Ed Begley, Jr.’s Living with Ed Promotes Green Living

It’s not easy living with Ed, a man who rides his stationary bike for ten minutes each morning to generate enough electricity to toast two slices of bread; won’t let his wife Rachelle display any holiday lights outside (bad for their home’s carbon footprint); and only recently allowed her to remodel their kitchen (but only on one condition: the appliances are all eco-friendly and the kitchen counters are made of recycled green glass!)

The challenges of life with Ed may be difficult for Rachelle, but they provide plenty of comedic moments for the second season of Living With Ed, (HGTV’s hit show about environmentalist and actor Ed Begley, Jr. and his wife Rachelle Carson Begley.)

I’m enjoying season two of the show; however, when we first met the Begleys during season one, the action centered much more on the gentle tension between Ed and his wife, as Ed’s devotion to living a totally green lifestyle clashed with Rachelle’s desires for a more conventional, “normal” Hollywood existence. The show would open with the witty, ironic, and wholesomely glamorous Rachelle standing in front of their modest home, leaning on a white picket fence, clueing us into her life as the long suffering mate of a man totally possessed with a need to save the environment.

Rachelle and Ed, trading gentle barbs and acting like a post millennium Nick and Nora Charles, would spar through those episodes. Life in the trenches of the Begley house was the backbone of the show; mild skirmishes over household chores and Ed’s latest contraptions for green living provided grist for their amusing banter. The luminous and lively Rachelle (an actress and pilates teacher) proved to be a real find and the perfect foil for low key, laid back Ed. She shined like a forties movie star throughout the first season episodes (Hollywood take notice, this woman needs her own sitcom!)

The second season of the show is enjoyable, but a bit more subdued. Now that the show is so popular, is it possible that Ed doesn’t like to be the object of as much teasing as he received in season one? The interaction between Ed and Rachelle is now more muted, and these days Rachelle often seems like a supporting player who is just there to throw in her two cents on the action.

There is a lot less time spent on the Begley home front, in order to devote more time to giving us an inside look at the homes of other environmentally conscious celebs, like Begley’s friends Jay Leno and Cheryl Tiegs. There’s a lot of data to absorb about how to “go green,” and websites are flashed on the bottom of the screen during each episode, telling us where to find more information about the topics at hand.

This all gets a bit overwhelming after a while, as there is so much information about green living crammed into each episode, it leaves less time for the dry, ironic repartee between Ed and Rachelle. I enjoyed those meandering “slice of life” first season episodes focusing on the Begleys and family life with their young daughter, which gave the show such an offbeat and quirky flavor.

A show that once seemed fresh, original and unscripted now comes across as more slickly packaged, “staged” and rehearsed. Gone is that informality, the feeling that we just dropped by to eavesdrop on the Begley family. It’s as if the producers feel that Rachelle’s poking fun at Ed so much might lessen the show’s legitimacy, or detract from its important theme.

However, viewers are sophisticated enough to see the importance of saving the environment, while they laugh at some of Ed’s more eccentric ways. So it’s a shame that season two seems to take itself a bit more seriously, as this is less fun for the audience. (It’s also a pity that the show would take a comedic gem like Rachelle, and relegate her to the background this year.)

While I question the changes to Living With Ed this season, I commend HGTV for adding programs about “green living” to their lineup. The first season of Living With Ed debuted in January 2007. Recent specials include Red Hot and Green featuring red hot Trading Spaces carpenter Carter Osterhouse and “green designer” Danny Seo. Osterhouse’s new show for HGTV, Carter Can, debuted in October on the network and will also feature eco-friendly tips for design. Divine Design with Candice Olson recently used green design to makeover a room for one of her clients. The second season of Living With Ed will help viewers reduce their carbon footprint and learn more about ways to “go green.”

I do miss the unbridled Rachelle, the wacky, eccentric Ed, and the Ã?©lan of those season one episodes. In those early shows, we could laugh at Ed and enjoy his skirmishes with his wife, and still absorb a lot about sustainable living. This is a changed show that has become a bit more self important, but I believe it is still worth watching. Season two has a lot to offer and provides a lot of important information about social responsibility and transitioning to a green lifestyle. If you are serious about eco-friendly living, I recommend that you record and rewatch the episodes so you won’t miss any of Ed’s tips and ideas.

All in all, Living With Ed is an entertaining look at how to incorporate “going green” into your own lifestyle–the show is packed with information about eco-friendly living delivered by the amusing Ed and his charming wife Rachelle. I for one refuse to ride my bike for ten minutes each morning just to toast two slices of bread; however, Ed’s enthusiasm and passion are infectious and inspiring, so consider me one of the converted. I’m going green!

Tune into Living With Ed on HGTV, and find out how you can join the green movement, too. For more eco-friendly tips visit hgtv.com/livingwithed and hgtv.com/redhot.