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If you are too busy to catch up on the new comedies, I will give you a quick summary of what you missed. I viewed three comedies that premiered in the last month and enjoyed all three for different reasons.
First, Big Time in Hollywood, FL on Comedy Central (premiered March 25th) is a wild ride with two brothers and their friend Del who just want to make movies. But mom and dad have other ideas, and the two brothers come up with a ruse to remain at home involving Ben Stiller that spins out of control and now involves drugs, kidnapping, murder, and more. Think of it as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia set in the suburbs (with real deaths). I am hoping this one gets renewed. That is, if the brothers can remain alive that long.
Second, Weird Loners on Fox (premiered March 31st) is about four friends show come together in the first episode and then stick around to see what will happen in large part because nothing else is happening in their lives.
You may recognize Zachary Knighton from another friend series Happy Endings. He is just as clueless in this series, yet just as likeable. All the characters have their quirks as well as something that draws you in. My favorite part in the first episode was the four of them trying to read lips at a wedding taking place across the park. It told you everything you needed to know about the characters mindset (and reason they are alone) without any of them being aware of this reveal. My TV calendar is booked, but I may find time for this one.
Finally, Younger on TV Land (premiered March 31st) is what you might expect to be a droll story about a woman facing a mid-life crisis at 40. The main character is finding that all the jobs are going to younger women, so after she changes her wardrobe and hair she returns to the corporate world in her mid-20s. From this simple premise, you find yourself liking Liza (played by Sutton Foster) as she attempts to adjust to the lingo and preferences of a younger generation. Her confusion with Twitter and other technologies reminded me of Kimmy in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt who lived hidden underground for 15 years. The show has already been renewed for a second season. If you are looking for a light comedy, this is for you.
After its success with Neil deGrasse Tyson in the remake of Cosmos, the National Geographic Channel is bringing Star Talk to television this evening. The radio program Star Talk has been around for years as a combination of science discusions, light comedy, and audience questions. Bringing this same format to television should be pretty easy. I have no idea what kind of radio/podcast audience the program maintains, but if Dr. Tyson cannot make such a program work on television I am not sure who can.
With all the recent press about the latest clip from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it was only a matter of time before it started to permeate other areas. One such area is a parody of Louis, but this time Chewie brought to you by Nerdist.com. Given the bleak start to Louis this season, with his depression, rude party antics, and involvement with a pregnant woman, I am willing to give the big fur ball (Chewie, that is) a chance to liven up the show a little.
The Messengers starts tomorrow night (April 17) on The CW. And while I was hoping for an angel-related spin-off from Supernatural, this new series will take a whole new approach. It relates to five individuals who died after a strange object crashes to Earth and find they returned to life as the angels of the Apocalypse. Now they need to fight the "devil" on behalf of humanity. Here is a short clip.
You may recognize J.D. Pardo from NBC's Revolution and Diogo Morgado from The Bible (he played Jesus). Diogo describe the series in this interview on ShareTV. He seems to be playing the opposite of Jesus this time.
In addition to Supernatural, we have angels on SyFy's Dominion as well as a guardian angel on Fox's Sleepy Hollow, so this is not new ground. The question now is whether The Messengers is a worthwhile addition to this genre.
"When you get to a certain point in the business, what a man is
looking for in a network is the same as in his underwear. A little bit
of support and a little bit of freedom."
AMC has renamed the second season of its colonial spy series from Turn to Turn: Washington's Spies. This is a better name if you are trying to catch the casual television viewer who is meandering through the cable guide. It may have even attracted more viewers in the first season, which was barely enough to justify a second season. We are lucky the show is on AMC and not Fox.
However, the main point is that this colonial drama is back for another 10 episodes starting tonight with a two-hour episode. The series covers the true exploits of the Culper Ring, a group of spies led by Abraham Woodhull (played by Jamie Bell) out of Long Island who assisted George Washington as the British occupied New York City. Here is the two season summary from AMC (and you should also check out the trailer):
Season 1 ended as Abe’s dangerous balance of fighting for what he
believes in while keeping the violence of war far away from his family
collapsed, and he was forced to burn his home to the ground to cover up
the murder of a British soldier who discovered he was a spy. Season 2
will dive deeper into the twists, turns, victories and betrayals of a
Shadow War waged behind enemy lines, pitting the cunning agents of King
George against the intrepid and inventive spies serving General George
Washington.
As the second season opens, the Patriot cause has suffered the
crushing loss of their capital city of Philadelphia to the British.
Washington’s army faces desertion and death, and the embattled general
faces conspirators from within his own ranks, as well as personal demons
he keeps hidden from the men he leads. Washington's closest ally in
these dark times is also his most celebrated battle commander, Benedict
Arnold -- a friend whose growing discontent will threaten the fate of
the Revolution. Outnumbered and outgunned on the battlefield, Washington
is counting on his ring of young spies and his greatest hope, Abe
Woodhull, a lone civilian deep behind enemy lines, who finds he has
little left to lose and is willing to risk everything he has left...
including his soul.
While some may prefer a faster paced show, I have enjoyed the character development and retelling of a part of history little known to many Americans. I think back to the History Channel's series Sons of Liberty for an example of where history was ignored when it got in the way of the drama. Maybe it was easier to spot in the flaws in the story of Sam Adams and Paul Revere then with a lesser-known band of spies. That said, I look forward to learning more about the culper ring on AMC and in my own readings. We have plenty of drama from this period without making things up, and I hope AMC realizes this as well.
Get ready for a busy Sunday night with the return of three great HBO shows:
-- Veep: Without giving too much away, season four will show the antics of President Selina Meyer. Yes, that is correct. America is doomed, but the fall will be hilarious. And yet are we looking at the new House of Cards or something even worse (or better, depending on your perspective)? Indiewire believes Veep is getting better whereas House of Cards has fallen off:
"House of Cards" Season 3, while still intriguing and well-crafted, has
taken a step back in the entertainment department. The same cannot be
said for "Veep." Though it's a toss-up between the two politicians when
it comes down to who wants it more, much of Selina's appeal stems from
her innocence. The word may seem inapplicable to a woman who uses
f-bombs as commas, but Selina is the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed dreamer
to Frank's dead-eyed, sharp-tailed pessimist. Her belief in herself may
stem from her privileged upbringing and vehemently adamant
decision-making (enabled by the former), but, at the very least, she
wants all the power not just to have it, but so she can have fun with
it.
-- Silicon Valley: In season two we will see how the gang does with the development of their own company, which was off to a rocky start. My favorite character is Erlich, played by T.J. Miller, who is basically an oaf who almost made it once in the industry and will forever see himself as a genius. His unfiltered banter is outrageous yet sometimes on the mark, though he does not really listen to himself. I remember him as the oversized infant in the short lived series Carpoolers. He is just as clueless in Silicon Valley, though this time he has an audience. More than anything else on the show, I look forward to his words of wisdom.
-- Game of Thrones: The much anticipated season five has finally arrived. No longer do we need to dissect the trailers. We get to see the real thing (or at least the fictional thing that may continue to stray from the fictional book). And expect the loss of more characters this season. George R.R. Martin, when interviewed by Hollywood Reporter, stated he had thousands of characters to kill in his books whereas HBO has to be more selective. I guess a thousand deaths are a statistic, whereas a single death, such as Ned Stark, makes for drama. And if you are looking for a quick summary of season four before launching into the new season, Time has a quick recap of the season and a body count as well.
Update: HBO has renewed Veep for a fifth season and Silicon Valley for a third season.
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