2013 SAGs: Why we need to be watching Hatfields and McCoys

If the SAG nominations for Hatfields and McCoys actors Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton took you by surprise, it was probably because you’ve never tuned in to this epic Western. Here are a few reasons you need to add this History Channel title to your DVR library…

History, told the way you like it

Those of a certain generation will likely think that the Hatfields and McCoys is just a line from Waylon Jennings’ song, Lukenbach Texas. Younger folks are likely asking, “Who is Waylon Jennings?” The point is, this legendary family feud is unknown to younger generations. That’s where the History Channel comes in with its series Hatfields and McCoys. This story unfolds post-Civil War, and has all the elements of dramatic rivalry: pig trials, Election Day feuds and a Romeo and Juliet-like romance. The dysfunction of these families is extremely entertaining and will have you feeling better about your own dysfunctional family in no time.

Can Alec Baldwin keep from freaking out at the SAGs?>>

Scenery

Ah, behold the scenic splendor of a bygone era: the mountains, the horses and the men. Good Lord, the men. There is something very primal about visiting an era when men were still steeped in honor and loyalty and no one had even heard of skinny jeans or manscaping. We look upon the women with wistful nostalgia as well, for it takes us back to a place in time where wearing the same dress for two weeks at a time was acceptable. Those dresses may have gotten a bit gamey as wash day approached, but they hid a myriad of evils, sucking in at the skinniest part of a woman’s body and billowing out around all points south. Yes, bathing in an ice-cold river only occasionally would grow tiresome, but we’d take that easy wardrobe back faster than you can say, “Dad-gum it.”

Costner and more: Can an actor from the old boys club stage a SAG coup?>>

Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton

At last, two of our most treasured and under-used male talents, Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, have found a home on the range in Hatfields and McCoys. Both of these aging hunks have received a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. Watching these boys share the same screen is reason enough to watch this show. So who will win the SAG, the Hatfield or the McCoy? Kevin Costner has already won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his role as “Devil” Anse Hatfield. Is it Bill Paxton’s turn, or will the feud start to affect its storytellers, too?

SAG nominees: 5 things you probably don't know about Steve Buscemi>>

Image courtesy of Brian To/WENN.com