Comedy Archives - Page 2 of 2

New Fall 2011 Comedies

The litmus test for a comedy is simple: does it make you laugh? This fall I’ve tried out 5 new comedies: Free Agents, 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, How to Be a Gentleman, and New Girl. Here’s a quick rundown on what the shows are like and whether they’re worth watching.

New Girl

Laugh rating: A smirk here and there

Fox’s ultra-cutesy comedy about a clueless young woman (Zooey Deschanel) who moves in with three guys after she finds her boyfriend cheating on her. I almost didn’t watch a second episode after I cringed through most of the pilot. Deschanel’s usual quirkiness is pushed way over the top, and her character’s habit of randomly singing quickly became the most annoying thing about the show. Fortunately Jess dials back the singing a bit in episode 2, which was more enjoyable but didn’t put the show on my “will watch” list. I may try a third episode if I’m in the mood for something lighthearted, but the Hallmark movie moments at the end of the episodes tip the scales toward likely not. But if you’re into silly, heartwarming comedies, you might want to give New Girl a try. The three roommates (one who previously played Leo on Veronica Mars) and their frustration with and big brother attitudes toward Jess, are easily the best part of the show.

Free Agents

Laugh rating: Laughing out loud

This isn’t the type of show that would normally catch my interest, but I checked it out solely because of Anthony Stewart Head (Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and King Uther on Merlin). I’m so glad I did! The pilot was more raunchy than I would have liked, but the second episode toned it down some, and the third episode was just about perfect. The acting on this show is just superb. The two leads (Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn) say more with their faces in one scene than many shows do in entire episodes (Person of Interest – I’m looking at you!). I’ve heard complaints that the writing in the pilot isn’t so great, but the following episodes stepped things up. (Besides, I think this cast could make reading a cereal box funny.) The side characters are a bit stereotypical, but the show knows that and has fun with it.

The third episode, “Dr. Hu,” made me laugh more than this season’s first 3 episodes of The Big Bang Theory (which I previously considered my favorite currently-airing network comedy) combined. First, they made a lovely Doctor Who joke out of the therapist’s name. Second, watching the irrepressible Emma take over the umbrella ad campaign was hilarious, and I loved her going crazy at the idea of having to pitch. Third, Tony Head made a joke about American sports (which made me flash back to Giles making fun of football – “strap on forty pounds of protective gear just in order to play rugby”). Fourth, Alex and Helen’s individual arguments with Dr. Hu were fun, but nothing compared to their joint meltdown in front of him at the restaurant. And I love that they went from yelling at each other to blaming him, and then settled down to a normal “date.” Fifth, the security guard demonstrating how dangerous an umbrella can be added the perfect closing note to the episode.

How to Be a Gentleman

Laugh rating: A few smiles

Unlike the previous shows, I’ve only gotten to see the pilot of this show, most of which was spoiled by the promos. So I may change my mind about it. This show works best when contrasting the two main characters, uptight etiquette columnist Andrew, and gym rat and former bully Bert. I hope Bert’s efforts to bring Andrew into modern times doesn’t ruin their Odd Couple charm. My favorite part of the show is Andrew’s voiceovers about how a gentleman should behave. I’m not too fond of Bert, or sold on Andrew’s family, and the jokes got a little raunchy for my taste, but I’m going to give it at least another episode.

Wow, while checking names for this post I just realized the actor who plays Andrew, David Hornsby, is married to Emily Deschanel (Bones). But seriously, Henry Hornsby? How could they do that to a kid?

Suburgatory

Laugh rating: Some snickering

Like Free Agents (with which it shares a time slot), I checked out this “out of my normal type” of show because of a Whedonverse alum, this time Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Dollhouse). He plays a friend of the dad, and I’ve only seen the pilot of this as well, so I’m not sure how much of a role he’ll have in the show. The premise of the show is fun – a motherless teenager from the heart of the city moves to the suburbs with her dad, and enters a world of overly cheerful, plastic, stay-at-home moms and their mall-trotting daughters. At the end of the pilot she seems to be more okay with her new life, but I hope the show doesn’t lose its fish-out-of-water edge. I’ll definitely be watching the next episode, but most likely online. (Though if I want to help out Free Agents, whose ratings are low, it’s probably better that I watch on Hulu where they can track my viewing than on TV, where they won’t.)

