Netflix released two comedies in back-to-back weeks recently, Master of None and W/ Bob & David. Coincidentally, I just finished the first season of Bojack Horseman and not too long ago finally was able to finish Wet Hot American Summer television show. So since I have trouble reviewing comedies, I'd thought I'd combine all four of these comedies into one post.
Master of None
Aziz Ansari's Master of None is brilliant. This is the lone comedy that has a near one-hundred percent chance of making my top ten at the end of the year. (To be fair, possibly unjustifiably angry readers, I have quite a bit of 2015 comedy still to watch.) It feels natural in a way that most comedies don't. It tackles issues that most comedies don't. It's also funnier than most comedies.
Each of his ten episodes are singularly focused on one thing whether that's parents, the idea of having kids, or getting into a relationship with somebody who is married (or in a committed relationship.) And yet it somehow never feels forced and maintains its naturalistic setting.
Aziz Ansari is playing a character who I'm fairly certain is essentially Aziz Ansari in real life. The other major character in this season is played by former and seldom-used Saturday Night Live cast member Noel Wells. The two of them together make a believable couple. Ansari casts a few friends who he talks about his problems with throughout the show, the standout of which is Eric Wareheim, a big hulking giant. A notable recurring guest star is H. Jon Benjamin (Bob's Burger's, Archers), a welcome person for Ansari to spill his relationship troubles.
It's also very well-directed. It adds to the naturalism and they take full advantage of the high definition. It makes New York seem to pop off in the screen as if you could simply walk your way into New York through your computer. (Don't do that, stupid people). I absolutely recommend this show to everyone who can watch it.
Grade - A
W/ Bob and David
I didn't watch Mr. Show with Bob and David so I was unaware of their type of comedy. This is a sketch comedy where all of the sketches are related in some way. So that's an interesting twist on your usual sketch comedy show. This show definitely made me intrigued to go back and watch Mr. Show with Bob and David. Unfortunately, I don't want to go back and watch it because W/ Bob and David was amazing.
W/ Bob and David largely failed for me. I'm assuming they have basically the same format in the original show, which is a weird live audience monologue followed by weird sketches that connect in some way. My main problem with this show is that I didn't find it that funny. The only consistently funny part for me was John Ennis. He's part of why I want to watch the original. But it's also because it's really easy imagine me loving this show if the performers involved are just a little better at writing and a little better at performing.
It just felt very amateurish to me. I think that's part of the joke, but that doesn't mean it feels any less amateurish. One jarring scene for me was when Bob Odenkirk plays all of the characters on "What if Seinfeld cast played Star Wars characters?" The joke was that it was a stupid skit that David hates. But at the end of the episode, he's getting huge laughs from a presumably "fake" audience because nothing he was doing was funny. I think it was supposed to be funny because of how bad it was. And... that's usually not a great source of comedy. Basically that entire scene made me suspect the live audience was nothing more than a laugh track sitcom disguised as a live audience because they seemed to be laughing on cue more than at jokes. (I feel like a lot of my complaints could be responded to with "That's the joke" but it's not a funny joke!)
Grade - C+
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
What also made me interested in the idea of revisiting the old show was that a lot of the humor in W/ Bob and David seems similar to Wet Hot American Summer. Since the show precede the movie and since original ideas almost always look better even after you've seen the copiers, I think my impression of the original would be improved.
That's a long-winded way of saying that I think the television series Wet Hot American Summer did the type of humor W/ Bob and David tried doing much better. (It's not a perfect comparison since one is a sketch comedy) Part of that undoubtedly is the actors involved. As much as I love Bob Odenkirk (I'm mostly indifferent on David Cross), Paul Rudd and company are just so much better on delivering the weird than those two. This is a cast so good it'd be worth watching no matter how bad it was. It just simply seems impossible for the caliber of this cast to be anything other than above average.
Watching the series, it seems written with that in mind. Like I don't want to disparage Michael Showalter or David Wain, but I can't imagine this was that funny purely on paper. Just look at every scene with Paul Rudd in it. Try and tell me that's funny with anybody but Paul Rudd doing it. Or every scene with Josh Charles being as close to a perfect parody of a frat boy as possible. Or Elizabeth Banks being a self-important reporter. Or Ken Marino macho posturing in a way where he is clearly doing it because he's insecure (how does he do that so well?) And yes the writers realize it so I'm not saying it's bad writing. It's just writing for the medium. Anyway, watch this for the performances.
