But it’s not all bad; there’s plenty of funny to be found to wind away the time trapped indoors if you know where to look. I’m firmly under the impression that many of the funniest TV shows around today get completely missed by a large percentage of people. So here are three such TV treasures funny enough to relish a reason to stay inside this summer.
Eastbound and Down.
Riding the wave of a successful pitching career Kenny Powers had it all, fame, money and his own range of self help tapes entitled “you’re fucking out, I’m fucking in”. That was until it all went to his head; he lost his famous swing and was forced to move in with his brother back in small town USA. Stuck firmly in the mindset of the glory days Kenny gets a job as a substitute P E teacher at the local elementary school and picks up where he left off trying to wow his high school sweetheart April.
If Alan Partridge were a redneck, this is probably what is would look like. Danny McBride, best known for his characters Red in Pineapple Express and Rico in the underrated Hot Rod uses Eastbound and Down as a canvas to display his unique comic talents.
King of the hicks, McBride’s Kenny Powers is crude, jaded by fame and not above taking his anger out on the kids he’s suppose to be teaching. Despite all this McBride creates a loveable character that deep down, like Partridge or David Brent, just wants someone to listen to him.
Coming straight from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay the guys behind Funnyordie.com, the series plays out much like a film divided into six parts with episodes picking up straight where they left off. With cameos from Craig Robinson and an interesting looking Will Ferrell, you’ll be wishing there was more than just six episodes. Luckily for fans the series will be returning next year
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The premise is simple enough: three guys and a girl own a bar in Philly, sounds like your average comedy right? But straight off the bat episode titles ranging from ‘The Gang Gets Racist” to “The Gang Exploit a Miracle” to my personal favourite, “The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby” indicate right away that your watching something special.
Mac, Charlie, Dennis and Dee; four lowlifes who rob, exploit people and do basically what the rest of us would want to do if we weren’t burdened with a conscience. As the basic premise of the show is fairly 2D it relies heavily on character and most of the fun of watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia comes from watching these character riff of one another. The principle cast all have their moments but the stand out character is Charley, with a running gag that he’s illiterate and addicted to huffing glue; just a sample of what makes this character so funny.
Picked up by FX after friends Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day shot their own pilot for next to no budget; the show has gone from strength to strength. With Danny DeVito joining the gang in their second season as Frank, father to Dennis and Dee the show gained more publicity.
The real humour in this show lies in just how low the characters are willing to go, nothing is sacred with storylines involving everything from mother humping to glory holes. Whats more, last April the gang performed the season 4 finale live onstage, pretty cool.
If you’re already a fan then you will be pleased to hear that the show will return for a fifth season in September and will continue for at least two more seasons.
30 Rock
Set behind the scenes of a popular live TV show TGS, 30 Rock bares many similarities to the show Saturday Night Live. And its not surprising as the shows creator and star Tina Fey made a name for herself on the weekly live variety show, becoming the first female head writer in the shows history.
Liz Lemon (Fey) has the job of controlling her group of writers and stars and she’s doing a good job until big shot executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) takes over. Under new management and forced to keep everyone happy things are made no easier when Jack adds wild and weird superstar Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan who real life counterpart is just as crazy).
Juggling her life around her eccentric co-workers isn’t easy, taking many of her experiences from her years on SNL 30 Rock is one of today’s most successful sitcoms, having been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards earlier this month.
Season two presented a show with more confidence and more guest stars. Jerry Seinfeld, Jennifer Aniston, Will Arnett and Steve Buscemi are just a handful of the big names that make an appearance, all as memorable characters.
But lets not forget the ensemble cast, who each make tuning in worthwhile, the highlight being Alec Baldwin. Proving that he really is the only Baldwin brother worth paying attention too, Baldwin is surprisingly hilarious as the ‘Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming’ rivalled only by wildcard Tracy Morgan who really is as crazy in real life, can’t stress that enough.
So get hold of these shows anyway you can you wont be disappointed., buy them, rent them, use the internet somehow. . . Of course I’m not stupid enough to condone illegal online downloading. THE consequences of that could be quite harsh. Yep, you’d have to be a PIRATE to succeed in that and keep the authorities at BAY.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment