Scientists predict that by the year 2018, every American citizen over the age of thirty will have starred in at least one reality series. Ok, I made that up. But you believed it for a second, didn't you?Bob Saget, star of Full House and the original host of America's Funniest Home Videos, is the latest celebrity to throw his hat into the reality ring with Strange Days With Bob Saget, which premieres Tuesday night on A&E. But you know what sets Strange Days With Bob Saget apart from the usual celebrity-driven reality fare?
It's actually pretty good.
Strange Days With Bob Saget follows Saget as he spends a week at a time with different subcultures. We previewed the episodes where he spent time with Bigfoot hunters and a biker club. During the former, he spends time with members from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization in Olympic National Park in Washington. Being an amateur cryptozoologist myself, I really enjoyed the episode, even when Saget was making fun of the Bigfoot hunters.
But the episode depicting his week with a motorcycle gang was the standout. It was funny and touching, showing that the series has a chance to be more than just your average celebrity-out-of-water fare.
You can tell Saget's really in his element among the bikers. I mean, he doesn't even stick out in this photo, right?
Saget spent the week as a probate with the hopes of joining the Iron Order motorcycle club, a group that parties and rides hard. Saget traveled 1,500 miles in a motorcycle sidecar, hung out with people named Peckerwood, Pacman, Stiffy and the club's president, Izod, and got coffee and other beverages for the club's members. During the week, Saget was able to attend a wedding between two Iron Order members and a memorial service for a member who was killed by a drunk driver.
While Saget makes jokes and displays his classic deadpan wit throughout the episode, you don't feel that he disrespects the bikers. Possibly because he's afraid they'd kick his ass.
In the end, Saget seems genuinely moved by his week with the bikers. It's the mixture of Saget's humor and sincerity, along with the interesting subcultures covered (I can't wait to see the one about professional wrestling), that makes Strange Days With Bob Saget worth watching.
Strange Days With Bob Saget premieres Tuesday, November 30th at 10 PM on A&E.
