The Hamptons? No. Boise? Now that’s rich.
Joanna Weiss and Matthew Gilbert chatted with readers last Thursday on Boston.com. Here are excerpts.
Q. Any thoughts on USA’s “Royal Pains’’? The production values are decent, but the script and the acting are silly.
Joanna: I wish for a moratorium on the Hamptons on TV. They just aren’t that interesting. Rich people in New Jersey or Atlanta are more interesting in their disgusting richness.
Matthew: I agree. If I’m gonna watch N.Y. rich, I want N.Y. rich in the city.
Joanna: It’s just that all the TV executives go to the Hamptons so they find the Hamptons fascinating. I’d rather see what the ultra-rich in Idaho look like. Seriously.
Matthew: I love that idea. Boise Prep.
Joanna: That, I would be into. There are rich people everywhere. Not just New York. That’s what I have loved about the Bravo “Real Housewives’’ series - I thought it was great to see Atlanta and New Jersey. The New York version was probably the boringest.
Matthew: “The Real Housewives of New Bedford.’’ I’m waiting.
Q. “Mad Men.’’ When?
Matthew: Aug. 16.
Joanna: Not a moment too soon!
Matthew: I really can’t hardly wait.
Joanna: I was a late convert to that show, but I find that every episode has me talking and thinking afterward.
Matthew: So you mean, I was right?
Joanna: You will never get me to admit it.
Matthew: Many people didn’t like it at first, and then came to love it.
Joanna: I want to see Betty Draper go wild. I want to see if January Jones can act it. I’ve always wondered if she’s absolutely brilliant at playing Betty, or absolutely awful. I feel like either one could be plausibly true.
Matthew: I’m thinking she’s better than you’re thinking. But the question remains, for sure.
Joanna: Betty is such a frustrating character, partly because of her stiffness.
Matthew: Yes, I agree. It’s unnerving. Maybe she’ll get all 1960s on us.
Q. Why so little time between the release of Season 2 of “Mad Men’’ on DVD and the new season? Not much catch-up time.
Matthew: They want you to feel the pressure. They want you to buy or rent that set now, before the show returns. Plus, the promo for the DVD set feeds into the promo for next season.
Q. Thoughts on “Entourage’’ return? Worth watching?
Matthew: I confess, I lost interest last season. The premise and the characters started to feel played out.
Joanna: I’ve gotten very tired of the series, too.
Matthew: The characters weren’t deep to begin with, and now they seem like wind-up toys.
Joanna: I’m hoping there’s a little more strife, which would help matters. But then, that’s always my hope with the show, and it doesn’t entirely pan out.
Matthew: Or character growth maybe. That’s what saved “Sex and the City.’’
Check out the full chat transcript at www.boston.com/viewerdiscretion, and check out this Thursday’s chat at noon on Boston.com. 