Let's start.
My Name Is Earl -- This is the best non-animated half hour of comedy on the airwaves right now!!! Period! Jason Lee (a huge favorite of mine, having sprung from Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse Jersey movies and into such films as Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, et al) plays Earl, a former ne'er do well turned "trailer park philosopher". After discovering the concept of karma when he wins the lottery and is then immediately hit by a car, Earl makes a life changing decision to right all the wrongs he had done in his life. It's been said by many a television critic that this show has the same "feel" of the now classic Coen Brothers movie "Raising Arizona". This, friends, is not a bad thing, as each episode feels like a little mini-movie with characters that you can't help but fall in love with (for instance, the getting ever-thinner Ethan Suplee, who plays Earl's brother, is brilliant). I also love the fact that "Earl" doesn't rely on a laugh track to point out the funny bits. Trust me, if you're watching this show, YOU will provide the laugh track. There hasn't been an episode where I haven't on more than one occaision laughed out loud (and frankly, that is a mean feat). Watch this show!
The Office -- You ever walk into your workplace and think, "This would be a great television show?" Imagine if there were a camera crew showing up daily, watching and documenting the day-to-day aspects of your job. That, folks, is The Office. Plus, who would have thunk it?! NBC's version of the award winning BBC comedy of the same name is (*gasp!*) actually funny!! Steve Carell (from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the star of "The 40-Year Old Virgin") is great, but then again, I knew he would be. What pushes this show over the top is the rest of the cast. The mockumentary style of the show along with the fact that there seems to be a healthy dose of that "true-to-life" improvisation style that's usually reserved for those wonderful Christopher Guest movies (i.e. "Best in Show", "Waiting for Guffman", "A Mighty Wind") makes this seem like you're peeking in on any and every office workplace I've ever worked for (in one form or another). Brilliant stuff! Watch this show!
Curb Your Enthusiasm -- Now, I know a lot of folks don't pay extra to get the HBO (and yes, I know I used the definite article "the" in front of "HBO"... I like saying it that way, so from here on it's "the HBO"... think of it kind of like when some people say "the Batman" instead of just "Batman", 'kay?). If you do pay extra to get the HBO, then you MUST watch Curb Your Enthusiasm! There's really no choice in the matter. You have to do it. Consider this a prerequisite for having HBO in the first place. Larry David once again takes up the baton that was handed off by "Seinfeld" and has hit the ground running at a dead sprint with the fifth season of this fantastic show. Again, this is a show that is 80% improvisation and the third comedy on the list that is funny without a laugh track beating you over the head telling you it's funny. Just great stuff. If you get the HBO, watch this show!
Extras -- From Ricky Gervais, who launched "The Office" in the U.K., comes this absolutely brilliant half hour that, to me, is quickly starting to overshadow "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as the best comedy on the HBO (and folks, that's saying something). The show follows Ricky's character Andy Millman, a 40-something Englishman who has given up his day job in lieu of making his way into acting (which means going from film set to film set as an extra and trying to schmooze whoever he can for a speaking role). This is especially funny to me since my dear sister is in Hollywood at the moment doing practically the same thing. Each episode is on a different film set and features a guest star in each such as Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller and Patrick Stewart. It's a great look at the bottom rung of the film actor's ladder and shines the light on a seldom seen side of an aspect of an actor's life and filmmaking in general. Great stuff and painfully funny!
Family Guy -- If "Earl" is the funniest non-amimated half hour of television, then "Family Guy" is the funniest half hour of amimated television. Rising from cancellation limbo a few months ago, Seth MacFarlane has returned Family Guy back to the airwaves with a vengeance. It's edgy. It's oft times hilariously borderline offensive. It's always, always funny. If you don't know about, or haven't watched Family Guy yet (thinking perhaps that it's just a Simpsons derived equivalent of mental masturbation ... which... well, it is... but, frankly, it has completely surpassed the ever-weary, frayed-at-the-edges, played out Simpsons phenomenon), then you're missing out. Catch the syndicated re-runs on TBS or on the [adult swim] block of shows on Catoon Network. Watch it. Live it. Learn it. This is mandantory viewing!(honorable mention [as in "funny enough to be mentioned, but at the moment, not worth the elaboration"] : Arrested Development, King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, American Dad, Rodney)
2 comments:
The fact that you mentioned Christopher Guest's "mockumentaries" in your blog gives you extra brownie points!
Maybe one day I'll have the time to actually watch television...sigh...
I'll give it to you on The Office. It reminds me so much of Office Space that it's a winner with me every time it airs.
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