Ag in Media
What else screams "'MERICA!" quite like plopping down on your couch, opening your laptop or turning on your TV, iPad or phone, and flipping on some Netflix? Nothing captivates people in the US quite like the continuous and seemingly unlimited amount of content that Netflix has available to us everyday. Netflix is almost like Google in terms that you can find almost any type of show on Netflix.
Although, one would be hard pressed to find many shows or movies related to the agricultural field, except for a few documentaries that expose poor ethics or explain an on going problem in a given region. But on April 1st, Netflix released an original series titled 'The Ranch'. The Ranch is a multi-camera sitcom based on, believe it or not, a ranch. In the heart of rural Colorado, father Beau Bennett (Sam Elliott) runs a cattle ranch with his thirty something kids. Rooster/Jameson Bennett (Danny Masterson) is known as the good son who may not be perfect, but at least he isn't like his other brother (Colt). Colt Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) was a high school football star whose NFL career never panned out. Because of his failures, he is brought back to the Ranch to reunite with his dysfunctional family.
The Ranch's downfall as a show is it's extreme use of crude humor and set-up jokes. But at the same time, what makes is so interesting to watch, is watching a show much like 'That 70s Show', which many of us grew up with, and unexpectedly hearing the word "fuck" bellow out of that classic, deep Sam Elliott voice.
Aside from it's unrefined humor, The Ranch forces its mostly out-of-touch lifestyle onto the average person. These days on 2% of the US population works in the agricultural industry. A few more live in a rural setting, but to the large majority of the population, a rural lifestyle is one that we've been disconnected from. Throughout the 10 episodes in part 1, the Bennett's face many problems revolving around a lack of money. At the end of part 1 comes time to send his cattle to auction. The only problem is that the Bennett's are struggling to find the money to take care of their family and their cattle before auction. And on top of that, cattle prices are at all time lows, so if Beau were to sell his cattle, he would end up losing money. In the end, after a series of events, Beau ends up selling his cattle because of a water crisis in the area and gets a hefty profit.
We as Americans can feel for the Bennett family when we watch The Ranch. We may not be able to relate to cattle prices, but most of us have had money problems and didn't know where we were going to turn. Or perhaps we have had a strained relationship with someone we love, just like Beau and his wife. Or maybe we let a lover go and regret that decision like Colt and his long gone ex girlfriend Abby. Or maybe it's the nostalgic feeling some people get when they see the old Ford farm truck parked in front of Beau's house and it makes those viewers think of simpler times. Whatever it is, The Ranch opens the doors to a world that a lot of Americans have forgotten all about.
The Ranch may not be for everyone, but for those of us that live in or wish we lived in a rural lifestyle, it's must see TV.
The Ranch's downfall as a show is it's extreme use of crude humor and set-up jokes. But at the same time, what makes is so interesting to watch, is watching a show much like 'That 70s Show', which many of us grew up with, and unexpectedly hearing the word "fuck" bellow out of that classic, deep Sam Elliott voice.
Aside from it's unrefined humor, The Ranch forces its mostly out-of-touch lifestyle onto the average person. These days on 2% of the US population works in the agricultural industry. A few more live in a rural setting, but to the large majority of the population, a rural lifestyle is one that we've been disconnected from. Throughout the 10 episodes in part 1, the Bennett's face many problems revolving around a lack of money. At the end of part 1 comes time to send his cattle to auction. The only problem is that the Bennett's are struggling to find the money to take care of their family and their cattle before auction. And on top of that, cattle prices are at all time lows, so if Beau were to sell his cattle, he would end up losing money. In the end, after a series of events, Beau ends up selling his cattle because of a water crisis in the area and gets a hefty profit.
We as Americans can feel for the Bennett family when we watch The Ranch. We may not be able to relate to cattle prices, but most of us have had money problems and didn't know where we were going to turn. Or perhaps we have had a strained relationship with someone we love, just like Beau and his wife. Or maybe we let a lover go and regret that decision like Colt and his long gone ex girlfriend Abby. Or maybe it's the nostalgic feeling some people get when they see the old Ford farm truck parked in front of Beau's house and it makes those viewers think of simpler times. Whatever it is, The Ranch opens the doors to a world that a lot of Americans have forgotten all about.
The Ranch may not be for everyone, but for those of us that live in or wish we lived in a rural lifestyle, it's must see TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment