I think the series is pretty good... a guilty pleasure. I'm not going to categorize it as 'great' TV, but it's entertaining. I love the music, the era, and Chicago is my hometown. I don't know what direction the series can/will take, but I'm willing to tag along for the ride... it looks like fun.
I was a kid growing up in the 70s (from Kindergarten to H.S.) but it is probably the decade that had the most influence on me... that core decade that leads from innocence to a shattering of childhood beliefs to a glimpse of the possibilities of adulthood.
The music, the dress, the look of 'Swingtown' brings that decade back to mind... the culture of America.. the "Spirit of '76" and the post-Nixon, pre-Reagan, 'Archie Bunker' era.
Having lived through the 70s and having fully conscious memories of it and a real connection to it may make 'Swingtown' a bit easier to digest. The nostalgia helps it all go down. The 'swinging' only adds a minor plot device and works more to bring the cultural era to life than as titillation.
IF the writers can keep it interesting, it could become a nice diversion, a nostalgia antidote. But they will be walking a fine-line and I don't really think they'll be able to keep 'Swingtown' from devolving (more) into a simplistic soap opera...
...but I'm hoping for more.
btw.. It just occurred to me that the young boy/son in 'Swingtown' is about the same age I was in '76.
I was a kid growing up in the 70s (from Kindergarten to H.S.) but it is probably the decade that had the most influence on me... that core decade that leads from innocence to a shattering of childhood beliefs to a glimpse of the possibilities of adulthood.
The music, the dress, the look of 'Swingtown' brings that decade back to mind... the culture of America.. the "Spirit of '76" and the post-Nixon, pre-Reagan, 'Archie Bunker' era.
Having lived through the 70s and having fully conscious memories of it and a real connection to it may make 'Swingtown' a bit easier to digest. The nostalgia helps it all go down. The 'swinging' only adds a minor plot device and works more to bring the cultural era to life than as titillation.
IF the writers can keep it interesting, it could become a nice diversion, a nostalgia antidote. But they will be walking a fine-line and I don't really think they'll be able to keep 'Swingtown' from devolving (more) into a simplistic soap opera...
...but I'm hoping for more.
btw.. It just occurred to me that the young boy/son in 'Swingtown' is about the same age I was in '76.