In the vast dumping-grounds of American television, there is little room found-object gems of yesteryear such as the popular sitcom from the eighties _What's That Thing beside the Chair?_ or the short-lived drama series _Put On Your Boots and Go Get Some Firewood_. As a television critic, every few months I am subjected to a new offering of drivel and unspeakable sadness that purports to be entertainment. Imagine my happy surprise upon viewing the latest television efforts of intensedrama Productions in the form of _Shaving with Co-Workers_ and its spin-off _Let's Write a Paper_, two shows in the vein of the aforementioned found-object television series.

Let us begin with the elder of the two shows, the Uncle Wilberforce if you will. Superbly acted, the docu-drama _Shaving with Co-workers_ introduces a hilarious cast of characters not soon to be forgotten. The main character, a rather affable chunkster of a girl with the unlikely name Mary is the only character who does not shave. Her "co-workers" (who, ironically, are now her co-workers) are Billy, a musician/farmer with a heart of brass, Vanity, a squeamish monkey-organ-grinder, Charles, the heart throb misfit with attitude to spare and Tourette's Syndrome, and Spanikopita Jo, a mother figure with a switchblade.

The action which is at the heart of the show takes place in a small men's room at a Chevron station, one of those one-stall deals. Characters take turns shaving in front of a rusty and warped mirror, always begging the question, "Did I get all of it?" Much conversation, as well arises from the comedy of errors that is their failure to purchase gasoline and/or sundries from said Chevron and their total domination of the restroom. Characters heard from the sidelines include impatient motorists, the gas station manager, and the chief of police. Hilarity ensues.

The spin-off is no less of a masterpiece. _Let's Write a Paper_ is an altogether different beast, but fascinating nonetheless. Each week, a character from _Shaving_ writes a paper on an undisclosed topic. He or she brainstorms, works on a rough draft, takes some vice breaks (smoking, drinking coffee, perhaps a sip of Tang), then gets back to that paper. This lends itself to many cliffhangers and "to-be-continued"s as we watch the silent progression from thought to paper. The process, though viewed from a distance that renders the assignment and the outcome incomprehensible, is breath-taking.

intensedrama has done it again, calling into question the meaning of "television" in the cliche "reality television." By making co-workers of the "co-workers", by separating the outcome of the paper from the process of watching a person writing it, by making it painfully clear that watching television is just that "watching television", intensedrama has brought us closer to an understanding of our very selves.

For viewing times, look in your local listings.

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