Parks and Recreation

The last we were in Pawnee: Li’l Sebastian had just passed away, Leslie was asked to run for City Council meaning uncertainty for her relationship with Ben, and Tammy One is back in Pawnee.

In the premiere episode, Ron Swanson decides to go into hiding because Tammy One is back and leaves Leslie in charge, but Leslie has a bigger problem.  She has to break-up with Ben because of her campaign, but she cannot bring herself to do it.  In a freak out moment, Leslie runs away from her problems and finds Ron’s cabin in the woods.  The next morning, they both decide that they cannot stay in hiding forever.  Ron comes back to work and Leslie tells Ben the truth.  Ben knew the truth the whole time and gives Leslie an election button with “Knope 2012” on it.

Meanwhile, a man in the city government of Pawnee emailed a photo of his penis to all the women in the office.  Ben and Chris are determined to find the culprit.  Ann tells the Chris that the culprit mostly likely has mumps. Chris fires the culprit and tells him that  Ann Perkins diagnosed him with the mumps.  With that spreading, Ann’s inbox becomes flooded with penis photos so the city government brings in a male doctor to run penis examines.  

Parks and Recreation really find itself during season 2 and the show keeps climbing the comedy mountain.  The premiere episode is in line with that statement.  The writing is quick, the plot lines fully developed, and the addition of Adam Scott and Rob Lowe have really brought this show to the forefront of the television landscape.  Amy Poehler is hilarious as Leslie Knope and her chemistry with the cast couldn’t be better and her timing is awesome - she was robbed at the 2011 Emmy’s.  Nick Offerman or bacon loving Ron Swanson is probably one of the funniest people on television right now, but for some reason never gets any recognition.  His timing and tone are great, and like Poehler fits well with the cast.  I wish Retta aka Donna had a little more screen time because she knows how to deliver a sassy one-liner.  If the show keeps this up, it will hit the levels of 30 Rock and Modern Family.  

This show does not necessarily define a specific generation, but connects with people who have sarcastic and snarky sense of humor.  If thats the type of humor you have, then Parks & Rec is for you.

Thursdays at 8:30 on NBC

Modern Family - One Hour Premiere

The Pritchett and Dunphy families are back!

We see the whole family plus Haley’s boyfriend Dylan go to a Dude Ranch.  Once at the ranch, the guide constantly starts hitting on Gloria, Phil is trying his hardest to impress Jay, and Mitchell is trying get in touch with his manly side.  Gloria is completely oblivious to the guide’s intentions because her ears are still clogged from the airplane ride, thus she can’t really hear.  Jay is more concerned with the guide, so he isn’t even paying attention to Phil. Lastly, Mitchell only gets in touch with his manly when Luke and him blow up a bird house.  Then out of nowhere at an evening campfire, Dylan purposes to Haley but Claire says no for her.  Dylan then goes missing and everyone goes looking for him.  While on the search, the guide touches Gloria’s butt and she isn’t happy about that.  Phil and Jay find them and Jay tells the guide off.  Claire and Haley find Dylan in the woods and he has decided to become a ranch hand, thus ending Haley and Dylan’s relationship.

In the second episode, the Pritchett and Dunphy families are back in southern California.  Mitchell and Cam are trying to ease Lilly into the fact that soon there will be another baby in the house, but they are worried since Lilly keeps saying she will hurt the new baby.  Mitchell is convinced Lilly acts this way because Cam constantly coddles her, so Cam starts to ice out Lilly.  However, when Mitchell drops Lilly off at preschool it comes that it could because Lilly doesn't like to share - a trait Mitchell has.  

Phil and Claire go grocery shopping and Claire is knocked to the ground by a display of peaches.  Claire believes that Phil it was Phil’s fault and Phil believes that Claire was just clumsy.  Everyone in the Dunphy house gangs up on Claire stating that she always thinks she is right.  To prove them all wrong, Claire gets the surveillance footage from the store.

Manny is accused of stealing a necklace from a girl at school and Gloria defends him to the principal, stating Manny is only being accused because he is Columbian.  Jay interrogates Manny in the garage and it comes out that Manny did accidentally take the necklace.  Manny comes to clean to Gloria only after Jay forces him.  However, instead of making Manny face the principal, Gloria breaks into the girl’s locker and puts the necklace inside.

While Cam and Mitchell have everyone over to announce they are adopting another baby, Mitchell comes clean about his lack of sharing being the problem, Manny confesses and tells Jay he never went to the principal’s office, and Claire shows everyone the surveillance footage.  Then Mitchell lets it slip they are adopting a boy.

