In a recent Andy Greenwald Podcast that discussed the first season of the FX crime drama “The Bridge,” fellow podcaster David Jacoby said something at the very beginning that summed up what I had been feeling recently, “I felt kind of alone. Have you noticed that your friends don’t watch this show?”
I can count on less than three fingers the amount of people I’ve asked if they’ve ever seen the show who said they have; maybe I don’t have very many friends who own a Television, hell I don’t own one myself. But what has driven me to keep up with the show for all this time is simply the fact that it is set in our little piece of the border. But that’s not enough for a lot of people. In hopes that the creators of the show are keeping up with the press about the show, I’d like to make a few suggestions to them as to how to attract more El Paso viewers:
For the sake of authenticity, you should have cameos from some prominent locals; our dashing, young congressman Beto O’Rourke is an easy choice, because he’s just so darn cute. If I were to nominate anyone, I’d say go with Roberta Leeser. She’s adorable, and already so well-known in the community as the voice of Hyundai of El Paso. Bonus points if you get her to talk about how good of a boy her son (you know, the mayor) is. I’d also nominate that one crazy older guy at the UTEP home games that cheers, “Miners are the masters!”
You could start beef with Charlie Minn— known for his documentaries of the violence in Juarez “8 Murders a Day,” Murder Capital of the World” and “The New Juarez” and local sports stories “The Perfect Turnover,” “21 Outs” and “March of the Troopers” — is one of the most industrious filmmakers to cover our sister cities. He’s not local, but he’s incredibly interested in the region’s stories like you guys are. So, why not take a PR cue from the world of hip-hop and call each other out on Twitter or in the local press? You can be all, “His documentaries don’t stress the connectivity of the two cities….” And he can be all, “Your TV show isn’t representative of racial demographics and the cities’ warm and inviting natures…” and El Paso would be all, “Wait, there are movies and TV shows being made about El Paso?” and I’ll be all, “You’re welcome.”
Here’s a novel idea: how about doing more shooting in the city? Why not set some of the show at actual locations? Between the bridge (by the way, we have more than one bridge), the police station and the desert, you guys have a whole city to play with! You’ve done a great job at making your characters complex, but have done an even better job at making both cities one-dimensional; El Paso is more than “Generic Desert Town X.” We’re home to the first openly pansexual elected official, Texas’ only completely GMO-free restaurant and our university was ranked higher than Harvard in Washington Monthly’s top 10 national universities this year. Harvard! They produced seven US presidents, and Conan O’Brien! So why is it that the El Paso I see on your show looks like it only has three active radio stations… and they’re all AM!
As obnoxious and not so serious at it seems, the suggestions provided serve a humorous idea to spark interest for you fellow border peeps. It is funny as an El Pasoan to see a show on TV, based here in the border, is not really taking away from the characteristics and personality of what life here really is. Not that “The Bridge” has any responsibility in doing so, but it would be pretty cool to see the actors on the show having a burger at Rosco’s in the Northeast, or driving down Scenic Drive, just another regular day in the city.
TEXT: JOHN DEL ROSARIO