I don’t watch much network TV. In fact, of late my discovery of the show “Scandal” on ABC (see according blog: “Scandalous!”) attest to the fact that the four major networks have become secondary and passé to me. Or really now? I was introduced to three shows on the networks that are very funny. So much so I knew a blog was in order. Let’s get right to it.
First a set-up. On my flight to Dallas I had a chance to watch a string of NBC TV shows. All quirky comedies. It would seem this is the age of the “Quirky Comedy” . Shows that are offbeat and deal with people’s insecurities and unique foibles. Seeing one after the other I realize this is a sign of the times and they’re quite funny. “The Office” is the king of the shows here and seems to be the one that has set things off. I’m late to watching “The Office” but recognize it as a funny show…
So upon recommendations by a friend during the past few weeks I have been turned on to three shows. I watched them On Demand then Online and they have me laughing. The sort of funny stuff that gets you as you watch and hours later when lying in bed and reflecting on it. They’re all “Sing of the Times” deals. That is, this is the way comedy is being done now while also reflecting our culture. It’s a curious reflection on our society that is of note to me as I get older. But enough of that…My jams! The three are roughly the same, dealing with relationships between people. 20 to 30-Somethings who all have their quirks and have friends/family with their own idiosyncratic ways Each show is on a different network but is established along the same lines. All funny in their own way of telling a story while also making social commentaries on life and relations between friends, lovers, those bonded to one another. I’ll talk about them in descending order of appeal because I realize that while I like them all, I favor one over the other.
3. Up All Night on NBC
This is a show about a 30-Something couple in LA. They were partiers who loved their single, 20’s life yet have grown up, gotten married, have a child and are settling into domesticated life. But they still have that urge and longing to be young, free-spirited and party it up (Up all Night). Their new life is a reflection of trying to be hip and cool while being that domesticated family. It’s a funny struggle. Christina Applegate from “Married with Children” and Will Arnett play the couple. Maya Rudolph from Saturday Night Live fame, plays Reagan’s (Christina Applegate) BFF, a diva TV personality/celebrity who’s single and without a TV show. The couple were her executive producers before the show was axed. Reagan has a brother who’s something of a slacker. He and (Chris) Will Arnett’s characters open a construction business. They have a dorky next door neighbor couple that are over-the-top corny yet have mastered the balance of domestic life and healthy, fun (for them) lifestyle. But it’s Chris and Reagan’s show and their chemistry is sweet. Both want to revert back to their old lives yet realize they aint young anymore. But they love one another and accept each other’s quirks while managing to figure out a healthy co-existence of their former life and their present ones. The show always seems to have a happy ending ( More on that!) and has a sweetness to it that is appealing. Here’s an example of what the show is like:
“They’re playing “The Game of Life” in realtime.” Bwahhahhhahhhaaa!
“The New Girl” (Jess) is about a 20-Something girl living in LA. She’s a teacher who has her own insecurities and quirks. She lives in a loft with three guys. Watching one show I realize it’s kinda like a Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz this pairing. The three dudes are all different yet funny and cool in their own way. As a foursome they have a nice dynamic of friendship that carries them thru the show. It appears they were all college friends who decided to live in a downtown LA loft. The standout of the group is a playboy metro sexual dude who’s Jewish (Schmidt). He sounds kinda gay but surely is not. He’s a playa and seems to be a bit conservative (One episode when Jess confides she’s been laid off from her job he blurts out in anger “Obama” ~ Funny!!!) Schmidt is a character and is also in love with the 5th member of the friend-group CeCe She’s a rather attractive Indian (from India) chick who is a nice down-to-earth girl who just isn’t into him but wants to be friends with him (Damn if I don’t know that). The other guy is Nick, who’s pretty much your regular white guy. He’s a writer who bartends yet is broke and struggling in LA. He’s a good guy who Jess seems to have the closest relationship with. They are buds. Nick has a stripper girlfriend. She’s good-looking and fearless. The type who loves to do anything she feels like and is