I found myself watching the Hoarders marathon on A and E last night. It’s not that surprising; I dare anyone to tune in to one episode and not stay there spellbound for hours. The show simultaneously makes you a) unbelievably happy as to how clean your house is and b) makes you feel an unstoppable urge to clean and organize every possession that you have. While watching I saw a commercial for a new show that may be one of the most interesting concepts ever. Which is: Teach: Tony Danza.
Here is the concept. Tony Danza spent the last year teaching high school English in Philadelphia and they filmed it for a reality show. He does have a degree in history education so there is some legitimacy to his teaching. I have no idea how this show is going to turn out but it could be brilliant.
One reason is that none of the students are going to have any clue who Tony Danza is. Let’s be honest he is famous for his roles in Taxi and Who’s the Boss where he happened to play characters named Tony. The only other pop culture reference I can think of is the constant joke of mishearing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” as “Tony Danza”. A sixteen year old high school student was born in 1993. Outside of the small possibility of watching Who’s the Boss reruns to see Alyssa Milano there is no reason for any of the students to know just who this guy is. To them, it’s not a celebrity teaching a class. It’s just some old guy with a New York accent.
Another thing that I want to see is just how realistic and unvarnished they show life in a modern high school. Television still puts on that high level of gloss that made me believe that high school would be just like it was in Head of the Class. (Let’s face it I was Arvid in real life.) But I know that isn’t the case and my friends who are teachers tell me their daily horror stories. I really wonder if that is going to be shown. It would be wonderful for a program to indicate just how challenging it is to be a good teacher and capture the interests of a teenager.
But most of all this might be the first reality show where I am interested in seeing how the main character is effected by the show. While I joke about Tony Danza always playing characters named Tony he has always seemed to be a really genuine guy. I can’t imagine that he would view this as an easy gig or a way to relaunch his television career. It’s not a cash grab like a stint on Celebrity Rehab. I think he legitimately wanted to see what it would be like to be a teacher. I can’t think of many reality shows where there isn’t some sort of stunt or smoke and mirrors involved. If this was done right it might be incredible. If done wrong, well maybe we can hope for an Alyssa Milano sighting. We can only hope.
Here is the concept. Tony Danza spent the last year teaching high school English in Philadelphia and they filmed it for a reality show. He does have a degree in history education so there is some legitimacy to his teaching. I have no idea how this show is going to turn out but it could be brilliant.
One reason is that none of the students are going to have any clue who Tony Danza is. Let’s be honest he is famous for his roles in Taxi and Who’s the Boss where he happened to play characters named Tony. The only other pop culture reference I can think of is the constant joke of mishearing Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” as “Tony Danza”. A sixteen year old high school student was born in 1993. Outside of the small possibility of watching Who’s the Boss reruns to see Alyssa Milano there is no reason for any of the students to know just who this guy is. To them, it’s not a celebrity teaching a class. It’s just some old guy with a New York accent.
Another thing that I want to see is just how realistic and unvarnished they show life in a modern high school. Television still puts on that high level of gloss that made me believe that high school would be just like it was in Head of the Class. (Let’s face it I was Arvid in real life.) But I know that isn’t the case and my friends who are teachers tell me their daily horror stories. I really wonder if that is going to be shown. It would be wonderful for a program to indicate just how challenging it is to be a good teacher and capture the interests of a teenager.
But most of all this might be the first reality show where I am interested in seeing how the main character is effected by the show. While I joke about Tony Danza always playing characters named Tony he has always seemed to be a really genuine guy. I can’t imagine that he would view this as an easy gig or a way to relaunch his television career. It’s not a cash grab like a stint on Celebrity Rehab. I think he legitimately wanted to see what it would be like to be a teacher. I can’t think of many reality shows where there isn’t some sort of stunt or smoke and mirrors involved. If this was done right it might be incredible. If done wrong, well maybe we can hope for an Alyssa Milano sighting. We can only hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment