Lights Out

Lights Out is on FX, which apparently, has no affiliation with FOX. For a while there, I thought it did. Mostly because it's spelled the same, sans one letter. FX seems to have a pretty good repertoire of shows at the moment- including but not limited to Justified, Louie, the now defunct Terriers and this one. Although I see their roster also includes Sons of Anarchy (thought it was pretty bad) and Two and a Half Men (what the fuck?).

So anyway, Lights Out is great. The main character, Patrick "Lights Out" Leary, who is supposed to be the former heavyweight boxing champion, is struggling to come out of retirement because of massive debt accrued by his brother/manager. I don't want to get into the whole 'I'm writing the whole plot summary and my diagnosis of it' thing. I just want you to watch it. However, I will tell you a few things, in my humble opinion, that make this show shine.

Patrick's relationship with his, very independent and career focused wife, Theresa, and their three daughters is surprising and smart. He's this big, tough dude but for the last five years has been a stay at home dad. The show is set in suburban New Jersey, they live in a massive McMansion, there is some shady business dealings happening throughout. It mildly of reeks of The Sopronos. So you'd think Patrick would be an ego maniac, who bullies and manipulates people, including his family, reminiscent of Tony Soprono. But his character, overall, is a lot more gentle than that. It's a smart move by the writers to make him and his wife have a complex and a fluctuating power dynamic. Smart because it keeps an audience of women interested in watching too. It's not just about boxing, or at a low point, cage fighting. It's about family relationships strained by the threat of complete bankruptcy. Something most Americans can relate to right now.

Lights Out on The Pirate Bay.