2 Broke Girls

Laugh rating: Chuckling

Just as How to Be a Gentleman brings reminders of The Odd Couple, 2 Broke Girls seems to reimagine another classic show about two working girls who share an apartment – Laverne and Shirley. While Shirley was never rich, her prim and proper ways match Caroline’s very well, and Max’s no-nonsense ways seem very Laverne-esque. The show isn’t all that unique, and neither are the characters and the setting, but for some reason the over-the-top acting just works, and the show manages to feel fresh and relatable at the same time. Caroline may be ditzy, and Max may have a tough exterior, but they both have enough heart to make their unlikely friendship believable. I also love the gimmick of having their earnings toward the cupcake shop add up at the end of each episode.

My verdict: I’m definitely going to keep watching Free Agents and 2 Broke Girls. It’s highly likely that Suburgatory will make it on my list too, but I have to see more than one episode to know for sure. I”ll probably give New Girl and How to Be a Gentleman one more episode to prove themselves to me, but I’m quite likely to drop them as I run out of time to watch shows.

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Community – Biology 101

I fell in love with this unlikely comedy from episode one, and I’m looking forward to an amazing third season – even if they “have more fun and be less weird than the first two years combined.” (Though, wouldn’t that mean they could be more weird than either of the previous years, just not as much as both of them put together?)

Side note: I might have blogged about The Big Bang Theory instead today, especially since it had two episodes airing last night compared to Community’s one, but I just wasn’t impressed with its episodes. Too much raunchy stuff, reminding me that the show came from the same mind as Two and a Half Men. I really hope the rest of the season isn’t like that.

“Biology 101” offered two weird glimpses in to the mind of Jeff Winger, beginning with the crazy music opening quoted above. Hilarious to think that Jeff daydreams in musicals. The second is a monkey-gas-induced trip into the power of the study group table – but more on that later.

And yes, there shall be spoilers!

Dean Pelton steps into his new role as regular cast member with a new adversary, his vice-dean, played by John Goodman. I’m not all that fond of the dean, so I hope he doesn’t take over the show, but he’s tolerable and even funny in small doses, like Senor Chang. I loved it when Chang emerged from the air vent and said, “Don’t tell the monkey I live here.”

And Pierce is back! For good it seems, thanks to the events of this episode. For a bit it seemed like he was back to his nefarious ways, but no, he seems to have improved over the summer. The fight over the spot in the biology class was fun, though, even with Jeff’s weird vision of himself eating his cell phone and Pierce on his deathbed, still reaching for the study group table.

I like the new teacher. It’s nice that it seems the group will be actually learning something this year, as opposed to the craziness of having Chang, Betty White, and Duncan as teachers in the past. He even got Jeff’s attention, though admittedly, the reason Jeff paid attention is because he didn’t want to lose his study group.

It’s interesting, though – if the group needs the cohesiveness of taking the same class, does that make a fifth year of the show completely out of the picture? I just hope the ratings are good enough this year to at least get a fourth year and bring the series to a natural close.

A highlight of the episode is when Abed freaks out when he hears that Cougar Town won’t come back until mid-season. Britta hopes to comfort him with the British version, Cougarton Abbey, but fails to mention it’s only six episodes long. When the sixth episode of his “new favorite show” ends with everyone drinking hemlock, Abed becomes nearly catatonic. He finally snaps out of it when Britta introduces him to another British show that’s been airing since the 1960s, Inspector Spacetime (a clear parody of Doctor Who).

And Chang gets a new job as a security guard for the college. I love Jeff’s response to that: “Interesting. And this is the year we all die.”

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The Office – The List

An Office without Michael Scott? I actually wasn’t too fond of his character (he tended to make me cringe rather than laugh), but I wondered how the show would get by in his absence. The last few episodes of season 7 convinced me that The Office could survive and even thrive with him gone, so I looked forward to what the show would do with season 8.

Spoilers ahead!

I’d read that Robert California (James Spader), my least favorite candidate for the new boss, was coming back to the show, not as the new regional manager, but as the new CEO, replacing Jo (Kathy Bates, who I assume is busy enough with her own show, Harry’s Law). They managed to keep the new boss a secret right up until the season premiere, and they went with – Andy!

I think Andy was the perfect choice for the new regional manager. He has a bit of that delightful cluelessness that made watching Michael Scott try to run a company so much fun, without taking it to Steve Carell’s extremes. He cares about the company and the people in it. His efforts at trying to win Erin’s heart won his audience’s heart instead.

