Avenue G

What is America coming to? I’ve now caught 3 episodes of CBS’s new dramedy Swingtown, and I have to say we're headed in a shocking direction. Now, I couldn’t be too shocked or I wouldn’t have sat through 3 complete episodes. Swingtown is set in an upscale Chicago suburb in the mid 1970’s. The website summary talks about 3 couples exploring new attitudes and choices at the precipice of change.

In fact, the title tells it all -- Swingtown is about 3 couples discovering that they can swing with each other. Yes, in the sexual sense of that word. Set against the polyester, disco backdrop of the 1970’s, this show purports to show the swinging attitudes that we had back in the 70’s. Bruce and Susan Miller move across the street from libertine couple Tom and Trina Decker. At a block party, the Millers get drawn into the Decker’s tawdry web. In last week’s episode, the web caught more victims of moral indecision -- the Miller’s old friends, the Thompson’s, stumbled upon the Decker’s wife-swapping shenanigans at a vacation cabin.

The only problem with the show’s concept is that this facile situation never existed -- it’s a 70’s that never was. If anything, the freewheeling 2000’s with Craig’s list and Internet chat rooms would be much more an accurate setting for this debauchery. But I digress with this line of judgmental thoughts -- the show is immensely entertaining. In some ways, it reminds me of soft core, woman-oriented pornography. All we lack is someone spilling wine on the lap of the pizza delivery boy.

The show actually redeems itself a little bit (from the credibility standpoint) with the plot lines of the children. The Miller’s daughter has a nascent affair developing with her teacher and the Thompson’s son is helping a neighbor girl with a dysfunctional mother. The attitude of Swingtown is much like that of Desperate Housewives. It’s a wink-wink dramedy that’s much likelier to elicit laughter than serious critique.

If your moral senses are easily offended, do not tune in on Thursday nights. The American Family Association and the Parent’s TV Council have both already moved to protest this show and boycott its advertisers. Swingtown is the creation of Mike Kelley, who’s already played with our moral compass in shows like Big Love and Rome. If you can enjoy something with about the depth and credibility of a Harlequin romance, (but heightened giggle factor), by all means tune into Swingtown.