If you do, (I don't,) I want to hear the full story on MY NAME IS EARL.
I thought it was smart, very funny, engagingly paced, with witty writing and its number one strength was how it didn't judge its characters at all. And making Carson Daly the bringer of Karma? Genius.
But I think, sadly, that it's destined to be NBC's Arrested Development. And NBC's so far in the hole right now I don't think they can afford that.
I love that writers can still get smart and funny on the air, but I'm not convinced they can get 30 million Americans to watch. And that's the game, right?
Other sitcoms were a mixed bag, I'm afraid.
I wanted to like HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, especially after the article in the NYTimes painted the creators as such likable guys, but it's just a very anemic show with not enough laughs. Alyson Hannigan....sigh..... is just playing a PG-13 version of the flute girl from American Pie. And Neil Patrick Doogie is playing a dumbed-down riff on his much funnier "I'm playing myself" in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. "Suit up!" is not, and never shall be, a catchphrase. Actually, the show really kind of reminded me of the late and utterly unlamented The Single Guy. (Brrr.)
How I Met Your Mother also displays the scourge of the American half-hour comedy; the thing that kills most of 'em out of the gate -- and a trait that it shares with another CBS entry, OUT OF PRACTICE:
Bland leading men.
Holy Gods, what are the casting people in L.A. smoking these days? Sam Malone had edge. Tom Cavanagh had a puckishness about him. Zack Braff was a pleasing geek archtype. Even Eric McCormack had a bit of a weird energy...but both Mother and Out of Practice have these earnest central characters who I just do not want to watch. I do not care.
Here's a thought: if the guy is not as interesting as "your weird friend" in real life, (And I firmly believe that everyone has one "weird friend") don't build a frigging show around them.
Out of Practice was weird in so many ways; likajokes littering the landscape, the inexplicable attempt to render Paula Marshall not-hot...but I refuse to believe that Chris Lloyd and Joe Queenan can't do better, so I'll give it another shot.
Considering we're losing Winkler's hilarious Barry Zuckercorn from Arrested, and probably Channing's Abby Bartlet from West Wing, too -- this show cannot suck. But blando the series lead is a real problem. Come home Kelsey, all is forgiven.
Now where are those damn overnights?
3 comments:
In the overnights, My Name is Earl got off to a great start with 14.94 million viewers.
It beat House in viewers (House had 13.5 million), and adults 18-49 (House 4.9/ Earl 6.4).
In its first airing My Name is Earl had about a third more viewers than the highest rated episode of Arrested Development. (And the highest AD rated episode was considered a failure because it followed an American Idol and lost, like, half Idol's audience.)
Earl also scored higher than How I Met My Mother's Premiere (10.65 million viewers) and Out of Practice's premiere (13.39 million viewers).
(On the other hand, The Office lost about 40% of Earl's lead-in numbers).
That's great news. One of those times I loooove being wrong.
I'm surprised at The Office though, with Carell (and NBC, shamelessly) riding the post-40 Year Old Virgin wave.
Ah well. I'm one of those people who thinks that the American Office is just fine. I guess we'll see how things shake out.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDE!
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