Summer bummer?
Do you turn on your TV to find escape and happiness? If so, The Cleaner which begins its second season this week, will be a real bummer.
Dramatic? Yes. Uplifting? Not really, especially if you're the type of person who finds terminal illnesses depressing. And, um, that would be most of us.
The first two episodes of the new season of The Cleaner -- starting Tuesday on A&E (6/23, 10 p.m. eastern) -- unfortunately include two characters, one in each episode, who are dying. One dies; the other does not, though her disease is fatal and she'll undoubtedly die later on. Have a nice day!
Certainly, "The Cleaner" deals with a heavy subject -- addiction to alcohol, drugs, you name it. This Cleaner guy, played by brooding Benjamin Bratt, "cleans" people up. His method: Kidnapping them (usually) and then strapping them to a bed, where they twist, turn, scream, throw up and struggle with detox.
But hey, if you want to watch addicts lie, steal from their families, and endure the nightmare of withdrawal, watch Intervention instead. It's TV's most harrowing show, it also happens to be on A&E (Monday nights), and it's a lot more dramatic than "The Cleaner."
However, if you're a Cleaner fan, watch if you must. The show at least boasts a handful of able guest-stars: Gary Cole and Whoopi Goldberg in Episode 1; and in Episode 2 next week, Joe Don Baker (the original Buford Pusser of the first "Walking Tall" movie) and Tyler James Williams, who played the young Chris Rock in Everybody Hates Chris and is now growing up fast at age 16.
Comments (10)
You know that if this "review" was posted on the guide by a regular user as a review or in the forums it would more then likely been given a TOS for "Intending solely to annoy and/or offend other users" or "Disruptive Posting". <br/>
Scott-
You write reviews professionally? I take it then that shows like "The Shield", "Law & Order SVU" and "The Sopranos" are just God-awful in your opinion since they aren't always uplifting and don't always have happy endings. Realism in television broadcasting is one of the great surges forward that the medium has undergone in the past ten years, and that means some shows will not leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. If that progress were undone, we'd be back in the "A-Team" era of silliness. Not even you would advocate that.
Sadly when it comes to his TV career Benjamin Bratt whom I happen to be a big fan of, has had inferior series to use his ample acting talents on, both "The Cleaner" and "E-Ring" were/are terrible IMO. He was pretty good, the only bright spot IMO in the horrendous "Cat Woman" movie and he was over the top fantastic portraying the real life Puerto Rican poet and writer Miguel Piñero in "Piñero".
Perhaps Ben will fulfill one of my wish list items and for the next season of Law & Order he'll revive his role as Detective Reinaldo "Rey" Curtis coming back to Manhattan from Queens after his wife has passed away and his girls have grown up so he can become a re-current cast member or at least makes one appearance.
Perp/Suspect: "¿y esa sangre de indio? ¿tú padre?"
Det. Curtis" "¡tú madre!"
A Colombian drug dealer suspect ask Curtis about his indigenous looks inquiring if it is from his father's side and Rey responds "yo' mama"
My fav Curtis retort.moreless
Who is this idiot writer hating on the show and why?
A show that deals with drug (and other types of) addiction, ALL kinds of addicts with every concievable type of family/friends/ support system (or lack thereof)... all based on a true story... and we're upset because it's not Happy Smile Time and because characters (who, like ALL people) die? But don't watch that - watch the show that deals with drug (and other types of) addiction, ALL kinds of addicts... but THE GOOD SHOW is on A&E. Oh wait, so's The Cleaner. Well, Intervention is on MONDAYS, so it must better than that stupid show... on Tuesdays. No, seriously - what's this guy's point? It's depressing when people die? Intervention is somehow less depressing than The Cleaner (I can promise you - it's not!)? If you want to see real life addiction, as depressing as it is, watch The Cleaner AND Intervention. If, like "netgoddess", you "watch TV for escapism from real-life stress, not for focousing a lot of energy on depressing topics" - well, "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here" is on for the rest of this week, and "America's Got Talent" starts right away as well! Enjoy your escape! -akmoreless
i love it!!!! good show
it is a very very very depressing show that I cant stand to watch it althought I like Benjamin.
if u havent seen the cleaner before i would recommend that you give it a fair chance as i watched season 1 and i loved it, although this show might not be to everyones taste give it a try anyway you have nothin to lose.
as well-written as Six Feet Under was, I also stopped watching it for similar reasons. I watch TV for escapism from real-life stress, not for focusing a lot of energy on depressing topics.
That show sounds a litle F&^$ed up for me