Smallscreen Reviews

Review: Jersey Shore should just keep road tripping, second season

By April MacIntyre Jul 29, 2010, 4:08 GMT

Like the Beebs or higher taxes, She ain\'t going away - Snooki - 21st Annual MuchMusic Video Awards - Red Carpet - MuchMusic Headquarters - Toronto, Canada © Robin Wong / PR Photos

Like most people over 30 who commented on this MTV phenomenon that hit the air last December, "Jersey Shore" seemed a far-reaching sociological cheap cash-in on the post-Goodfellas generation.

Then the scuttle started to bubble up that Snooki and JWOWW weren't even Italian to boot.

The show took off like a bitchin' Camaro drag racing in the night, and we watched the group en masse, with the Alpha leaders of the pack, Snooki and The Situation, build up more cache and begin to earn serious appearance fees and work their way into the lexicon of pop culture across the board.

Loveable goofs with poofs? Boardwalk clowns? Whatever they had caught on with a sizable audience and the new season has been hyped more than truly deserving TV that should be celebrated at such levels. 

So, after the big reveal that Miami was where the Jersey kids were headed, which makes sense because that's where East coast kids from the tri-State area flock to, the gang is now back this Thursday night.

Top billed Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Mike "the Situation" Sorrentino and the other stars of "Jersey Shore" (Pauly D, JWOWW, Vinny, Ronnie, Sammi, and the black sheep Angelina) have delivered a first episode that continues the spirit of the Johnny Confidence crowd now doing it Big Brother House style down on Ocean Ave.

What I wasn't expecting was to be entertained by any of their sophmoric doings, but the "My Cousin Vinny" aspect of their road trip escapades could have been played out more, it's the best part of the new season so far.

It's cold in Jersey in the winter, as a frustrated Pauly D explains that all the girls "stay indoors" in that harsh weather.  Snooki's such a little freak of nature, and her unfettered mouth make for the best moments as she gives Obama a dress down for the tan tax, "Obama put a 10 percent tax on tanning. I feel like he did that intentionally because of us." Snooki holds her hair back as one of the guys sprays self tanner on her face, and later discovers fried pickles on the menu in Georgia, deemed a "life changing experience."

The entire cast should be made to travel all through the deep south in pairs being filmed, like that episode of "Top Gear" where the British blokes gussy up their muscle cars with slogans like "Man Love is Beautiful" and let the cameras roll as the locals drink them in. Let the American version of a proper stoning punishment begin.

"Jersey Shore" begins its anticipated second season Thursday night, July 29, and the cast is savvy to their ratings-to-dollars' worth after holding the network's feet to the fire for salary bumps.

With higher salary comes real expectations, and the ratings better keep rolling in or the GTL crew may find themselves to be last year's girl, relegated to obscurity like Coolio, Paris Hilton and all the kids from "Rock the Cradle."

The Jersey low-rent style and the classic Italian-American intercom antics (yelling from room to room in the house) are all the rage again, as "The Real Housewives of NJ" take the cake for Bravo in the scandal and low class department, bad dress taste runs amok in Oxygen's "Jersey Couture" and "Jerseylicious" lets Style network all cash in on the golden Garden State goose.

This show is TV funnel cake, you know it's bad for you but every once in a while...