A look at some of the best and worst of TV in 2000
Picks and pans of TV in 2000
JAKARTA (JP): It's clear that sinetron, the local TV serials which have made stars of many who have little more than good looks on their list of credentials, are not going for the reality factor.
This is demonstrated regularly, like when actress Inneke Koesharawaty is supposedly in the throes of childbirth in one role, but looks instead like she just emerged from a local beauty salon. The assembled doctors and nurses, although all of them women, have not come a long way baby when they are also wearing enough makeup to send the share price of Maybelline soaring.
Still, 2000 was not only about sinetron, both the homegrown variety and those from abroad. There was plenty more going on, with some picks and pans below.
Going for Laughs: With such dreadful fare as Oke Oke Boss and the latest lame comedy from Dono and Indro, there are not many real laughs on Indonesian TV. But one guaranteed laughfest, including for those who only understand enough Indonesian to get by, is Ketoprak Humor (RCTI, 9 p.m. Saturday). This bunch of comedians from the Samiaji group take an ancient storyline from Javanese folklore, and adapt it in their own modern way. Although their ranks have been thinned by a couple of drug busts in the past year, the real star of the show is the gender-bending Tessie, who pouts and preens his/her way to perfection.
The Big Zero: RCTI should have been in top form for the Olympic extravaganza in Sydney, but it was all too often bogged down by its star-heavy, error-filled lineup of shows. Hard to believe, but for once TVRI, with its simple sets and modest approach, won gold in the TV stakes.
A Bit of Variety: Pesta (Indosiar, 6 p.m., Sunday) is a high- powered variety show in the prime Sunday slot. With top acts from both here and abroad (in 2000 the latter included Westlife and Atomic Kitten) as well as quizzes, it is a winner with viewers. Host Farhan may have boy-next-door good looks, but is definitely no goodie-two-shoes.
Dead on Arrival: You know that the programmers at TPI must have thought they were onto a good thing when they hatched their plan to foist Midnight Affair (11:30 p.m., Tuesday) on the unknowing viewing public. These are, after all, times when we can talk about anything with abandon. With alluring TV advertising promising naughty treats in the late night hours, the program must have reeled in a few viewers. But this is a case of once seen, never forgotten -- and never watched again.
Salacious to the extreme, the show revolves around Lutfi, a twenty-something who has friends of various persuasions over to her apartment to discuss various subjects (mainly sex). They talk and talk, with Lutfi's astrologer friend trying to figure out on his chart why people do the things they do. And then the callers offer their two cents' worth, which, again, mostly centers on a little roll in the hay. Ahem. It's the kind of show which leaves you wanting to take a shower and wash your own mouth out with soap.
A Better Dish: Gossip shows have also become popular in the last few years, heralded by the advance of Indra Safera as the host of KISS (now replaced by Eko Patrio). Today, however, for laughs and the latest on celebrity exploits, a personal pick is Go Show (TPI, 9 a.m., Tuesday). With comedian Edwin and Tamara (OK, forget how she was on RCTI during the Olympics), the show rolls along with snappy and amusing dialog. And the newly married Tamara can at least keep Edwin in check. (Bruce Emond)