chappelle's show

i always thought this show was called "the chappelle show". apparently it's not, & that blew my mind a little bit.

it's sort of a sketch show, like in living color or SNL. but it's also part stand-up show, which explains why it's called "chappelle's show" & not "the chappelle show".

by now, we all know that i'm not the biggest comedy fan. so i probably won't give this show an "i would watch the whole season" or "i would watch disc two" rating. but don't get me wrong, i did like the chapp - look, there i go again - chappelle's show. i laughed a whole bunch of times, & in general was amused while watching this show. & i wasn't even multi-tasking while watching it!

my favourite sketch (& the most popular, naturally) of the first disc was the black blind white supremacist bit. that's good stuff right there. for the most part, i thought chappelle's skits were pretty intelligent & very satirical. but, as sham pointed out, it was a little hard to figure out which sketches were political/cultural satire & which were supposed to be just plain ol' funny. but either way, i laughed.

but apparently this show drove dave chappelle ever so slightly insane. right before production of the third season he reportedly disappeared & turned up in south africa. it's unclear if he had drug problems, needed therapy, or just wanted to get away. but he later reported that stress had driven him to seek space from his show. apparently his fame was getting to him, & he has been known to complain that chappelle's show took his time away from doing stand-up tours, which is what he really enjoyed doing.

the details seem a little fuzzy, but chappelle even seems to have stated that he thought some of his sketches were "socially irresponsible" & that he realized that some people were laughing at him in the wrong way (like, laughing at him, not with him). i don't think i've seen enough of the show to really comment on that. he definitely does play on racial stereotypes often, but in order to show people how idiotic these beliefs are rather than to perpetuate them.

either way, this show seemed to ruin dave chappelle a little bit. which is sad, because honestly, it's pretty good.

in living color

i have to admit, before last night i had never before seen an episode of in living color. i always knew of the show, & i was aware that it had been pretty ground-breaking on many levels. but i had just never happened upon watching it before (nor have i seen most of SNL, i guess this type of format never really attracted me before).

i know a lot of people, of all races, sexes, & ages, who are big fans of this show. i've even been chastised in the past for not having seen some of in living color's more popular sketches. i always knew that it probably wasn't for me, as i don't really like "sketch" shows. but, to be fair to the rules of the game, i gave it a chance.

i did laugh, sure. & it was interesting to see so many famous faces when they were a bit younger.

i give this show incredible respect.

but in living color really isn't targeted to me. it's always hard to watch this kind of show outside of it's time period. i mean, a lot of the jokes and references went completely over my head. sham was able to explain a few i didn't get, but for the most part i have a feeling i missed out on a lot of the humour because i simply didn't get what was going on. at the same time, i'm not really a fan of sketch comedy. so i don't really want to judge this one on content.

so instead i turned to my trusty friend wikipedia, hoping to find some good nugget of information about in living color that would inspire this blog entry. this didn't really happen either. i was interested to read that the original pilot included a sketch that was only broadcast once (it's even been replaced on the DVD) because it deals with date rape. apparently the master tape for the episode was changed but keenan ivory wayans "accidentally" mixed up the masters so the true episode could be aired. once.

other than that, in living color didn't really stand out for me. i completely & utterly respect it for everything that it did, & for having the guts to fight censorship in the 90s. it certainly helped a lot of comedians get their starts, & i'm sure it inspired many viewers.

it's just not for me.

it's always sunny in philadelphia

if you aren't already watching this show, you should be.

i've seen a good number of episodes in the past, mostly with danny devito (who joins the cast in season two). i've always enjoyed what i've seen, but sort of brushed the show aside because i don't really have time to be watching another show (that, & i don't get FX). but, i did finally sit down to watch season one (thanks comic-con, for giving us the first two seasons for free) & i had a really fucking good time.

first off, the entire season is on disc one, so i was lucky that i liked this one.

secondly, the music/ditty/theme song is so amazing. no matter how many times it plays in an episode, i never get tired of it.

thirdly, i just all around love this show.

i mean, it's funny. i laugh out loud while watching this show. which is, admittedly, RARE for me. after wading through the many unfunny sitcoms on television these days, this show is a find, a GEM. the characters are fucked up, demented, &, most importantly, very real. it's like what seinfeld would be if it was set in the new millennium & the characters drank more alcohol.

it's always sunny in philadelphia is continually pushing the limits of what society is ready to see on television, & that's what really makes it great. they jump in headfirst & they aren't afraid to piss people off. fantastic stuff.

i'm not going to start analyzing the comedy of the show or start comparing it to other comedies i've seen. because really, it's unlike any other comedy currently on television.