I don’t think this was the funniest hour of Modern Family, but there was some great lines and interesting plots put into place.  I thought the nicknames of Old Timer, Cactus Flower and Bossy were great, my friends and I adopted them over the weekend.  The other great aspect of the hour long premiere is that we got to see a different sides of Mitchell and Jay.  Mitchell was self-conscious and nervous that he couldn’t handle having a son and Jay was insecure about the guide hitting on Gloria.  Like the first two seasons, Modern Family really exemplifies a great ensemble comedy and they really use the “mocumentary” filming style to their advantage.

With that said, we did have some issues with it.  First, the older Lilly that now has lines brings a new dynamic to the show.  I wish they hadn’t made Lilly so mean, she kind of comes off as a dragon lady.  Hopefully as the season progresses, we will get to see a softer side of Lilly.  Then, the Italian New Yorker and Alex was so weird and out of place.  Their story-line wasn’t funny and I am surprised the writers kept it in.  I want to see Alex mature and date, but that was not the way to go about it.  

Modern Family is a show that audiences of all ages can appreciate.  Its one of those rare shows that is funny to everyone because everyone has a dysfunctional family.  The expectations are high for this show, but I know that Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan won’t let us down.

Wednesday 9PM on ABC

Up All Night - Episode 2

Reagan and Chris get new young australian neighbors, but are worried that they won’t come off as cool.  They try to compliment the androgynous looking wife, drop of a bottle of tequila, and say they have Radiohead tickets, but they fumble through everything because they are trying too hard.  However, when the neighbors have a loud house warming party, Chris and Reagan are forced to call the cops so their baby can get some sleep.  They don’t want to seem like the lame neighbors, so they pretend to have been at the party the whole time.  That does not work because when the cops arrive they call the complainer back and Chris’ cell phone rings.  Reagan and Chris come to realize they will no longer be the coolest neighbors, but hope to be the coolest parents.

Meanwhile, Ava is concerned that baby Amy does not like her.  Ava thought Amy would love a wallet and small purse, “baby’s first wallet, everyone knows that tradition,” but that does not work.  Seeing this, Reagan purposely brings Amy to work so Ava and Amy can have some bonding.  When they are left alone, Amy stops crying when Ava holds her.

The second episode was not as funny as the pilot.  I thought the idea of trying to impress the new young neighbors was pushed a little to hard and it did not seem that believable.  Is it really that stressful to meet your neighbors?  Also, I think that Christina Applegate and Will Arnett’s characters work best when they are throwing snappy dialogue back and forth.  This episode lacked some good one-liners.  I thought the shining star of the episode was Maya Rudolph.  She plays the eccentric Ava to a tee.  The writers need to find a way to have Ava interact more with Reagan and Chris.  Having her just swing by for a minute or only seeing her at the office isn’t enough.

All new shows take some to time to find their rhythm, look at Parks and Recreation.  I still think this show could be the next Thirtysomethings, we just need to give it some time.

Wednesday 8PM on NBC

How I Met Your Mother - The Best Man & The Naked Truth

I am back on my couch listening to Ted Mosby tell me a random side that in no way informs how he met the mother.  

Last night we were treated to two new episodes of How I Met Your Mother.  In the first episode, Ted starts the story at Barney’s wedding to an unknown bride - Lily and Marshall find out they are having baby but find it incredibly hard to keep it a secret when they are at Punchy’s wedding in Cleveland.  While at the wedding, Robin tries to hide her feelings for Barney, but Lily could see right through Robin’s high-pitched voice.  Right when Robin has worked up the nerve to tell Barney her true feelings, Norah calls me back leaving Robin devastated.  All the while, Ted was trying to prove to his high school friends that he isn’t an emotional mess, but that all went out the window when Marshall and Lily tell the gang they are pregnant.  So as Ted is giving his best man speech he couldn’t help but shed a few tears causing people to laugh.  Marshall steps in and tells everyone Ted is crying because Lily is pregnant and points to her, but the bride mistakes the point and exclaims she is pregnant.  Her father is extremely upset and the wedding is officially ruined.

The story continues into the second episode when Marshall declares he will no longer get drunk anymore, a statement that the gang finds laughable.  However, when Marshall realizes that he will undergo a background check for a potential job at Garrison Cootes, he freaks out due to a streaking video from college that has made its way onto Youtube.  All the while, Ted is using his New York magazine cover to get dates - he lands two but can’t decide who he likes more.  The dilemma becomes even bigger when Ted is invited to the Annual Architect Ball, supposedly a prestigious event.  Meanwhile, Barney tries to win Norah back by staying in the diner until she agrees to a second date, which she does.  This persistence shows Ted that he wants someone he is head over heels for, so Ted takes Robin to the architecture ball. While at the ball, Ted spots Victoria across the room....