And while he does lack some backbone, this episode showed that he’s willing to stand up for his employees (though it feels so weird to be typing that, since they’ve been simply his coworkers for so long) and that he plays fair, except perhaps where Gabe is concerned.

I hope California won’t be in too many episodes this season, though if he spends half his time in the conference room, I’m guessing he’s going to end up in at least half of the episodes (plus he’s in the new credits, too). But I guess it makes sense to have someone around that makes everyone in the office a little nervous – which they can take to fun extremes like they did in this episode.

So Pam’s expecting again! I knew that coming into the episode, with Jenna Fischer’s pregnancy influencing the storyline (as Emily Deschanel’s did on Bones). Her weepiness was a little over the top in this episode, but I loved her reaction to Jim’s list.

And Angela’s expecting too! I did not see that coming at all, nor that she and the (state) senator would already be married. I wonder when his secret will come out, and I can’t fathom the effect that will have on Angela. But for now, she’s going to make a far different mother-to-be than Pam did.

In all, good start to the season on a show that’s still going strong.

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Community – Laughter and Paintballs

Community didn’t do that great of a job winning me over with the show’s initial promos. I remember being bored and confused with the teaser. Maybe it was a better hook for those familiar with Joel McHale.

I don’t remember what pushed me to watch the first episode – perhaps a later, better ad. But I liked the show enough to keep watching, and eventually enjoyed it so much that I pre-ordered the first season months in advance.

I love how each of the characters has their own type of humor, and how different characters take turns pairing up in each episode so the dynamics are always fresh. Of course, my favorite pair is Abed and Troy. I love their 30 second clips at the end of most episodes – and those make a great introduction for people new to the show.

The show’s second season wasn’t quite as consistently good as the first, but the season’s best episodes really shined – and none more than the two-part season finale.

I was a bit skeptical when I heard they were doing another paintball episode. Hadn’t they already covered that well enough in the first season? I was afraid it would simply be a rehash of “Modern Warfare,” but, boy, was I wrong!

The first of the connected episodes, “A Fistful of Paintballs,” put an Old West spin on the slinging of color. The gang is dressed up for a Western-themed end-of-the-year picnic (with free ice cream), when a paintball competition, complete with six-shooters, is announced. The prize – $100,000 – sends the school into a frenzy. Add in a tale of alliances and betrayal, and epicness ensues.

The second episode, “For Few Paintballs More,” changes things up when hostile paintball assassins invade the school wearing white gear and masks. Yes, they look like Stormtroopers. Add in a Star Wars-esque rolling intro, tiny robotic paint launchers on wheels zipping through the halls, and Abed acting like Han Solo (complete with vest), and you have the best mashup of space opera and western since Firefly. (I’ll have to find out if Cowboys & Aliens tops it later.)

Community is just about tied with The Big Bang Theory for my favorite comedy show, and I really hate that they both air at the same time. So I won’t fault you if you don’t watch this on Thursdays this fall – but be sure to catch it online later!

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HIMYM – Challenge Accepted

Spoiler Alert: You probably won’t want to read this post if you haven’t yet watched the season six finale of How I Met Your Mother. If that’s the case, go to CBS.com to watch, then come back here to weigh in on the episode!

As Neil Patrick Harris mentions in an interview, this episode really isn’t as much the climax of season six, but rather more of a teaser for season seven. The climax of the season for the show’s main character, Ted, came in the previous episode, as his and Zoey’s differing views on the Arcadian came to a head, ending their relationship. Ted tried to side with his girlfriend on the issue, but finally had to be honest with himself and admit he wanted the building torn down. Zoey’s reaction was to play her recording of Ted saying the Arcadian should be saved, which (mini-rant here) was a completely horrible thing to do. Of course viewers knew that Ted and Zoey’s relationship would never last, and I for one am glad to see her go, but her willingness to betray her boyfriend like that sinks her down to the level of Ted’s awful college girlfriend, Karen. The fact that Zoey kept the recording all these months just adds to the premeditated way she decided to win at all costs.

In “Challenge Accepted,” pressures regarding the new building cause Ted to debate getting back together with Zoey. Robin and Barney try to prevent that from happening, and in the process get some much needed closure on their own relationship. The episode (nearly 2 seasons ago) where they broke up I consider one of my least favorite episodes of the entire show, especially since Ted’s caricature of how they let themselves go in the relationship was so extreme that it didn’t even seem like the real Barney and Robin.

