I don’t often tune into pilots, but I’m glad I did for this one. I just often feel that shows in their infancy- and especially their very first episode- haven’t established everything that makes that show great, and are thus much better avoided. The characters don’t act like themselves, and all the sets are super low budget until they get a bit of cred and move to somewhere more expensive and permanent.
But I made an exception for ‘An Expert Who Cares’, which is a show about a man going around and talking about boat parts.
I don’t have much experience with the boat part, and not much interest. But still, this guy actually CARES enough to draw in the uninitiated. So he’ll go to a marine mechanic in Melbourne that does outboard motor repairs and ask if he can film (I assume, since they don’t seem to mind). Then he just commentates while they work, talks about outboard motors, and then often goes on long tangents and tells lengthy stories about his youth when he grew up selling boats to wealthy moguls. And many other things.
I wouldn’t say it’s boring, but it’s definitely the type of thing that would help you to fall asleep, because it’s just the most relaxing show on television. Flick over a few channels and you’ll find a bunch of people in a fierce competition to see who can do the best outboard motor repair, with stressful music when the time is about to run out. A few more channels and there will be some soap about Melbourne mechanics doing anchor winch servicing, but also having unrealistic character dramas and sometimes pushing each other off cliffs.
And then there’s Albert, just talking about what he clearly loves. It’s the wholesome television revolution we so clearly needed, and I for one will continue to support it, even if the sets become more expensive and Albert’s shady past starts to come out.
-L