Last night’s HIMYM incorporated so many gags that make the show great - use of youtube and auto-tune, the ability to see threw BS, and gimmicks to get women into bed.  All of these gags work because we all can relate on some level, but the writers on HIMYM do a great job of turning up the volume on the joke.  For example, Ted’s youtube videos of crying during best men speeches’ - that could easily happen with smart phone technology.  My only critique is why bring Victoria back?  Ted and Victoria were great together a couple of seasons ago, but it is unlikely she is the mother since Ted meets his wife at Barney’s wedding. Unless Victoria makes Barney’s wedding cake.  Also, how does Barney get married before Ted and to who? Norah? Robin?

This show is generation defining because people are willing put up with all the side stories because the characters are real and situations can be somewhat related to there group of friends.

Watch Mondays on CBS at 8PM

Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank's Pretty Woman"

The Gang is back!  After taking the summer off, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia kicked off their 7th season last night on FX.

In last night’s episode, Frank decides he wants to marry the hooker he has been “seeing.”  While the group is skeptical of Roxy the hooker’s intentions, Dee takes it upon herself to give Roxy a “pretty woman-esque” makeover.  In the middle of this makeover, Roxy shows Dee there is a glamourous side to prostituting - large wads of cash, texts from Tiger Woods and the ability to smoke mass amounts of crack.  In the mean time, Dennis is trying to get Mac to realize how unhealthy his weight gain has been.  They proceed to get blood tests and it is shown that Mac has developed adult diabetes while Dennis is severely malnourished.  All the while, Charlie tries to set Frank with a nice girl through a dating site, but with a scheme involved - Charlie will pose as the millionaire date and Frank will be the limo driver, but Charlie will get “sick" and Frank will finish the date.  Things go awry when Charlie takes too many blood caplets and throws up all over the girl, Frank and the limo.  At the end of the day, Frank is convinced Roxy is the girl for him, Dee is now going to be a foot prostitute, and Dennis is now somewhat over his eating issues.  While Frank is proposing to Roxy, her heart stops due to her crack addiction and The Gang decides the best thing to do is dump her in the hall way so she will be someone else's problem.

Always Sunny has been described as Seinfeld on crack, which I think is an accurate description.  The creators of the series: Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day and McElhenney, really understand how to develop ridiculous story lines and make them work.  Not many series can have episodes about - getting addicted to crack, having abortions, and marrying prostitutes - and have them be hilariously funny.  While the season premiere was not the funniest episode, “Frank’s Pretty Woman” demonstrated quick writing, fully utilized the unique characters, and turned up the volume on an interesting story line. Also, they always seem to be able to deliver some great one liners like “help me pick the crack rocks out of my ass” or “we boil our denim.”  

Season 7 has started on a good note and I am glad to see The Gang is back to their sick and twisted ways.  While I have never had the urge to be with a hooker, marry a hooker, or be a hooker - I can definitely find the hilarity in this situation.  I may not have experienced everything The Gang has, shocking I know, but this is definitely a show that is defining my twenties.

Free Agents - Pilot

After the premiere of Up All Night, NBC launched another new sitcom Free Agents.

Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn star as two emotionally damaged and recently single co-workers at a PR firm.  Hank Azaria plays Alex, a recently divorced guy who is struggling emotionally and trying to figure out how to get back in the dating scene.  Kathryn Hahn plays Helen, a woman who’s fiancee passed away a year ago and she is still trying to navigate her sadness and need to move on. After numerous drinks, Alex and Helen jump into bed together but the end of the night proves to be awkward when Alex starts crying when he talking about his children.  At the office the next day, Alex is talked into going on a double date with a co-worker but ends up bailing at the last minute when Helen calls him.  They think they can just be friends, but the next thing they know they have slept with each other again.

This British adaptation does not measure up to The Office, NBC’s previous effort to convert a British hit TV show, which has become a huge hit and introduced the “mockumentary” style to sitcoms.  The concept of two emotionally damaged co-workers getting together works in the moment, but I do not think this is a show that can sustain for multiple seasons.  Alone Azaria and Hahn have a few good lines in the pilot, but together they lack chemistry.  I think Azaria works much better in a role that is snarky and sarcastic, not overly emotional.  This is a shame because Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn are great comedic actors trying to find that perfect sitcom that can really showcase their timing and tone.  

The supporting characters in Free Agents are funny, but their personalities are stereotypes that have been overused in sitcoms.  The sassy secretary, the oblivious boss, and the sex crazed co-worker.  I think the show would work better if they had taken some risk and used unique personalities that could have rounded out the show.

When watching the show, the question I thought of is what happens when they finally get together?  Does the show end or do new problems come up?  This relationship isn’t like the Ross and Rachel of Friends that we were all rooting for because as an audience we watched the build up and the missed opportunities.  There was no build up in Free Agents, thus why are we rooting for them?.  We will have to watch a constant back and forth? Audiences don’t really want to watch other people, they have enough fighting in real life. 

At this moment in time, Free Agents does not appear to be the next big sitcom to define any generation. The characters are too one note, which is not appealing to any age group, but the idea of starting over is something I definitely get. I don’t exactly know where Free Agents, but I am going to give it a few more episodes.

