Three Cheers for Television

1. Can't Get a Date: My favorite reality show of all time was a VH1 show called "Bands on the Run." Essentially a cross country battle of the bands, 4 actual, already regularly touring bands were sent across the United States. In each town, they'd have a gig set up for them, and they had two days to promote it. The money they made off the gig would help them do stuff like eat and pay for lodging. There would also be a reward challenge occasionally, which would give them an ad in a local paper, or some radio time. Ignoring the periodic battles of the bands that would eliminate one of the groups from the show, the great thing about the program was that it was essentially showing how four bands tour, interact, and choose to promote themselves (or not). It was more documentary than reality show, and I loved it for that.

This is a long winded way of getting around to VH1's newest show, "Can't Get a Date," which is to all other reality dating shows what "Bands on the Run" was to "American Idol." An off-screen narrator talks to charming, yet socially inept New Yorkers about why they think they Can't Get a Date. They choose seemingly simple ways of addressing these problems, and then put the daters in situations where they can solve these problems themselves.

For example, last night, Will complains that he can't bring anyone over because his apartment is so messy. So he cleans up his apartment, and later realizes that he was using it as an easy excuse to keep people out.

The results are often very hilarious (the narrator is blunt to the extreme), but surprisingly touching. And the shows sign off line never fails to twist up my heart and make me feel like cheering: "Can't get a date? Yes you can."

2. Ed vs. Spencer: I've been totally addicted to this show since discovering that Time Warner Cable offers BBC America on demand. Two best friends live in an apartment together, and compete in very simple competitions. Spencer is the moral, straight-dealing one. Ed is the funny, crafty one.

They see who can gain the most weight (Spencer works out and eats right; Ed dips cheese into lard and sets up a rotating spit in the living room); who can stay in the woods the longest; and my personal favorite, who kids like more (Ed spends several hours hyping them up on candy and smashing a pinata he calls "Evil Spencer.")

3. Love Monkey: Never has such a awful title so poorly represented and out-right ruined a charming little show. I'm a sucker for romantic comedies on television, no matter how awful they are. This one is NOT awful, just unfocused and not particular hilarious. But it is very charming, and just needs to get past it's first season jitters (maybe) to come into it's own.

Especially considering the spectacular cast (Judy Greer, Jason Priestly, Eric Bogosian, and Ted Cavanaugh; not to mention ridiculously top notch musical acts, including, in one episode alone, Teddy Geiger, Natasha Bedingfeld, John Cougar Mellancamp, and Mya).

Anyway, it's a fun, cute show, but I keep yelling out "Yay! Love Monkey!" or, "Why will nobody listen to the Love Monkey?" which pretty much turns it into an object of ridicule, rather than the light, charming, sugar coated romantic fable it wants to be.