The two do manage to talk some sense into Ted (aided by a ride from Ranjit), ending the Zoey plot arch and setting things up for Ted to meet someone new in season 7. The demolition of the Arcadian restates this metaphorically.

Of course, since this is the season finale, as soon as Lily starts throwing up you KNOW it’s not food poisoning, so that aspect of the story fell a little flat (you knew Marshall had nothing to worry about). Adding a baby to the group should be interesting.

And I’m glad that Nora has returned to the show, and that Barney seems willing to do whatever it takes to win her back. Those two seem perfect for each other.

The final scene of the episode, a leap forward in time to the wedding where Ted will finally meet his future wife, was amazing. All along I’d assumed that the wedding where Ted is best man would be his friend Punchy’s. Then Lily comes out to where Ted and Marshall are talking and tells Ted the groom needs him. They walk inside to see the groom – and there stands Barney.

Season 7 can’t get here quickly enough. Wait for it . . .

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Outsourced – Awkwardly Funny

I started watching Outsourced and I kept watching Outsourced for one primary reason – India. I love Indian culture and I enjoyed learning more about it and laughing along the way.

The Indian/American culture clash that this show is built on is heightened by the type of call center Todd Dempsey comes to India to run. They sell American novelty items, and so the employees have to understand American culture to be able to sell them well. So instead of Todd just gradually becoming more familiar with India, the culture clash goes both ways.

This does end up making the show a bit more raunchy than most I watch. Fellow “fish out of water” call center managers Tonya and Charlie don’t help things, either. The type of humor and the workplace setting does make this a bit of “The Office – in India!” (it even followed The Office on NBC originally) and Todd tends be an affable blend of Michael Scott and Jim Halpert.

The show has gotten a bit of bad rep for being racist, but I don’t think it is. Outsourced makes fun of America and India, and in the end, respects and celebrates both cultures.

And the diverse selection of vibrant characters also make the show a joy to watch. Outrageous Gupta steals every scene he’s in, Rajiv adds much needed backbone to episodes, and shy Madhuri has many unexpected talents.

Here’s hoping NBC decides to bring the show back for a second season!

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The Big Bang Theory – A Year of Laughter

I was looking through my journal, and I was surprised to realize that it was exactly one year ago today that I began watching The Big Bang Theory. The mixture of intelligent insults, social awkwardness, and geeky pop culture references, combined with a huge helping of humor, made me fall in love with the show almost immediately.

The show did have two drawbacks typical of half-hour comedies – a laugh track and crass humor at times. I also wasn’t familiar with any of the main actors (I realized later that Howard also played Moist on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog). But I loved the band of misfit guys, and how Penny gradually became an indispensable part of their group.

Out of all the comedies I watch, The Big Bang Theory makes me laugh the most. From Koothrappali’s facial expressions to Sheldon’s take on social norms, the show keeps me in stitches constantly. It’s also very quotable:

Wolowitz: This is the worst cobbler I’ve ever eaten. It tastes like it’s made of actual ground-up shoemaker.

The relationships between the characters are also awesome. Sheldon and Penny’s parent-child dynamic is always humorous, and Raj and Howard are hilarious when they’re acting like an old married couple. And you know Leonard and Penny will eventually end up together, despite all the bumps in their relationship.

The current obstacle, Priya, would be really annoying if you couldn’t see the blaring signs that her relationship with Leonard is only temporary. The one nice thing she’s brought to the show is the creation of the “Hate Priya group” – aka Penny, Bernadette, and Amy. The three of them hanging out together is hilarious. It was made even more fun when Sheldon joined the group in last night’s episode, “The Agreement Dissection.”

Another awesome aspect of the show are the geeky guest stars. From Sheldon’s nemesis Wil Wheaton to Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dollhouse), and Summer Glau (Firefly and The Cape), their appearances only heighten the geek subculture of which The Big Bang Theory is a proud member.

And it was this show that caused me to fully embrace my inner geek. To prove it, whenever I get a text message, my cell phone now chimes with Sheldon’s signature “gotcha” phrase: “Bazinga!”

