nominated for an Emmy, he will have been utterly robbed.  Despite being a bit raunchy for my taste, it's a great show, and he's just a pleasure to watch.  Over the weekend, I watched the season finale of Whitney (on NBC), a rare network comedy that I've really enjoyed (not sure why they're wrapping up their season so early, but at least they had a full 22 episodes, unlike cable series, which rarely have more than 13).

Shows to start watching now: The Killing (on AMC)- Larry has been watching the first season and says it's terrific; Touch (on Fox), which is getting rave reviews; Awake (on NBC)- I watched the first episode On Demand and really enjoyed it;  The Big C (on Showtime)- I watched the Season 1 premiere on the airplane during our trip and was impressed; maybe Magic City (only 8 episodes in the first season!), which is another period show and has a great cast (on Starz).  I also have to catch up on Smash (on NBC), which isn't amazing, but it's a nice adult show, with some excellent acting. I also have to catch up on In Plain Sight (on USA), which just started its fifth and final season in March; I thought the show was getting a little stale in Season 4, but it's still better than most of the stuff on TV.

Shameless on Showtime

In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, there's a little sidebar in the TV section, with point-counterpoint views on Shameless: "Love it or Loathe it."  The love side talked about how fun it is to watch people behaving badly, while the loathe side objects to the show playing "a lack of love and moral guidance" for laughs.

My own love, nay, obsession, with the show has to do with how compelling I find the characters (due to stellar writing and insanely great acting).  I adore the way that Kevin, contrary to expectations, is so sweet to Ethel, and how fierce the practical Debbie is in trying to protect Fiona from "Jimmy." And they completely break my heart as well - I could hardly stand to watch Fiona cry in the bathroom after her confrontation with Craig's wife, or to watch Ian's face fall when he realizes that the recruiter came for Lip, not him.  I just want to gather them all in my arms and give them a hug (except for Frank and Karen).

Glee Christmas Show

I liked the message of the show, about the true meaning of Christmas, though it was heavy-handed and super cliche. The show overall was pretty dull. Not up to Glee's standards at all.

The black and white 60's-style TV show segment was sort of clever, but who was that for? Not the core audience, that's for sure. I found it kinda silly and boring, and the laugh track was excruciating (and it never could have been done for the $800 budget Artie was given!) "Bachelor pad" - please - I guess they were being ironic, but I thought that was sort of offensive.

And while we're on that topic, having Blaine and Rachel sing "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" together was bizarre - why hetero-ize the show that way? That's not what we want or expect from Glee! There's so many ways that number could have been staged, including having each of their boyfriends involved, or just having one of the couples singing it.  The Kurt-Blaine duet of "Let It Snow" sort of counter-balanced the earlier number, but was too little, too late (and couldn't hold a candle to their flirty duet last year of "Baby It's Cold Outside").

In general, I thought there were too many songs packed into the episode (9!), including "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, which didn't fit and should have been cut, along with at least one other.  Many of the numbers were just a person singing, including "Blue Christmas" (Rory) and "River" (Rachel), which gave the show a very inert feeling. The only number with any energy was the Brittney-lead "Christmas Wrapping."

Worst of all, two of the major characters (Puck and Rachel) are Jewish, and the word "Hanukkah" wasn't even mentioned, though it would have been very easy to slip it in somewhere. Rachel begging Finn for Christmas presents was obnoxious, but more so, knowing that she was Jewish.  While we're on the topic - lots of Jews work at homeless shelters and soup kitchens on Christmas (like my family!), though you wouldn't know it from this program, which sets the final scene there without any acknowledgement of Jewish involvement. Thanks for contributing to the invisibility of our people and our holiday!

All around very disappointing! The first season's Christmas show was the best, but even last year's was so much better than this.