Grade - B+
Bojack Horseman Season 1
Last year, when Bojack Horseman started, my roommates had it on. I watched a couple of the early episodes, out of context, and wasn't impressed. I returned to it about two weeks ago and the first episodes still didn't impress me, but I soldiered on and kept watching because I heard it would get better. And it did.
It also started to be clear what the show was about more than anything. The main appeal of this show is its portrayal of a man in a deep spiral of depression. He has fucked up in his life and he isn't happy about it. He doesn't think the spiral will end. The fact that this is happening while a pretty funny television show is happening is an added bonus. A large amount of credit goes to Will Arnett for making him a multidimensional character, who is talented, a goofball, an asshole, and depressed. (It's not all that different from his character on Arrested Development, Gob actually.)
The show is particularly adept at small little moments of animal humor and its recurring Hollywoo subplot. Also, I have to commend the show for making a gag out of Princess Carolyn dating three boys in a trench coat AND have it go on for three episodes AND somehow making it funnier and funnier the longer it goes on. The Todd storylines mostly fell flat to me - not necessarily because of Aaron Paul - but because they were extremely broad. Anyway, I'll be watching season two for sure.
Grade - B
Showing posts with label Will Arnett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Will Arnett. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Pilots Part 3
The Crazy Ones (Thu., CBS, 8:00 CT)
For better or worse, this show is Robin Williams at his most Robin Williamsy. I'd argue for worse, because his fast-paced rambling isn't remarkably funny and it's certainly a little old by now. Also, in the first episode already, there's blatant product placement with a story revolving around McDonald's and a "big" guest appearance from Kelly Clarkson that is almost entirely pointless and unfunny. (Does even the concept of Kelly Clarkson wanting to sing a sex song in a McDonald's commercial song sound funny at all to you?)
Williams is Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar is competent. The supporting players are pretty broad humor-wise. There's Zachary who apparently sleeps with a lot of girls. Then there's the clueless assistant who flashed the McDonald's execs and allowed Williams to smell her hair to motivate him. Yeah, to say the least, they are thinly veiled characters.
If shallow characters, obvious product placement, and a guest star appearance whose only purpose is to showcase her vocal ability and to collect a paycheck appeal to you, then this is the show for you. Apparently, 15 million people watched this premiere - I don't think it really looked good in commercials either - which is immensely depressing to me.
Verdict - Unless you're a huge Robin Williams fan - of his comedy specifically - I'd avoid it.
Back in the Game (Wed., ABC, 7:30 pm)
To my complete surprise, I liked this pilot - with some serious reservations. It's the kind of pilot where I inexplicably liked it yet I know that there's basically no way that the show will be any good. There are big red warning signs that are surmounted past in this one episode thanks to... sheer luck? I don't know.
Maggie Lawson is charming as a single mother, recently divorced and forced to live with her alcoholic, uncaring father. James Caan plays him, which is depressing, but also probably why I liked it. Unfortunately, he plays an asshole who doesn't appear to have any redeeming qualities - he DID watch every one of his daughter's baseball games - but that's just about the only good thing about him.
The side characters is where the show really shows why it won't continue being a decent show. The fathers (or villains) are caricatures - there's not even an attempt to show them as human beings. They are delusional sexists who make fun of little kids. The kids who are on the "bad" baseball team - they are also caricatures - outrageously unrealistic one-note kids.
Verdict: I liked the three leads, but really the show's portrayal of anyone else is so mind-numbingly bad that there's no way this will be a good show.
The Millers (Thu., CBS, 7:30 pm)
Arrested Development, Running Wilde, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Up All Night: What do they all have in common? It's a cancelled Will Arnett sitcom. He's like cancer to a sitcom's chances. This show has a good shot, because it follows the The Big Bang Theory, but it's also probably the worst of his five shows. (I've only not seen Up All Night)
The cast is magnificent. I'm not kidding when I say I liked everybody who was prominently featured. The aforementioned Arnett, Margo Martindale (The Americans), Beau Bridges, J.B. Smoove, Jayma Mays, and Nelson Franklin (unknown, but I loved him on New Girl) were in the pilot. Unfortunately, more jokes than not miss and for some reason, the laugh track hasn't died yet.
The premise is that Arnett's character got divorced, he keeps it from his parents (does this happen?) for three months, and then when his parents find out he's divorced, they split up themselves. Because they only stayed together to not set a bad example or something. The actors did the best they could, but the material is just not there. I may watch to see if they are maximize their cast, but I am skeptical.