Up All Night - Pilot

Last night NBC premiered one of its new sitcoms, Up All Night after the season finale of America’s Got Talent.

Up All Night stars Christina Applegate and Will Arnett as Reagan and Chris, a married couple who just had a baby and are now struggling to adjust to Reagan going back to work.  Reagan works for Ava, Maya Rudolph, an emotionally needy and over-the-top talk show host.  It seems in Reagan’s absence that show has fallen apart.  Reagan decides to that booking a doctor known for his cleanses would be perfect, causing Ava to make the cleanse mandatory to all employees.  Everything is looking great until news breaks that this cleanse is killing people.  This last minute reorganizing of the show puts Reagan and Chris’s anniversary celebration in serious jeopardy.  However, when Reagan gets back late, they decided to party like the old days.  They were not prepared for the startling wake and severe hang over the next morning.  Both Reagan and Chris are trying to figure out their new roles, working mom and stay at home dad. 

The idea that a couple’s dynamic changes once they have a baby has been done before, but Emily Spivey the creator puts a new spin on that concept in Up All Night.  Christina Applegate as Reagan gets to show-off her comedic timing, and she imparts great sarcastic tone into her one liners.  She has not been this good, since her days of playing a ditzy tramp on Married With Children and career driven anchor in Anchorman.  Will Arnett is at his best in this role.  Normally the zany and off-the-wall character, like in Arrested Development, Blades of Glory and his guest role on 30 Rock.  Those only worked for him because he had a supporting role, no one can handle that much zaniness all the time, which happened to be the problem in Running Wilde.  Then Maya Rudolph gets to play the wonderful role of the off their rocker talk show host, which is amazing for her because she the comedic timing to pull it off.  Also, it helps that she is the supporting character because all that emotional neediness would be overwhelming if she was on all the time.  I am just glad to see Maya back on TV as she is one of the four women who brought SNL back into the forefront in the early ‘00s.  Lastly, a lot of credit has to go to Emily Spivey for quick writing and full characters.

My only questions with Up All Night, is how long will the idea remain fresh?  How do the writers handle the idea of the baby growing up?  However, in the moment the show is funny and I think with Emily Spivey and Lorne Michaels involved these issues will be resolved.

Up All Night has the qualities that can define a generation, just not mine.  People who are in their early 30s and in the process of starting a family will find this new sitcom especially relatable.  As a 23 year old guy, I can relate to the stress that comes along with new a phase of life.  This show has the chance to play like the show Thirtysomething, but will hopefully have a longer run.

The New Girl - Pilot

Fox is trying something new this fall season with the New Girl by allowing iTunes users to download the pilot for free in the hopes of gaining some traction before the clutter of premiere week.

The New Girl stars Zooey Deschanel as Jess, a slightly dorky but adorable girl. She just broke up with her boyfriend and is trying to find a new place. Through a Craig’s List ad, she finds three guys friends looking for a fourth roommate. The guys: Coach an intense trainer played by Damon Wayans Jr., Nick a “recently” single bartender played by Jake M. Johnson, and Schmidt a sales man with a slight douchey side played by Max Greenfield. After the guys have a discussion about the possibility of letting Jess move in, Schmidt makes an executive decision when he finds out Jess’s old roommate is a model. However, the guys are unprepared for her all day crying fits and constant Dirty Dancing watching. In an effort to help Jess move on the guys take her out to find a rebound guy, but the rebound ends up being an ass and stands Jess up. The guys bail on their cowboy themed charity event to console her and they all end up watching Dirty Dancing together.

I think the core idea of the New Girl is great, but I have some reservations on how long the concept can work and stay fresh. Can the idea work if Jess moves out? Will this idea morph into a glorified Three’s Company and have a revolving door of male roommates? With those questions stated, I think Zooey Deschanel does a great job in this role. It really showcases her excellent comedic timing, not many actresses can make Lord of the Ring references and make jumbo panty dancing believable. Also, Zooey seems to have a lot of chemistry with her three male co-stars. As for the male co-stars, Wayans, Johnson, and Greenfield they all mesh well together, which is shown through the Douche Jar. An element I thought played really well and can be implemented into future episodes. However, the personalities of the male co-stars are to rigid and stereotypical and I think for this show to succeed the guys personalities need to be made more dynamic. It will be interesting to see how the group dynamic changes since Wayans will not moving forward with the New Girl because he had a commitment to the ABC comedy Happy Endings.

I definitely think the New Girl could be a sitcom that defines a generation, but it is way to early to make a declarative statement. In order to create that next phenomenon, the New Girl really needs to make the male co-stars much fuller characters and make sure that cultural references are relevant. Then they will have a chance to be the next break out hit that keeps us coming back for more.