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The Office – Goodbye, Michael Scott

Watching the early episodes of The Office, I never really liked Michael Scott. I watched for Jim and Dwight’s pranks on each other, and Jim and Pam’s love story. Michael was simply just the annoying guy who always said and did the wrong thing.

As the show continued, I warmed to Michael’s character a bit. He still could make things as awkward as possible, but he did have moments (rare as they were) where he said exactly the right words at the right time. The rareness of those moments made them all the more brilliant.

While The Office’s sense of humor ranged from spot-on to not even worth of a groan, over the show’s seven seasons The Office has never failed to surprise me. It had perfect episodes that could keep you laughing every minute, and awkward ones that you never wanted to watch again. Most, however, were a mix of humor and cringing – which is why some people hate the show and others love it.

Amid most people’s strong emotions about the show, I feel a bit out of place having only a tentative warmness toward it. It doesn’t make my top ten favorite TV shows – maybe not even my top twenty. I’ll probably never own the DVDs, and I only occasionally rewatch episodes when I’m with friends. But I don’t think I’ll ever stop watching new episodes as long as the show keeps airing. After seven seasons with these characters, I don’t see how I could stop experiencing their lives.

When I heard that this season would be Michael Scott’s last, I immediately guessed that the writers would have him move away to be with Holly – so glad to be right about that! Those two are perfect for each other. I’m still waiting to see if my prediction of the new boss will come true as well.

I thought Steve Carell’s farewell episode was brilliant. (Spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched it yet!) I loved Michael’s recommendation letter for Dwight, and their paintball battle. I loved his fatherly advice to Erin. I love how Jim figured out Michael was leaving early, and their teary-eyed “plans” for a lunch that would never happen. I love that Pam made it just in time to say goodbye.

Without Michael Scott, The Office just won’t be the same.

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HIMYM – The Exploding Meatball Sub

Now that I’m caught up with How I Met Your Mother, I really miss being able to watch half a dozen new episodes all at once. And tonight’s episode was only the second new episode airing since February, which made me even more eager to laugh at the gang’s continuing adventures (especially since the last one was more serious).

After my recent Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon, it was almost shocking to see Alyson Hannigan playing a character other than Willow (I guess 7 seasons of a 45-minute show outweigh almost 6 seasons of a 20-minute show). Maybe I’ve just overdosed too much on Joss Whedon lately, because Barney made me think of Dr. Horrible in nearly every scene, and I haven’t watched that in months (though the lab coat and safety goggles in this episode of HIMYM were a fun nod to the character).

All that aside, this episode hit all the right notes. (Spoilers follow!) From the dreamy nostalgic “I Will Remember You” moments to Robin’s harrowing tale of the clock and the secret grave, the laughter never stopped coming. The contrast of Marshall and Lily’s relationship with Ted and Zoe’s was great, and I loved when Ted and Lily finally shared their difficulties with each other (the show really does need more Ted/Lily moments – it’s rare that we see them together without the whole group anymore). And of course Barney’s seemingly emotional meltdown over Marshall leaving the company was only regret at the delay of his overblown revenge plot.

The differing views on Tommy Boy were also fun.

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HIMYM – Caught Up

I first started watching How I Met Your Mother back in July 2010. I’d finally seen every episode of The Big Bang Theory, and was looking for another short comedy show to watch over my half hour lunch breaks at work.

This show reeled me in with the very first episode, despite it’s cringe-worthy laugh track. The only actor in the cast I was familiar with was Neil Patrick Harris, whom I’d loved in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Being more of a Firefly/Dollhouse Joss Whedon fan, I wasn’t even aware that Lily was played by the same actress who played Willow throughout the Buffy series (I found out a few days ago).

I must admit it was Ted’s hopelessly romantic search for “the one” that pulled me into this show more than anything else. While the show is undeniably funny (although a bit too crass at times for my taste), even when some jokes fell flat I was rooting for Ted all the way.

I took a break from the show when my job ended, and was further sidetracked when the fall 2010 shows started. But I missed hanging out with Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney, so I came back to it like a child who’d been grounded from video games for a month. And despite a few hate-worthy episodes in early season five, the show is even funnier than I remember.

And now, a few weeks later, I’ve finally caught up to where the show is on TV. No more avoiding spoilers online. I can discuss the latest episode with friends all I want. But the accomplishment has a severe drawback – I can’t watch hours of new episodes anymore. I have to wait a week or more for a slice of HIMYM’s humor like everyone else.

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