good work, it's always sunny in philadelphia.

do yourself a favour & watch this one.

two guys, a girl, & a pizza place

i do remember this show from when it first aired in the late 90s. it's about, you guessed it, two guys, a girl, & a pizza place. apparently in later seasons, they get rid of the pizza place & the show is renamed (appropriately) two guys & a girl. i don't really have any memories of the show, apart from thinking its name was cool when i was thirteen. so i didn't really know what i was getting into with this one.

i have to admit, i very nearly stopped watching after two episodes & posted this review:

"this show (later renamed two guys & a girl) is basically a one trick pony. every episode is the same. berg (ryan reynolds) does something stupid to piss off his roommate, pete. their friend sharon says something negative about her job. pete & berg go to work at the pizza place, where an annoying customer tells movie plots as if they were stories that happened to him. pete forgives berg.

the end.

it does take place in boston though, so it gets some cool points."

i even gave it only one record as a rating (wish i'd never watched this one at all).

to be fair to the show, & to the rules of the game, i agreed to watch at least another few episodes. since i couldn't actually find information on the DVDs, i decided that five episodes would be a fair number to allow me to judge this one accurately.

i'm actually quite glad that i muddled through the next three episodes. it's certainly not a great show, but it's not NEARLY as bad as i almost posted saying it was. the first review is pretty true for the first two episodes, but beginning in episode three, the show began to have more involved plot lines that weren't only about berg & pete pissing each other off. & by episode five, there were some complex ideas being introduced into pete's relationship with his girlfriend.

all in all, the show improved. immensely.

i still say that it's not really for me. it's a little too simple, & it still does heavily rely on repetitive humour (that pizza customer continues to tell movie plots as if they are stories that happened to him), & the characters are still a little two-dimensional.

but i'm honestly glad that i stuck to the rules & gave this show a fair review. i guess that is part of the point of watching all these season one, disc ones, anyway. to give a fair review to the birth of a television show. pilots do not represent the whole series. characters come, go, grow, & mature. writing improves.

two guys, a girl, & a pizza place - you served some purpose in the late 90s & i was wrong to judge you so quickly. & hey, i STILL think your original name is cool.

buffy the vampire slayer

i was in middle school when this show first aired. i was a HUGE fan of the original movie & i remember begging my mother to let me stay up & watch the show when it premiered on the WB. we struck a deal in the kroeber household. my brother & i could each choose one night to stay up later than usual to watch a television show. kurt chose the wayans bros & i chose buffy the vampire slayer (which was ultimately a better deal because his show was only 30 minutes long!)

i was a pretty die-hard buffy fan during the early years. i was already pretty into vampires when the show aired (i even had my own stake & other vampire supplies stashed away in a drawer in my room just in case) so the show only fed into my obsession. however, despite my love for buffy early on, i admit that i wasn't a very loyal fan. by the third season, i was no longer into it. once they left high school, i stopped watching altogether.

when i graduated high school in 2003, the show went off the air (after surviving for two final years on UPN). when i was in college, i saw buffy become a cultural phenomenon. there were midnight showings of the musical episode (i ended up seeing this episode at comic-con this year & walked out after no lie, five awful seconds). there are self-proclaimed "whedonites". & there are even college courses dedicated solely to this show.

throughout the years, i became increasingly fed up with buffy & rather disgusted that people thought it was "good" enough to dedicate a fandom, nevermind college courses. i liked the show when i was TWELVE, sure, but boy did i grow to hate it as i got older.

so when i went back to watch it now, eleven years after the fact, i did so with mixed emotions. i wanted to recapture the love i had for it when i was a kid, but i knew i was coming back to it with the baggage i've acquired over the years. i was expecting to cringe at the stupid dialogue ("what is your childhood trauma!?"), buffy's annoying talky nature, & xander's unrequited puppy dog love. i was looking forward to spike & oz, but sadly neither appears on disc one.

but to be honest, i didn't flinch even one bit. it sort of worked, in that 90s, overly-talky kind of way (think: dawson's creek). the characters are a little annoying, but only because i really don't find myself able to relate to any of them. & the plot, well, the plot is what made this show good to begin with. disc one alone deals with vampires, a potential apocalypse, a witch, & a giant (substitute teacher-shaped) praying mantis.

i mean, that's a pretty solid first four episodes.

even though i was expecting to re-watch buffy the vampire slayer & see the error of my twelve-year-old ways, my reunion with this show wasn't so negative. nor was it completely positive. i do have to admit that i can see why this show was so popular. it's pretty dark & edgy, but just fun enough to attract teenage girls (& goth boys) of all shapes & sizes. but there's just not enough there to keep me properly engaged for an extended amount of time. it's a semi-fun show, but there's really not much to it past that.

