bleedorange Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Did anyone else watch this Wednesday night? I thought it was one of the funniest pilots I've seen in a long time with a ton of laugh-out-loud moments. I think ABC is re-airing it tonight if you missed it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Yes. I saw it. I was very pleasantly surprised. I liked it a lot. Very funny. Comparisons to The Office aren't far off. It's got the documentary-style feel and it's got a similar type of humor. The cool Dad character is GREAT. The gay couple was funny. Good to see Ed O'Neil again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I saw it and found it quite amusing. It has a pretty good cast, is well written and has some good characters too. Definitely one of the better new shows I've seen this year. The trying to be "hip" Dad was quite hilarious at times. Love the bit with his son and the basketball game at the end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I think there was a bit of discussion about this in some other thread, but I don't recall where. Needed its own thread anyway. I'll repeat a comment I made earlier (somewhere): the "hip dad" actor is trying way too hard to channel Michael Scott, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But overall, yeah, it was a pretty funny pilot. I've also been checking out "Community," and it too shows promise (I'm a Joel McHale fan, and to see him working with Chevy Chase is fun) ... but I don't know whether either of these shows will be able to sustain their early momentum over a whole season. I have my doubts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
explodo Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 This show looked a lot like Arrested Development in the ads. Is that comparison far off now that it has actually aired? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 One thing I found extremely refreshing was that it wasn't overly cynical (which I think differentiates it from Arrested Development). Highlighted at the end after the family is introduced to the gay couple's adopted daughter and what Ed O'Neill says to his son at that moment. I thought that whole scene had a great blend of comedy and sweetness that lent authenticity to it. So many of these family sitcoms revert back to the broadly-defined family dynamic where everyone is different and doesn't like each other. It will be nice to see if they can keep this tone throughout the series because the pilot made it look promising. Even Sofia Vergara's character, which could easily be played as a caricature, showed complexity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gobias Industries Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 This show looked a lot like Arrested Development in the ads. Is that comparison far off now that it has actually aired? Nothing will ever, ever compare to Arrested Development. Just sayin'. Nothing funnier came before it or will ever come after. But I might go watch this pilot now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I've also been checking out "Community," and it too shows promise (I'm a Joel McHale fan, and to see him working with Chevy Chase is fun) ... but I don't know whether either of these shows will be able to sustain their early momentum over a whole season. I have my doubts.I watched the 1st episode and this one is promising. I've recorded the 2nd one, hope to watch it tonight. Speaking of good comedies, anyone else here watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"? I think this might be the funniest show on American TV right now. Twisted and well written, and so many laugh out loud moments. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
c.lo Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Nothing will ever, ever compare to Arrested Development. Just sayin'. Nothing funnier came before it or will ever come after.exactly. I watched Modern Family, it was fun. I agree, hip dad is too Michael Scott. Watched Community too, first episode was hilarious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigshoulders Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Speaking of good comedies, anyone else here watch "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"? I think this might be the funniest show on American TV right now. Twisted and well written, and so many laugh out loud moments. I've just gotten into "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". I didn't have dish (or cable) until January, and this is one of the gems on FX. I need to go back and see the previous seasons, but I've been watching the latest season since the first episode... and looking forward to another good one tonight. Danny DeVito is a comic genius. I didn't know how much I had missed seeing him on-screen until I started watching this show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I missed the pilot, but I liked last night's episode. The security camera/building blocks gag brought some quality lols. I didn't pick up on the Michael Scott thing. Maybe it was more obvious int he first episode. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 I missed the pilot, but I liked last night's episode. The security camera/building blocks gag brought some quality lols. I didn't pick up on the Michael Scott thing. Maybe it was more obvious int he first episode. The whole clueless, trying-to-be-hip persona draws the comparisons. But it was more striking in the pilot. I thought he was great in this episode. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 It was mentioned earlier, but I too like the occassional sweetness in Modern Family. The part involving Ed O'Niel's character, the son, and Disneyland was done VERY well. I also saw Patricia Heaton's new show (The Middle), and liked it. She's a very good comic actor. The show is little quirky and in that way reminds me a tad of Malcom in the Middle, but not as chaotic. Her youngest child character is great. The new Kelsey Grammar show did nothing for me. Kind of off-topic, but are laugh-tracks pretty much gone forever, outside of Disney or Nickelodean kid shows? I guess that's a good thing....though when I watch Seinfeld or Frasier re-runs I'm never bothered by them. They only annoy me on shows that have cheesy jokes, like Full House. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 It was mentioned earlier, but I too like the occassional sweetness in Modern Family. The part involving Ed O'Niel's character, the son, and Disneyland was done VERY well. I also saw Patricia Heaton's new show (The Middle), and liked it. She's a very good comic actor. The show is little quirky and in that way reminds me a tad of Malcom in the Middle, but not as chaotic. Her youngest child character is great. The new Kelsey Grammar show did nothing for me. Kind of off-topic, but are laugh-tracks pretty much gone forever, outside of Disney or Nickelodean kid shows? I guess that's a good thing....though when I watch Seinfeld or Frasier re-runs I'm never bothered by them. They only annoy me on shows that have cheesy jokes, like Full House. Ed O'Neill is greatness on that show. I also liked The Middle, but I love Neil Flynn. However, I don't know that that show will ever be required viewing for me. We'll see where it goes from here. I didn't even bother with Hank. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Ed O'Neill is greatness on that show. I also liked The Middle, but I love Neil Flynn. However, I don't know that that show will ever be required viewing for me. We'll see where it goes from here. I didn't even bother with Hank. O'Niel will never top Al Bundy, but that's a near-impossibility. But this role seems perfect for him. I doubt I'll watch The Middle every week either. Though that quirky kid character kinda makes me want to watch it again. DON'T bother with Hank. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 It was mentioned earlier, but I too like the occassional sweetness in Modern Family. The part involving Ed O'Niel's character, the son, and Disneyland was done VERY well. I agree. That seemed to come out of nowhere, but they made it believable, and it added a lot of depth to his character. There's never been a shortage of jackasses on tv, but the jackass with a genuinely soft heart is pretty rare. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I've just gotten into "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". I didn't have dish (or cable) until January, and this is one of the gems on FX. I need to go back and see the previous seasons, but I've been watching the latest season since the first episode... and looking forward to another good one tonight. Danny DeVito is a comic genius. I didn't know how much I had missed seeing him on-screen until I started watching this show.You definitely need to get your hands on the DVDs of the previous seasons. Danny doesn't appear until Season 2, nevertheless Season 1 is still very funny. By Seasons 3 & 4 they really hit their stride, pushing things even further down a dark and twisted path. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Always Sunny replayed the episode with the musical based on the Nightman the other night. It was good, but nothing will ever compare to that original Nightman episode. Insanely hilarious. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GtrPlyr Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Always Sunny replayed the episode with the musical based on the Nightman the other night. It was good, but nothing will ever compare to that original Nightman episode. Insanely hilarious.Yeah, the original was pretty awesome. Charlie and Dennis performing at the bar, priceless! One of the extras on the Season 4 DVD is The Gang performing the entire "The Nightman Cometh" episode on stage at The Troubadour in L.A. Definitely worth watching if you're a fan, some funny moments. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Definitely got beaten over the head with the Michael Scott-isms in last night's episode. Hopefully they'll tone that down. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nodep5 Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I have liked what I have seen. I actually think that dad makes the show, and I love the Office and haven't felt a blatant Michael Scott vibe. I now have three network citcoms I can watch. wowee zowee Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I thought last night's episode was hilarious. Definitely my favorite new show this season. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Just keeps getting better and better. It has quickly become the one show I look forward to watching the most. This is measured in length of time between my DVR recording it and me watching it. Meanwhile, the first two episodes of 30 Rock have been pretty miserable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.