Just Not Funny

I’ve watched an awful lot of crap in the last few days. I’ve been trying out new half-hour sitcoms trying to find something fresh.

Here are some of the new shows I have tried.

Running Wilde – It’s got Will Arnett. Will Arnett is very funny. He was very funny in a supporting role in Arrested Development. He was very funny in a supporting role in 30 Rock. Here he plays the lead. Turns out his brand of funny isn’t good for the lead. He’s too kooky. Too nuts. When your part requires you to be the most ridiculous character in any given scene, it’s hard to find the pathos necessary to win the audience over.

Running Wilde, Falling Flat

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Boardwalk Empire – First Impressions

HBO may well be the second best TV station in the world. I haven’t watched every show that they’ve produced, but I’ve seen quite a few and I like what I’ve seen. From Sex and the City to Entourage, every episode of The Sopranos through all five seasons of The Wire. I’ve spent enough time watching HBO shows to know that they understand the medium and can deliver quality entertainment.

In almost every instance where I committed to an HBO show, it’s come after the show has already broken out. This time I thought I would try something different. The only things I know about Boardwalk Empire before watching are that it stars Steve Buscemi and it’s directed by Martin Scorsese. That’s a heady combo. Crazy Eyes out of Mr. Deeds and the guy who put Wesley Snipes in a Michael Jackson video. Awesome.

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Is This Your Teacher?

Victoria Coren - Better looking than William G. Stewart

I love quiz shows. I watch University Challenge every week and I really like Only Connect too. I used to really like Fifteen-to-One when it was on as well.

The common thread is that I like quiz shows with real questions. I like it when the questions are hard. I like feeling good when I can answer them. I don’t like feeling tricked when I can’t.

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Down and Outlaw

Cyrus Garza in Outlaw

I guess it all comes down to where you stand on Jimmy Smits. Me? I’m ambivalent. Let’s review.

He first showed up in L.A. Law as a Victor Sifuentes. I didn’t watch much L.A. Law. In the world of Steven Bochco, I was more of a Hill Street Blues guy.

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The Dowager Duchess

I’ve just read this fascinating interview with the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in The Guardian.

The Duchess is the last of the Mitford sisters–a set with which I was only peripherally familiar.  Still a life on the interwebs means I’m able to fill in the gaps fairly quickly.

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Scotch Terriers

Shaggy and Scrappy

Another day, another TV pilot reviewed. Terriers is one of those shows that defies programming logic. It doesn’t belong on the air and yet here it is. It doesn’t have a well-known cast. It doesn’t have a unique premise. There is nothing original about the entire enterprise.

So how does a show like this get made? Well it’s chock full of talent. Industry talent. The kind of talent that gets shows made. Shawn Ryan is the big name to notice here. Ryan created The Shield which was the first breakout hit for FX Networks. Ryan helped put FX on the map for original drama. It even won an Emmy for Best Drama Series.

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Why Nikita?

Maggie Q as Nikita

Maggie Q as Nikita

There have been several incarnations of Nikita and I’ve seen them all.

The original movie Nikita came out in 1990. It was directed by Luc Besson and released in the US as La Femme Nikita. If Luc Besson ever went on Mastermind, his specialist subject would be ‘Style over Substance’. I must have seen it as a video rental back in the day. It’s a fine movie with a great central performance from Anne Parillaud.

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