Sex On TV: “Swingtown” Makes Us Yearn For The Sexy Summer Of ‘76
Posted by: Wendy Atterberry
Filed in:
news, video
7:30AM, Tuesday August 5th 2008
All this talk about polyamory has convinced me it’s time to confess a rather intimate secret: I’m a fan of Swingtown on CBS. I know I can’t be the only fan out there — the message boards prove that (Yes, I’m actually reading the message boards. Look, my boyfriend’s been away on business. I’m lonely.), but it’s been difficult to find anyone in real life who admits to watching the show.
If you’re one of the many who actually has a life this summer and you haven’t been spending your Friday nights glued to the TV screen, Swingtown is a one-hour drama on CBS that highlights the lifestyle of swinging couples in 1976 suburbia. The same CBS that brought us Touched by an Angel, Murder She Wrote, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, is now bringing us a show about group sex and pot brownies. Sure, the writing is corny, the acting is kind of schmaltzy, and the premise is a little icky in that “did my parents behave like this?” sort of way, but I can’t help it — the characters are so likable…relatable, even, the fashion so fantastic, and the lifestyle — basement orgies and all — intriguing enough to make me wish I’d been more than just a fetus in the summer of ‘76.
Corny or not, Swingtown has become my guilty pleasure of the summer (second only to pints of Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche). It’s what The Wonder Years would have been if Kevin Arnold’s parents had opened their marriage to the whole neighborhood…and served pot brownies at the annual company picnic instead of deviled eggs.
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amelia
wrote on August 5 2008 @ 09:57 am: [report]
I love this show too!! Unfortunately I think its gone after this season
Anita Wagner
wrote on August 5 2008 @ 01:11 pm: [report]
I’m an “out” polyamorist and love Swingtown. I’m not a lot into swinging, though I think it’s a fine option for those who enjoy it.
I was a twenty-something married woman in 1976 and my daughter was a fetus at the bicentennial. (smile)
Swingtown has done a good job of raising some of the issues that come up when people are practicing responsible non-monogamy, especially around insecurity and jealousy. The writers got it write on those topics.
Splog
wrote on August 5 2008 @ 04:06 pm: [report]
Love Swingtown—the characters are so intriguing and I’m relishing having Grant Show back on tv! Plus, Liz Phair’s musical supervision of the show is awesome - I just wish I could download the catchy theme song “Give it up! Give it up for LOOOVE”. I think the show will definitely be canceled but here’s hoping CBS keeps it around and re-releases as a midseason replacement like it was intended to be originally…
paintergirl
wrote on August 5 2008 @ 04:40 pm: [report]
You know, I was a kid, about the same age as the creator of Swingtown. I love the show, and funny enough, I do have a life. I liked the Thursday night slot better than Friday (it’s cutting into my party time).
The show is funny, and everyone is so yummy. A guilty pleasure for sure.