Swingtown - The First Season

Swingtown is one of the best shows you've never seen. A sexy 1970s nostalgia show explores the decadent world of swingers in a Chicago suburb. Where can you catch this provocative show? CBS! That may be why people might have missed it, but not the reason you shouldn't run out and buy it on DVD.

The series follows Susan (Molly Parker) and Bruce Miller (Jack Davenport) whose lives change after moving three blocks away to a bigger house. Their exposed to a whole new world of swinging, decadence and drug use under the tutelage of their neighbors Tom (Grant Show) and Trina Decker (Lana Parrilla). Their old neighbors and good friends, Roger (Josh Hopkins) and Janet Thompson (Miriam Shor), provide a constant reminder of their older simpler lives. As the couples mix and mingle their lives change for good. New boundaries are tested and explored all to the backdrop of the many political changes in the transformative late 1970's.

The music, the clothes, and the memories are characters in the show but they have nothing on the actors. Miriam Shor (so memorable in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch") shines as the prim and proper Janet. She has great comedic timing and often steals the show with her character's strong reaction to the changes around her. Lana Parrilla captures the joie de vivre of the 1970s. She's sexy, she's rich, and she's loving life and she makes no apologies.

Despite being held back by FCC regulations, the show does still manage to be sexy and revealing. You don't need nudity to capture the wantonness of the 70's and the feeling of coveting your neighbor's husband. You also can comment on the political climate without pandering to overblown drama. The best part of the show is how grounded it is. It takes a three-block radius and turns it to a springboard for many of the political movements and drastic changes of the times. From women going off into careers, to sexual exploration, to the rights of gays, women, and people of color the show pulls no punches.

The DVD includes a rather detailed behind-the-scenes featurette that explores the roots of the show and the actors. You can see how fun this show has been to make. There is a retrospective on the sexual movement of the 1970s called "Have a Nice Revolution." Plus, there's a funny gag reel.

It's sad that the fate of this great series is unknown. If you watch the pilot episode you're sure to be hooked. Whether you lived in the 70s or just love the 70s revival this show is true to form. The stories are realistic, the acting is amazing, and the show is a guilty pleasure waiting to happen.