3 interesting shows coming up...TV parodies, probes of political games....

[madfloridian]

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Entertainment/Television/03SceneTV01102504.htm

How They Won: The Seven Secrets to Winning the Presidency"
9 p.m. Tuesday on The History Channel
This is with Mo Rocca and here is the link. I am not so fond of him as I used to be.
http://www.historychannel.com/global/listings/series_showcase.jsp?EGrpType=Series&Id=11763124&NetwCode=THC

This looks great..on TV Land
Wednesday at 10 PM Inside TV Land: Prime Time Politics

SNIP...I think Americans see more of the human side of their politicians" now thanks to TV, says recent presidential aspirant Howard Dean on "Prime Time Politics." "And interestingly enough, I think they have a very mixed view of that."

Dean's astute comments on everything from "South Park" to Ronald Reagan ("He was the show") suggest he has a real future in TV criticism.

The TV Land special also is chockablock full of clips covering some 40 years of sitcoms, talk shows, and variety programs like "Sonny & Cher." It's a rather workmanlike overview rendered potent because it reminds us of TV's ability to delve into politics in an entertaining and meaningful way. Or rather, the way it used to do so, before the field was hijacked and trivialized by 24-hour-cable-news-driven nattering over issues of style rather than substance.

Seeing "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" addressing Vietnam and the 1968 presidential election, or "Maude" and Archie Bunker of "All in the Family" wearing their diametrically opposed political hearts on their loudmouthed sleeves a few years later, it's striking to note that those shows all aired on CBS, which these days appears scared of its own Super Bowl halftime shadow. The clips should make you laugh, hard, but also make you wonder how we ever got to today's increasingly toothless "Listen Up"/"According to Jim"/"Joey" TV world.

Nothing to do but gird your loins and weep."

And next week:
"Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2004: The Great Debates"
10 p.m. Nov. 1 on NBC