Should You Watch: Swingtown

At first, I assumed CBS thought its new period drama about partner-swapping couples in the seventies was pretty edgy. But now I think it thought it was pretty dull and just burned it off in the Summer, where the usual chorus of morality watchdogs might pay less attention. You know what? CBS was right. I don't see how this premise could sustain itself over a whole season. After all, the main couples got into the sack together at the end of the very first episode.

Maybe if this were on pay cable and had some actual nudity instead of just tight closeups spotlighting someone's face in the middle of what is supposed to be an orgy, someone could get excited about this. As it is, there's not much to see here, folks, though the cast is pretty good and gamely tries to make it work. "Period detail" apparently means playing the same overplayed radio songs we've heard for the last 30 years. Didn't swingers have a more varied record collection?

You should watch "Swingtown" if:

*You never saw "The Ice Storm"...or any other movie that depicted suburbia in the 1970s.
*You don't have a classic rock radio station in your area.
*You're intrigued by the idea of Jack Davenport losing his English accent.
*You're just flat-out nostalgic for the Bicenntennial.
*You're nostalgic for recreational drugs.
*You think, hey, it's about damn time Grant Show had another hit show.
*You're monitoring it for a right-wing media watchdog.