very sexual. A great character. He has had some trouble adjusting to this personality type but as of now, gets it. Third guy is Winston the (token) black guy. He’s just kinda there. Has a part in things but not quite a developed and played out as a character (or maybe that’s me noticing?). Winston may be from Lafayette,Louisiana because of a reference I heard. Winston also works late night as a sports radio talk-show host. He sings drunk karaoke and can get drunk on fruity, girly drinks. He’s got a soft side for bubble baths but isn’t gay. LOL! The group has a nice dynamic, the four guys being “Guys” while Jess fits in as an everyday girl who blends within the group , kinda like a girl who has brothers as siblings. They all get along really well and look out for one another. It’s caring and personal kinda like how college friends get along. This episode for Christmas tend to capture what they’re all about. It’s very funny (to me at least):
1. Happy Endings on ABC
This show has turned into my favorite. Like “The New Girl” it features a cast of friends. This group is made up of six people grouped into 3 pairs. They are in their late 20’s-early 30’s and at different stages in their lives. They’re all good friends who live in Chicago. What makes this show great is the writing as well as the actors. They are both a cut above. Makes for some great stuff and the sort of comedy that does leave me laughing hours later. The group tends to revolve around Alex (Elisha Cuthbert from “24” the TV show) and Dave. They are a couple that have reunited after Alex left Dave at the altar on their wedding day. They came together in part to preserve the group’s friendship. They are now forging a new relationship that seems to be working. Cuthbert, btw, is a white girl with some soul. She’s made me a fan of her (that and her healthy rack for a girl her size). The other pairs are funnier and tend to make the show (for me at least). Jane and Brad are an (interracial) couple. The interracialty really isn’t an issue at all here (nice) but more of a curious sign of the times. But the couple is great. Jane is Alex’s sister and is played by a girl who just has “It”. A real sense for being comical. Between her expressions and facial and physical acting she’s a real talent. She plays Jane’s controlling yuppie sister. You know greatness when you see it and she’s got talent. Yes indeed! Brad is played by Damon Wayans Jr. This is kinda creepy. Jr. is exactly like his father. I mean EXACTLY! It’s like Pop never grew up! It’s eerie. And Jr. is funny like his Dad. Same comic strengths. The yuppie couple are great together with a genuine love for one another. A couple of the funnier lines: Brad talking about one girl “She’s so whack her first name should be Knick, Knack , Patty” and Brad on his grandmom’s reaction to his wife “She calls her “Cocaine”, white , skinny and a scourge to the black community”. Hilarious! The third pair is Max and Penny. Max is a gay, Jewish guy who is BFF with Penny, a klutzy, fag hag who’s weird (eccentric) and searching for a relationship (but is in one now). Both actors are also very gifted in comedy. Max, as Penny describes him, is “A straight guy who likes to have sex with men”. He plays the gay role in a funny way in which gay men probably like and appreciate with a lot of that social commentary of homosexuality played in for laughs. Penny is just funny in her sad-sack slapstick humor. Not quite as funny an actress as Jane, but in a different way, Penny is a trip nonetheless. She’s wants to be in a relationship yet seems to sabotage her relations with her own quirks. Funny thing about her is that she always seems to hit her head (a cut away to the numerous incidents was hilarious!). Max and Penny’s relationship is cute and funny and certainly appeals to gay men and the women who love them. Overall the group is great together. They respect yet bust on each other like only close friends can. They do things together and by being together show their quirks and insecurities. Yet they all get along in the end (Happy Endings). There are a number of really funny episodes: The one where they see their old “Real World Sacramento” tapes, their Thanksgiving and Christmas/Birthday Day was great too. The pilot episode sets the tone for things and you can see the greatness here. Jane at the restaurant telling the waitress to replace her water with vodka then being busted on it was laugh-my-ass-off-funny! Overall it’s just a great show and I seek to watch it when I can online. Here’s the pilot episode.
So I got my shows. My Three Shows. Kinda like the old TV show “My Three Sons”. Well not quite, but the pun is there. Funny! Kinda like these shows….Brings a smile to my face. It’s great to find great comedy on network TV still.
Bravo !
LRJ ~
lrj4life 