Best Show Ever: Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty

When I first heard that Shannen Doherty had been cast in a show about ending relationships for the Oxygen Network, my first thought was, That's random. I also thought, Hasn't Shannen Doherty had enough bad press as it is? Does she really need to participate in a third-rate cable show to really drive the nails into the coffin?

I caught the show for the first time tonight, and, readers, I am a convert to the Church of Shannen.

Her participation in the show makes perfect sense for one reason:

Would you want to be in a bar fight against Shannen? No. Would you want Shannen to have your back if you were in a bar fight? Abso-fucking-lutely.

The show zips among quick vignettes, which is essential. (This is a low-budget cable show, after all, not the TV interpretation of Anna Karenina.) And there's so much raw sadness and bitchery to it that it gives the appearance of being real even though it may not be. (This is reality TV, after all, not a Sundance documentary.) Just watching these poor, ridiculous men break down and/or feign shock when they see their long-suffering girlfriends tell them they want out is PRICELESS. And the silly Candid Camera-esque stunts the show pulls to get the guys to admit they're losers is ridiculous and funny at the same time.

Plus, Shannen genuinely seems to have the moderate-to-high hatred for the average American man that is necessary to make us believe she's rooting for every single one of those women. (Go back to the bar fight scenario if needed.)

So, yeah, this show will definitely replace "Laguna Beach" as my go-to channel-flipping-on-Saturday-afternoon destination.