FX’s “Feud” is the Program of the Year

And now six weeks after that I remain convinced that this grandly entertaining production will be the most talked about and most honored television program of 2017 How can it notamp160 The production values are first rate The cast amp8211 including Jessica Lange Susan Sarandon Judy Davis Catherine ZetaJones Kathy Bates Stanley Tucci Alfred Molina Jackie Hoffman Kiernan Shipka and Sarah Paulson amp8211 is uniformly excellentamp160 Collectively just watching this particular group in action is an event in itself The script is at times very funny at others very moving and always powerful in its exposure of the way women in middle age were treated by the studio system regardless of their previous successesamp160 Above all whether it is taking a deep dive into the prickly relationship between Crawford and Davis or revealing the emotional toll their lives had taken on them or exploring their dysfunctional relationships with their husbands and children or shining a bright light into the dark corners of the movie business Feud is never anything less than a firstclass affair If another program is going to eclipse it during the next nine months itamp160will have to be pretty damn magnificent That39s why I39m comfortable making an early call on this oneI have seen the first five episodes of Feud and have been enthralled by every moment of every oneamp160 In fact I have seen several of them two or three times and they feel remarkably fresh with every viewing They largely focus on the lives of Crawford and Davis immediately before and throughout the filming of the creepy classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and the aftermath of its releaseamp160 At a time when so many prestige dramas are so serious minded and when plowing through them often feels more like homework than a way to relax and be entertained Feud like Murphyamp8217s The People v OJ Simpson before it breezes right along inviting repeat viewing and of most importance never dragging or feeling narratively overconstructed with the goal of reaching 13 or 15 hourlong episodes Feud is an efficient eight OJ was a perfect tenFeud has been very much in the media spotlight of late and I believe it is going to remain there throughout 2017 and into the next awards season when the production and actors will certainly receive multiple nominations from every relevant awards organization and likely more honors than any other production this yearamp160 Most of the current attention has been focused on the lead performances by Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford amp8211 all rage and frustration and manipulative menace amp8211 and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davis amp8211 ferocious as a lion on the outside but vulnerable as a kitten within Sarandon and Lange are pictured at top Both performances could have easily collapsed into camp amp8211 indeed some of the situations these women place themselves in seem so much larger than life as to be positively unreal though Iamp8217m assured they really happened But Lange and Sarandon ground them so thoroughly that they never lose their humanity even when Crawford and Davis are at their worst Watching the two of them backstage at the 1964 Academy Awards in episode five is a real eyeopener in every respect That may be the most talked about episode of Feud by the time it endsIf there is a scene stealer in this extraordinary ensemble it is Judy Davis pictured above as legendary gossip queen Hedda Hopper who knows how and when to play Crawford and Davis against each other or to unite them against a common threat amp8211 always with her own selfish interests barely concealed below the surface amp160A future edition of the Feud franchise ought to focus on Hopperamp8217s rivalry with Louella Parsons with Davis reprising the roleamp160 Every time Davis as Hopper is on screen the viewer is reminded of the absolute power a handful of entertainment reporters once held over the careers of actors and the fortunes of the studios amp8211 this without the widespread and instantaneous influence of social mediaThe publicity and marketing for Feud have been as lavish as the production itself Collectively the promotion has rivaled just about anything I have ever seen any network do to support a series of any kind The highlights have included a luncheon high above New York City at The Rainbow Room a series of influencer screenings and parties at bars restaurants and drag clubs in Los Angeles and just this week a recreation of those historic Hollywood premieres at Graumanamp8217s Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel site of the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929A final note Without going into specifics it will be interesting to see if anything is said about the profanities that are heard throughout this production particularly the Fbombs that Crawford and Davis fire off whenever agitatedamp160 I have always maintained that a reliance on cursing makes for lazy television writing but that simply isnamp8217t the case hereamp160 To not include those Fbombs and other vulgarities would have weakened the overall impact of the production and made it feel distractingly false as both women were known to turn the air blue at the drop of a hatWill the certain outsize success of this series further loosen relevant standards in advertiser supported cable televisionamp160 Will it encourage the development of additional projects for women over the age of 40 or 50 an issue that while not as absolute as it was in the days of Crawford and Davis still shamefully continues in Hollywoodamp160 Will it generate additional programs about the history of the movie andor television business where hundreds of fascinating behindthescenes stories remain untold And will it further prove that FX is now the undisputed leader when it comes to compelling uncompromising diversified programming for adults of all agesamp160 Who else is bringing us as diverse a selection of original programming as Taboo Baskets Legion Feud and The Americans during the first 2 amp189 months of the yearFeud begins Sunday March 5 at 10 pmamp160Click on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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FX’s “Feud” is the Program of the Year

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Ed Martin

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FX’s “Feud” is the Program of the Year

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