Suburgatory

Let me just start by saying, zomg zomg zomg ALAN TUDYK is on Suburgatory!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Okay, I'm calmer now, I can go on to write about the rest of ABC's new family-based sitcom. Never has a portmanteau so perfectly encapsulated my feelings regarding my upbringing. Even better, this show stars a redheaded teenager who's clearly going to cut a wide swath through suburban hell with her keen observations and unbridled snark. Can you say, "ultimate wish fulfillment?"

Let me sum up: clueless single dad finds a box of condoms in his daughter's bedroom, freaks out and immediately moves them out to the suburbs to protect her. But here, the adults are all superficial sun-worshipers or giddy gossips and the teens are all dead-eyed zombie clones of each other. And it's so quiet. This goes against everything that protagonist Tessa Altman is used to in the hustle and bustle of New York City.

And things like this happen.

Suburgatory reminds me of one of my favorite shows, the gone but not forgotten Aliens in America. All it needs is a hilarious South Asian sidekick. I happen to know of someone who might be available... *ahem ahem* But where Justin of Aliens in America was a lovable sad sack with a certain whiny charm, Suburgatory's Tessa is more proactive and... well, angrier. She's a little bit Angela from My So Called Life, a little bit Kady from Mean Girls (pre-brainwashing). Instead of just being oppressed by the conformist vibe of suburban living, she's devising strategies for survival and pushing back.

The one thing the writers of this show have to avoid is getting too bitter - which they've done well so far, balancing the sour moments with sweet, and breaking from the mold enough to keep things interesting. But they're wading into dangerous waters. Both Aliens in America and My So Called Life were canceled long before their time.

No slacking!

Visit Suburgatory 8:30 on Wednesdays, between The Middle and Modern Family.