Verdict: Unless you're really looking for a new show or love Will Arnett and want him to succeed, this show can easily be skipped.
Updated Thoughts on New Shows
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The second episode and some digging on the people involved with this show have made me come to an unfortunate realization. The second episode was merely serviceable. That's fine except for the fact that I kind of want to watch shows that qualify as better than "serviceable" given the options I have. Hell, I'd rather re-watch Friday Night Lights or Buffy than watch a serviceable show for the first time.
I'm not quite giving up on this show, but I need to shorten my leash with shows like this. I have a limited amount of time and if I watched every mediocre show, I'd be losing the opportunity to watch shows like Deadwood or The Sopranos. I'll give it a few more episodes.
With that said, make no mistake, this is not a Joss Whedon show. Last week's pilot was co-written by Whedon and directed by him, but post-pilot, he's basically not involved. This show is like a lesser imitator of Whedon. Almost everyone involved has extensive experience working on Whedon shows. The co-creators with Whedon - Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon - worked with Whedon on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog and Dollhouse. No offense to those two projects, but Buffy, Angel, and Firefly are all significantly better (Given what I've heard about Dollhouse at least.)
Then, the only other writer involved in the four episodes available on IMDB are to Jeffrey Bell, who wrote on Angel and was the head writer for a time.* But he was the head writer on Season 4, which was the worst season behind Season 1. This show is kind of seemingly like Whedon at his worst. Whedon at his worst is mediocre. All I'm saying is this show has the tag of a Whedon show, but it's actually a Whedon knock-off.
*Knowing the behind-the scenes for Angel's fourth season makes sense of why that show lost its way for a little. Whedon was pretty busy with two other shows. Talented writer Tim Minear wrote just one episode in that season and David Greenwalt - co-creator - left the show after the third season. The man who was supposed to become head writer left due to creative differences. That's a whole lot of change.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
They seemed to have built strongly off the pilot with pretty good episodes. Most importantly, the characters are people I want to hang out with on a weekly basis and it has its fair share of laughs. It isn't a great comedy yet, but it is just oozing with potential. The first three episodes have earned enough goodwill for me that I will watch the rest of the season barring an immense drop in quality. If and when it ever reaches that potential, I'll make sure to be there to see it.
The Blacklist
I think my original plan was to watch more than just the pilot, but I have absolutely no desire to watch any more episodes when it came time to pull the trigger. Sleepy Hollow provides me with my improbably stupid show, but does it ten times better.
Trophy Wife
The second episode was pleasant with some mild laughs. I really like Malin Akerman in this role and all of the characters are likable and smart. Bradley Whitford plays the sort of cool, relaxed dad that I wish I had. I'm going to continue watching and hope it hits its stride soon.
Playlist
1. The Keepers - Santigold
2. Soapbox - Cyne
3. No Way Down - The Shins
4. The Way - Fastball
5. Get By - Talib Kweli
For better or worse, this show is Robin Williams at his most Robin Williamsy. I'd argue for worse, because his fast-paced rambling isn't remarkably funny and it's certainly a little old by now. Also, in the first episode already, there's blatant product placement with a story revolving around McDonald's and a "big" guest appearance from Kelly Clarkson that is almost entirely pointless and unfunny. (Does even the concept of Kelly Clarkson wanting to sing a sex song in a McDonald's commercial song sound funny at all to you?)
Williams is Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar is competent. The supporting players are pretty broad humor-wise. There's Zachary who apparently sleeps with a lot of girls. Then there's the clueless assistant who flashed the McDonald's execs and allowed Williams to smell her hair to motivate him. Yeah, to say the least, they are thinly veiled characters.
If shallow characters, obvious product placement, and a guest star appearance whose only purpose is to showcase her vocal ability and to collect a paycheck appeal to you, then this is the show for you. Apparently, 15 million people watched this premiere - I don't think it really looked good in commercials either - which is immensely depressing to me.
Verdict - Unless you're a huge Robin Williams fan - of his comedy specifically - I'd avoid it.
Back in the Game (Wed., ABC, 7:30 pm)
To my complete surprise, I liked this pilot - with some serious reservations. It's the kind of pilot where I inexplicably liked it yet I know that there's basically no way that the show will be any good. There are big red warning signs that are surmounted past in this one episode thanks to... sheer luck? I don't know.
Maggie Lawson is charming as a single mother, recently divorced and forced to live with her alcoholic, uncaring father. James Caan plays him, which is depressing, but also probably why I liked it. Unfortunately, he plays an asshole who doesn't appear to have any redeeming qualities - he DID watch every one of his daughter's baseball games - but that's just about the only good thing about him.
