Classic cult TV: Worth a new look?

A classic cult show does something new or pushes boundaries, has a dedicated but limited audience, and usually has a short run. You see “Game of Thrones” on lists of cult shows, but in my view it doesn’t come close. Its followers are fanatical and even have their rituals and lexicon, but it ran for eight years, and its audience ran in the tens of millions.

Firefly

“Firefly” (2002) is a much better example. Its cancellation by Fox after 11 episodes generated a huge fan uprising. You can see fandom at work in the Wikipedia entry, which runs longer than the one on Pearl Harbor and expounds on every detail, e.g. why the characters curse in Chinese. TV critic Emily Nussbaum called it a “character-rich, sci-fi western comedy drama with existential underpinnings.”

I’d give it passing marks for special effects, action, and humor, but is it worth watching? Here’s a scene from Episode One. Captain Mal Reynolds and the crew of his spaceship undergo a gunfight (on horseback), escape to their ship only to be pursued by Reavers (savage, half-human space pirates). “What happens if they board us?” the ship’s whore asks the pilot. “They rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skin into their clothing,” she replies. This sent me back to age 14, when I read a story titled, I think, “Serena and the Sex Slaves of Sirius” in an issue of Spicy SF Stories. I fled “Firefly” for the Mets game, but if you have a teen sci-fi fan in the house, he will have fun with it. Stream on Hulu or rent on AppleTV or Amazon.

My So-Called Life

“My So-Called Life” (1994) is a teen drama that centers on Angela Chase, a pretty and confused high schooler with a crush on handsome but oddly taciturn Jordan Catalano. Some episodes concern Angela’s parents, who seem almost as confused as their daughter. This well written show was far ahead of its time, dealing with such issues as homophobia, drug use, and guns in school (this was years before Columbine). Low ratings caused ABC to cancel the show, and a fan campaign to save it was reportedly the first in the history of the Internet.

Is it worth watching? Absolutely! It’s a welcome step back from the angry, disturbed teens in more recent shows like “The End of the F***ing World,” and was called one of the best teen dramas of all time by Rolling Stone and other publications. The stars are two great reasons to have a look: Jared Leto (his first major role) plays Jordan, and Angela is played by 15-year-old Claire Danes, who grew up to play Carrie Mathison in “Homeland.” Stream on Hulu, rent on Amazon and other services.

Difficult People

“Difficult People” (2015-17) stars Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner as two cynical New York City comedians who loathe almost everyone in town, especially celebrities. The name-dropping and jokes come at you with machine gun speed, along with cameos by Nathan Lane, Tina Fey and many other A-list actors. Another plus: any show that trashed Kevin Spacey and Charlie Rose years before their public exposure deserves respect.

This is big city humor at its most abrasive, and most critics liked it. Is it for you? That depends. Are you happier with Mary Tyler Moore in Minnesota or Larry David in LA and NYC? Mary folks might pass; Larry people should jump in, which you can do anywhere. Start with Episode 3, which is total madness: Kate McKinnon does a hilarious turn as Abra Cadouglas, an alcoholic magician, Julie and Billy host a raunchy pledge week at PBS, and Martin Short makes a scornful guest appearance. Three seasons, stream on Hulu or rent on Amazon and others.

Latest News

Packed house hears Hitchcock estate golf course pre-application

Dozens of people crowded into the courthouse at the Washington Town Hall on Reservoir Drive in Millbrook on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to watch a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC. David Blatt and Henry Hay of Centaur Properties LLC described their plan to build an 18-hole golf course with limited membership and residences on the historic 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.

Photo by Nathan Miller
"This is nothing like Silo Ridge," said Centaur Properties co-founder Henry Hay. "This is Buckingham Palace to a craphouse. It's completely different. It's much higher quality."

MILLBROOK — Dozens of residents of the Town of Washington packed into the courtroom in Town Hall on Reservoir Drive for a standing-room-only regular meeting of the Planning Board on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Well over three-quarters of the crowd were there to listen in to a pre-application meeting between Planning Board members and representatives of Centaur Properties LLC, a New York City-based development company that’s proposing an 18-hole golf course, equestrian facilities and luxury residential development on the 2,000-acre Hitchcock estate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stanford home market sees nine sales in July and August

Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.

Christine Bates

STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.

At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Out on the trail
Nathan Miller

Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.

Millbrook Library dedicates pollinator pathway garden

Joining in the fun at the dedication of the new pollinator pathway garden at The Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4, local expert gardener Maryanne Snow Pitts provides information about a planting to Lorraine Mirabella of Poughkeepsie.

Leila Hawken

MILLBROOK — Participating in a patchwork of libraries that have planted pollinator pathway gardens to attract insects and birds to their native plantings was one of the accomplishments being celebrated at the dedication of a new pollinator garden at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4.

“A lot of work went into it,” said Emma Sweeney, past President of the Millbrook Garden Club, who started the local library’s initiative two years ago.

Keep ReadingShow less