i guess my interests have changed.

i mean, i no longer keep a stake hidden in my bedroom.

it's not that i've stopped believing, i guess maybe now i just feel better prepared to take on the world without supplies.

saved by the bell

sadly, i don't really have any interesting points to mention about saved by the bell. thanks to sham & wikipedia, i did learn that it's actually a spin-off/re-packaging of an earlier show called good morning, miss bliss. but that's about it.

i mean, this show's not great. there's almost NO back story (probably due to the whole spin-off thing) & i can't really figure out if any of the characters actually LIKE each other.

but it's all fun & quite enjoyable, as long as you can sort of space out or multi-task while watching it. i like to catch this one on saturday/sunday mornings when i'm hungover & there's nothing else on TV. i even own the high school seasons on DVD, & i admit this isn't the first time i've watched them.

but really, there's not much to this show. perhaps i only like it cos it reminds me of my childhood. i'm not really sure.

it's a good time, definitely, & i do like watching it. but it's honestly no gem.

edit: actually, i did think of one other thing to mention. normally, i can't stand tiffani-amber thiessen, & i would never consider her a "good" actor. but here's something to consider: from saved by the bell to beverly hills: 90210, she seems like a completely different person. in fact, i have trouble believing that kelly & val ARE the same actress. so, my hat is off to you, tiffani. perhaps i underestimated your television abilities.

da ali g show

i still just don't get this show.

but that's ok, i'm REALLY not the target audience.

scrubs

i never watched scrubs when it first aired. from what i've seen of the show when i manage to catch it randomly on television, i've been less than impressed. it seems immature, goofy, & sort of direction-less. so, while i tried to keep an open mind for season one, i didn't have the highest of hopes.

but i have to admit, i was pretty into disc one. on the pilot, we were introduced to every single main character (& most, if not all, of these characters remained throughout every season, which is a good sign). all of the characters were really solid & strong, which is typically not the case with most of the pilots i've watched so far. the humour was pretty well-defined (& i actually LAUGHED!). & the show, in general, was a lot of fun.

it seems as if, through the years, scrubs has lost a lot of what made it great in the beginning. the humour perhaps lost something, or the characters have maybe become caricatures of themselves. i'm not completely sure, but i do know that something happened over the years. something bad.

i did enjoy the first seven episodes of scrubs, but knowing what it becomes within a very few years, i'm not totally sure i'm willing to dedicate any more time of my life to this one. but i did enjoy what i saw & i won't be so quick to bad-mouth the show from now on.

alf; 2

i don't have much to say about this one. i mainly agree with sham.

i have fond memories of this show from when i was a kid. i don't know if it just didn't hold up, or if i'm just a completely different person now. but, i was bored to tears by this show.

there was, admittedly, one gem on this one (though, as sham explains below, it's from disc two).

i'll save you the trouble of watching ALF at all.

watch this instead.

alf

so first let me say that we fucked up a little. well.. i did. or, if i feel like passing the buck, the designer of the dvd case messed up. we decided to watch alf because jessica already owns it and i hadn't ever seriously tried to watch it. when i opened the dvd case, there was one disc visible and another disc behind it. normal. totally normal. so we sit through a whole disc and are confused and complaining about the fact that the show just jumps right in, the family is totally comfortable with alf, and clearly we are missing out on something. so, of course, the next day jessica brings it to my attention that we were watching the second disc! that whole time! chuckles all around, and then it is realized that the second disc i had seen before in the case is disc number three. the little paper insert that always comes in dvds? the first disc is BEHIND that. really now? i mean, i know i should have just looked at the disc numbers and figured it all out to begin with. but seriously. poor design.

disc two involved a lot of not-so-funny jokes and a lot of me groaning. now that everything has been straightened out, here we are watching disc one. but you know what? we're cheating. we're watching the pilot and the original un-aired pilot (which are apparently VERY similar)... and that's it. honestly, i don't think i could handle much more alf.

i don't really understand how this show got picked up. nevermind how it made 120 episodes. i love the muppets (or other comedic puppets), and would probably think this would have been a great show premise. i absolutely have to be missing something. i think i laughed twice through all the footage i watched. the laugh-track was painful to hear because i had no idea what they were laughing at. i really can't think of much else to say here. maybe i'm tired. maybe i don't full grasp alien-related humor. and maybe... just maybe... this show isn't funny and america was wrong.