Knowing that Kaling helped create Champions is what brought me to the show. I was excited that she had started working on a new project so soon after The Mindy Project ended. Champions is about a man who finds out he has a son that he now has to raise. It is about the adventures of the father, the nephew, and the son.
I titled this article, "Two and a Half Men Without The Misogyny?" because the premise is similar to Two and a Half Men. Champions also feature two adult men and one teenager. However, this show subverts the trope. When you think of the setting of Champions, a fitness GYM, you would think that it could be about a group of masculine men - a ripe setting for sexism and misogyny. However, it isn't. Though the main character, Vince, does have some tendencies towards being a womanizer and being insensitive, he knows, and the audience knows, that it isn't okay. Vince tries to be a better person and that's great! His brother, Andy, is a sweetheart. When his nephew moves in with him, he is the one taking a more caretaker role. He is a loving uncle, trying to understand the things that Michael, the son, enjoys.
The icing on the cake of this "subvert Two and a Half Men" idea is that the teenager is gay. I love that because it forces the two adult men to not take their masculinity seriously. Two and Half Men did feature a lot "seducing women without thinking of them as human beings." In Champions, the focus is on other things.
Michael, the song of Vince and Mindy Kaling's character, is half-Indian. I like how many brown guest stars this show bring on. Hasan Minhaj from the Daily Show appears and he is a breath of fresh air. In one episode, Michael wrestles with whether to join the "Indian," group at school. It's important to note that none of these portrays are stereotypical. We find out Hasan's character is a drug addict. We find out the Indian kids are actually cool kids who party and drink.
I'm excited to see more of what this show has to bring. I want the family bonds to deepen. I want Michael to explore what it means to be be half Indian and gay in future plot lines.
Suggested Blog Posts
- The Mindy Project SERIES Finale Review
- Revenge Fantasies & Crazy In Love: A Taylor Swift and Crazy Ex Girlfriend (the TV show) Comparison
- Life Sentence (The CW) TV Review: We All Face The Danger Of Uncertain Life
No comments:
Post a Comment