This Is Life with Lisa Ling

Lisa Ling is an excellent reporter! I have followed her career trajectory since she was first introduced on the View for a season or two. Not content to simply interview celebrities, she left to do some actual journalism. Oprah Winfrey wisely snatched her up and gave her a series: "Our America" which gave in depth portraits of some of the often hidden or marginalized populations in our country. This included heroin addicts, and women in prison. Any good reporter or someone who puts together a documentary, tries to give an objective and non judgmental look at their subjects. People aren't black and white and Lisa Ling has always manged to show a glimpse of people in their seemingly unconventional lives and let them tell their own stories. A good reporter though will ask questions (hopefully in a unbiased way), about the subjects and how they live their lives as a way to learn and not exploit them. I've always admired how Ms. Ling seemingly jumps right in and yet is unobtrusive, educating herself as well as the viewers. Her shows have always come across as thought provoking as well as entertaining.

When Lisa moved to C.N.N . for her "This is Life" series, I was pleased to see that the quality of the program continued with it's no hold barred approach. I am always educated by these glimpses of other lives that are presented with all the subjects portrayed in the episodes. I was hoping that when Lisa Ling moved to C.N.N. she would find a bigger audience because her program should not be missed!

Ling and her team do an incredible job of bringing often never-told stories in a raw, real way. A combination of historical facts and personal interviews make for fascinating and educational television. I never miss an episode. Ling is perfect: open, real, and talented journalist.

Every other episode is about sex and weirdo American deviants involved with it.

As Lisa enters the room, text reads: "cameras were not allowed in".. Lisa gives a little school girl giggle, cute smile and smug twinkle of the eye as she enters... please. When Lisa reappears, "watching all of those people having sex was strange, yet, felt so natural and comfortable.. blah, blah, blah...". Get a grip will ya?! Enough with the desperate attempts to normalize this sort of deplorable, depraved, downright sick behavior. Your husband and newborn child must be SO SO proud of you Lisa! You go girl!

This kind of desensitizing trash TV from CNN, a once upon a time respectable news source, is the reason why our culture is now broken beyond repair. You go CNN!

Within the title of "This Is Life with Lisa Ling" is a sense that the stories are part of a normative, human existence. This, however, is not exactly what this show is about. I have watched perhaps eight episodes of this on Netflix so far, and I am very much in the dark as to what the point of this show is supposed to be.

I don't know if the stories just aren't compelling, or that Lisa Ling tries so hard to empathize with her subjects, but it just doesn't come across as authentic, like she's trying to create emotion that just isn't there. Maybe it's that she's just in these people's lives for a short time to exploit their condition in order to make a television show, and then she's gone. I find that to be very disingenuous and nearly on par with the likes of Springer or Maury (but without the sensationalism).

The stories themselves are what you might find featured in shows like "Taboo" on National Geographic Channel, yet with "insight" from a journalist who, to me, just has a look of being disinterested. These don't tell me anything about life, or shed any new light on the human condition. I am not captivated by their stories, nor do I end up feeling anything for these stories. To me the whole thing just comes across as contrived.

Lisa Ling takes a look at the lifestyles, joys, challenges and realities of people who have chosen a path that is different from the norm. For these people, "this is life" and we are being given a glimpse into it.

What I appreciate most about the show is how she doesn't present these stories with any sort of bias based on her own beliefs. It would be very easy to lead an audience to the same conclusions that she personally drew. However, she chose the route of letting the viewer draw their own conclusions. She treated every single person with decency, non-judgment and respect. Very well done... and I look forward to the next season.