The side characters is where the show really shows why it won't continue being a decent show. The fathers (or villains) are caricatures - there's not even an attempt to show them as human beings. They are delusional sexists who make fun of little kids. The kids who are on the "bad" baseball team - they are also caricatures - outrageously unrealistic one-note kids.
Verdict: I liked the three leads, but really the show's portrayal of anyone else is so mind-numbingly bad that there's no way this will be a good show.
The Millers (Thu., CBS, 7:30 pm)
Arrested Development, Running Wilde, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Up All Night: What do they all have in common? It's a cancelled Will Arnett sitcom. He's like cancer to a sitcom's chances. This show has a good shot, because it follows the The Big Bang Theory, but it's also probably the worst of his five shows. (I've only not seen Up All Night)
The cast is magnificent. I'm not kidding when I say I liked everybody who was prominently featured. The aforementioned Arnett, Margo Martindale (The Americans), Beau Bridges, J.B. Smoove, Jayma Mays, and Nelson Franklin (unknown, but I loved him on New Girl) were in the pilot. Unfortunately, more jokes than not miss and for some reason, the laugh track hasn't died yet.
The premise is that Arnett's character got divorced, he keeps it from his parents (does this happen?) for three months, and then when his parents find out he's divorced, they split up themselves. Because they only stayed together to not set a bad example or something. The actors did the best they could, but the material is just not there. I may watch to see if they are maximize their cast, but I am skeptical.
Verdict: Unless you're really looking for a new show or love Will Arnett and want him to succeed, this show can easily be skipped.
Updated Thoughts on New Shows
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The second episode and some digging on the people involved with this show have made me come to an unfortunate realization. The second episode was merely serviceable. That's fine except for the fact that I kind of want to watch shows that qualify as better than "serviceable" given the options I have. Hell, I'd rather re-watch Friday Night Lights or Buffy than watch a serviceable show for the first time.
I'm not quite giving up on this show, but I need to shorten my leash with shows like this. I have a limited amount of time and if I watched every mediocre show, I'd be losing the opportunity to watch shows like Deadwood or The Sopranos. I'll give it a few more episodes.
With that said, make no mistake, this is not a Joss Whedon show. Last week's pilot was co-written by Whedon and directed by him, but post-pilot, he's basically not involved. This show is like a lesser imitator of Whedon. Almost everyone involved has extensive experience working on Whedon shows. The co-creators with Whedon - Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon - worked with Whedon on Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog and Dollhouse. No offense to those two projects, but Buffy, Angel, and Firefly are all significantly better (Given what I've heard about Dollhouse at least.)
Then, the only other writer involved in the four episodes available on IMDB are to Jeffrey Bell, who wrote on Angel and was the head writer for a time.* But he was the head writer on Season 4, which was the worst season behind Season 1. This show is kind of seemingly like Whedon at his worst. Whedon at his worst is mediocre. All I'm saying is this show has the tag of a Whedon show, but it's actually a Whedon knock-off.
*Knowing the behind-the scenes for Angel's fourth season makes sense of why that show lost its way for a little. Whedon was pretty busy with two other shows. Talented writer Tim Minear wrote just one episode in that season and David Greenwalt - co-creator - left the show after the third season. The man who was supposed to become head writer left due to creative differences. That's a whole lot of change.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
They seemed to have built strongly off the pilot with pretty good episodes. Most importantly, the characters are people I want to hang out with on a weekly basis and it has its fair share of laughs. It isn't a great comedy yet, but it is just oozing with potential. The first three episodes have earned enough goodwill for me that I will watch the rest of the season barring an immense drop in quality. If and when it ever reaches that potential, I'll make sure to be there to see it.
The Blacklist
I think my original plan was to watch more than just the pilot, but I have absolutely no desire to watch any more episodes when it came time to pull the trigger. Sleepy Hollow provides me with my improbably stupid show, but does it ten times better.
Trophy Wife
The second episode was pleasant with some mild laughs. I really like Malin Akerman in this role and all of the characters are likable and smart. Bradley Whitford plays the sort of cool, relaxed dad that I wish I had. I'm going to continue watching and hope it hits its stride soon.
Playlist
1. The Keepers - Santigold
2. Soapbox - Cyne
3. No Way Down - The Shins
4. The Way - Fastball
5. Get By - Talib Kweli
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