“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 896 (Tuesday) – Worcester on TV

Somehow, I managed to not know that there was a series set in my beloved City of Worcester (Kevin Can F**k Himself). I had an awareness of the title and that Annie Murphy from Schitts Creek is in it, but that was extent of the knowledge in my cranium. 

Tonight, while flipping through the streaming services for something to watch that hasn't already been seen, the title was displayed on Prime with a note that season one is “Free until 8/31” which is tomorrow so it felt like a now or never moment.

Partway into the first episode, I thought I heard the name Worcester. The show was paused, backed up, played again, but I couldn’t be sure. That led to a visit to Google to look up the show. Sure enough, right there in the Plot Line on the Wikipedia page, it says, “Set in Worcester, Massachusetts, the show explores the life of Allison McRoberts (played by Annie Murphy), a woman struggling to redefine her life amid an unhappy marriage to her husband Kevin, an insensitive, unambitious man-child.”

Not going to lie, “insensitive, unambitious man-child” sounds like more than a few people I knew during my time living and playing in Worcester. 

Ralph's Diner tee shirt!

The show pulled in an actual Worcester iconic item in the form of a Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner shirt worn by one character. If there is one place in Worcester which holds a perpetual soft spot in my heart, it’s Ralph’s. 

There was a stretch of life when Ralph's was the center of my social sphere. My wardrobe was supplemented with tee shirts from Ralph’s, including the glow in the dark Halloween shirt (given to me at their Halloween costume party the year my costume was a Ralph's matchbook) and the Christmas shirt with the three wise men in front of the diner (gift from the doorman there when we dated). 

The woodwork in the apartment looks like the woodwork in nearly every apartment seen while looking for a rental. Beyond the Ralph’s tee shirt, I haven’t noticed any other genuine and specific Worcester items, and I’ve been looking. According to one site, the show was filmed in Braintree, so I can probably stop looking for familiar Worcester scenery. 

In the first four episodes, the dialogue included references to multiple redesigns of the infamous Kelley Square, Grafton, and Shrewsbury, which was even pronounced correctly. Not once have they used the nickname "Wormtown." The only weird reference noticed was when Allison says she’ll get her husband something from the “duty free” store in New Hampshire. Tax-free New Hampshire, sure. But duty free? What, like the airport?

Overall, the show is okay. Not spectacular. Parts are borderline annoying. But I like Annie Murphy and I'm not a quitter, so I’ll keep watching. Plus, it's kind of fun looking for the signs of Worcester.