Pops Watched TV: WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS

 In the summer and fall of 1973, my afternoon television routine (consisting primarily of Wee Willie Webber’s Colorful Cartoon Club on WPHL-17) was frequently sidelined by my mother’s insistence on watching the Watergate hearings. The following summer, I was at the shore (Dewey Beach, DE) with my parents and grandparents when Richard Nixon resigned his presidency. Watergate was my first political memory, but at the time—aside from the battles it incurred between my lefty Dad and conservative grandmother—I found it really boring. 

Well, guess what, eight-year old me, someday a satirical dramatization of Watergate is going to be your favorite thing on TV. HBO’s WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS totally caught me off guard (despite its VEEP connection)… I was  not expecting a side-splittingly funny black comedy… I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s all the political intrigue and ‘70s social strife mixed in there as well. But the sincere bromance between über-earnest E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) and G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) is played so broadly that it falls just short of the classic WILL: THE MOVIE parody from SCTV (link in comments). 

Apparently the mix of irreverence and an adherence to history (mostly) is causing confusion amongst some viewers. But let’s face it, C.R.E.E.P.  was comprised of some serious buffoons. It all works gloriously for me (I think my father would’ve liked it too… MeMee, not so much). My only complaint about this series is that it’s only five episodes. But I’ll be rewatching as soon as it wraps up.

Originally posted on social media, May 10, 2023