More Shows to Watch in June: Louie and Wilfred

Tonight on FX you can see two odd shows that probably could not appear on the major networks.  Louie, now in its second season, should continue to be fun ride.  Last season was at times insightful, other times disturbing, and always surprising.  In a recent interview with Slate magazine, the single dad of two daughters spoke a little bit about bringing his family stories to the program:

Slate: Are the bits you do about your daughters generally true? Did your daughter actually get bitten by a pony?


Louis C.K.: My daughter really did get bit by a pony, and so that was true, and I felt like a piece of shit, and she really was very positive about it. I do feel a lot of times like I'm out of my league with my kids in terms of what my responsibility is. Those parts are true. As far as when I make them behave badly on stage and in my show, that's all fiction. My kids are really easy. I often worry that they're too easy to deal with. They're really nice people. But that just wouldn't be as entertaining, so I just leave that part out.

The entire series is basically a one-man operation, from writing to filming.  And what he produces on his own is so much better than what a troop of writers can put together.  It's raw yet impressive, and worth tuning in.

As far as Wilfred, this is Elijah Wood's first attempt to cross over into TV from film using this Australian hit as his vehicle.  The idea of Wood's suicide-prone character Ryan dealing with a man in a dog suit, who everyone else sees as an actual dog, is admittedly a fresh idea for a television series. However, talking animals (and puppets) have not always made for good TV.  As I noted earlier, it this is Alf again it is toast.  But should it become a fresh look at a struggling man coming to terms with his inner turmoil, it could be both a funny and edgy program.

Update:  Having watched the first four episodes of each program, I recommend both to viewers.  Louis C.K. maintains its strange freshness, from the very dark episode of a homeless man's bizarre death to his sister's odd stomach pains to his one night stand with Jone Rivers.  Trying to predict the direction of this show is an impossible task.  Wilfred is a odd yet endearing show.  It is a perfect role for Elijah Wood, who plays the geeky lovelorn neighbor.  And his canine friend Wilfred is a conniving, drug-addled "best friend" who can quickly slip into the most lovable and familiar behavior, from chasing his tail to pursuing a laser light.  The content and language is not family safe by any stretch of the imagination, but it makes for fun nighttime viewing. 

The Sky is Falling

Sci-fi shows continue to take a beating, unless of course you have vampires, werewolves, or witches (discussed earlier).  The tube is also doing better with period pieces (or make-believe periods) with men in tights, or at least fur coats.  And the networks are now creating doctors and detectives with special powers, so that should offer a new twist to some.

However, I am thinking futuristic rather than remnants from the grave or tales from yore. We have already lost V (not really a great loss) and Caprica (a terrific show), while Outcast became just that soon after being released by BBC.  And the trash heap has grown over the years after valiant starts - think of Defying Gravity and Virtuality.

So, where are we today?  Well, on June 19th we will get a new show on TNT called Falling Skies. The 10-part series stars Noah Wyle as a former Boston history professor and tells the story of a country six months after its brutal defeat under extraterrestrials.  Previews show alien creatures that remind me a lot of the ones from Battle: Los Angeles, which is now adverting in tandem with the new series.  The story itself brings to mind War of the Worlds combined with the scrappy resistance of townsfolk seen in TV's Jericho. 

So what can we expect?  During a recent interview, Noah Wyle described the role of science fiction: 

Science fiction, in its purest form, for me, it works the best when it’s being used as metaphor to look at something from a one step removed process, to give a little objectivity and insight into something that, if you were applying it on the face of it, we’d all be too close to. That’s what Gene Roddenberry did, better than anybody, with the original Star Trek shows. In ‘66, you could show a show about race relations, by making it Kligons and Vulcans, and not have to talk about black and white. You were talking black and white, but somehow it was a lot more palatable to be soon through another culture. I think this operates on that level. It’s got historical precedent. We draw a lot of allegory to the American Revolution, but it also has a lot of contemporary resonance too. There are many places in the world where you can find large occupying army that aren’t wanted on indigenous soil.

It will be interesting to see the American Revolution with real "lobster backs," or at least what seem to be crustaceans. The series can also boast that Stephen Spielberg was involved as executive producer.  His involvement should improve the quality of the series, though I hope it is not a sign that this will become another vehicle for his "return to mother" theme.  I also distinctly remember a ridiculous scene at the end of Spielberg's War of the Worlds where Tom Cruise returns to Boston only to find everyone wearing crisp, pretty sweaters in the midst of what was to be the end of the world.  I am hoping Wyle will not be a Benetton model in this new program.

Some additional sci-fi shows are in the works as well.  I will cover them in later stories. Stay tuned.

Update:  I have watch the first two episodes (three hours) of Falling Sky and the show has already grown on me.  And yes, it bring to mind a few other programs from the past.  For instance, the alien invasion reminds me of District 9 with the insect/crustacean visitors and the huge, lumbering ship sitting above the human city.  And the bugs have their own robots to do their bidding, which remind me of the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica picking of the few remaining human after the genocide.  But what surprised me was the acting - it works.  Wyle plays an awkward, yet convincing, dad to his two sons as he spouts off historical analogies that his kids barely tolerate.  Dads can be that way.  And while most the other characters are what you would expect - the potential mom/girlfriend, the crusty military commander - you have a few interesting souls thrown into the mix, such as the thug with culinary skills.  The program certainly shows promise.

Second Update:  Falling Skies has been picked up for a second season, noted  TV Series Finale in a July 8th posting.

Did You Miss Portlandia?

I know I missed IFC's Portlandia when it first came out, but fortunately it is available for download and you can see a few clips on Hulu.com. Starring Fred Armisen from Saturday Night Live and Carrie Brownstein, the show is a hilarious series of skits poking fun at the stuck-in-the-1990s version of Portland they have constructed.  Think of it as a Pacific Northwest version of Parks and Recreation.  And as with Amy Poehler, also from Saturday Night Live fame, the exaggerated opinions and incidents make for fun viewing.  One of my favorite skits in episode makes fun of "birds on it" art, going over the top on this simple idea until a real bird enters the scene. You can also watch a couple dissecting a menu to the point that they want to know all about the chicken they are about to eat, eventually traveling to the farm to ensure the bird was happy before ending up on their dinner plate.  Is it corny?  Absolutely.  Will we all think back to parts of the 1990s and cringe.  Absolutely, again.  And will you enjoy this six-part series?  I think you know the answer.

Aside note:  See if you recognize the cast member from Parks and Recreation in one of the episodes.

Update:  By the way, Portlandia was picked up for a second season, according to the Huffington Post.