Meh. Made it through 1.5. Most jokes do not land and the mugging for the camera happens far too often. And the cast is nowhere near the caliber of The Office. And misses having a heavyweight comedian (Carrell) as its lead.
I loved it. I thought it was smartly observed and understood the dynamics of long-term relationships. The banter between couples is amazing ... especially Faye and Forte. The only update I think that might have made it more contemporary is if Steve Carrell's wife left him for a younger man instead of the opposite.
meh. good setting and art direction. Farrell is pretty good, the whole "get the rogue kid as my sidekick" within 24 hours is lazy-ass writing. And there are several moments in E1 where they rely on crappy mob tropes instead of anything new or creative.
1EP in but the music is so damn overbearing. Turn it down and let the actors act instead of trying to tell us what's happening with the strings and brass.
Oof. This is awful. How the hell does a Star Wars score have a saxophone in it? The dialogue is so poor and the plot is nonsense. The acting? Even worse. Mistaken identity twins? Revenge story that inexplicably goes away after a few episodes? Sometimes they can use the force/thread sometimes they can't. A bad guy who makes no sense and whose motives are ridiculous and poorly articulated. The writers and producers seem like they've never watched a Star Wars film.
Generally fun to go back in time and see Don Bovinegini's rise. Though it is loaded with the very soft jabs and aw-shucks brags of an authorized biography
Really liked the first two. I thought there were some cartoon-y performances the rich MIL, Jon Hamm ... but the series is fast and action-packed. And sadly those cartoons are in full-flare-up in this country. Juno is great. Can't wait for E3.
Very fun. The cast is great (Reilly and Clarke especially). The set design and eye for detail throughout the series is impeccable. The uniforms are right, the floors are spot-on and even the toupees are classic 1980s. Brings ya back to when it happened. Strange that it ended where it did though.
A gentle, human, funny show with an outstanding cast and a great setting. This show makes small town life look attractive. Mike Hagerty, Jeff Hiller, Murray Hill are all phenomenal. I could listen to these characters banter for hours.
For a major Sunday night HBO show, this POS has 9 critic reviews and 9 reader reviews. I see the ratings are down this season to about half of its high-water mark. Despite ripe subject matter, this show is too cowardly to say anything thoughtful or funny about the "industry." I don't know how McBride keeps getting work ... it's the exact same character as his first two crappy HBO shows. It's just people yelling at each other, slow-motion walk-up scenes and winking at the camera (aren't we funny?). Poor John Goodman. I'd bet this is one of those unscripted shows where the director lets the actors improv, I'd suggest a script by a good writer instead.
Love this show. Quiet friendship. Lingering depression. Familial disappointments. I keep reading that the comedy is soft ,,, that’s nonsense. The comedy is real. Life is hard. Friendship and love help us through it. Thank you, Bridget.
The leads are genuinely funny, but it's too much after just 22 minutes in. It's Ricky Gervais-type humor but they never take their feet off the accelerator. No witness to their back and forth wouldn't be annoyed, whether it's other characters, the audience, Buddha.
The writing isn't good but the direction and pacing of this show are awful. Everything happens so fast. There's no beats for punchlines, just on to the next "jokette." The characters are incredibly unlikable including (maybe most of all) the lead. I only made it through 1.5 episodes.
One of the biggest problems with this show (and there are many) is that the voice performances are not very good. Worse, the direction and pace of the humor is off. Some of the gags are not bad, but they are poorly executed. The pace is too fast. Stop trying to get in the maximum of jokes and work on the timing.
Definitely have not hit their stride in S1 but still uproariously funny and great foundation for the next 17? seasons. I have watched each episode 10x times and I will continue until I am forced to stop by death or a giant from another galaxy.
Professional reviewers don't even bother reviewing this dreck anymore. Lily Tomlin may be the most overrated and inexplicably successful "humorist" since Byron Allen.
My favorite season by far, they cut the awful overacted psychiatrist, though still unnecessarily had the finance bros. Rick was Rick They dealt with death as part of the journey of life. Great music.
Enjoyed it. The real stars are the family, friends, the setting and the tone. Jeff Hiller (Joel) is amazing. Michael Hagerty (Dad) is great as he is in anything he does. Murray Hill (as Dr. Fred) is hysterical. Points for the non-Hollywood cast and the setting is pretty (even though largely filmed in Illinois).
Really, really liked it. Pete Holmes is a very likable guy. Initially, you root for him and he is very funny ... in his interactions with other characters/comics. His stand up in S1? Not so so so good. Deliberate I know. So his arc is completed by end of S3 and his stand up is funny. There is a lot of jock-sniffing going on with the professional/ successful comics ... and they're mostly all portrayed as super kind, generous people who want nothing more than to help new comics. While I've heard anecdotally that most successful comics are emotionally stunted, angry and dark-hearted. This is a light Sunday breeze that goes right up the kimono and tickles you right where you like to be tickled.
Another instance where I have no idea what the critics are thinking. This is every bit as good as Mandalorian. I think I even like it better. Lots of Godfather I and II themes and nods. Great alien character design.
Really, really liked it. Sorry to read there're only three seasons. Pete Holmes is a very likable guy. You root for him and he is very funny ... in his interactions with other characters/comics. His stand up in S1? Not so so so good. Deliberate I know. There is a bit of jock-sniffing going on with the professional/ successful comics ... and they're all portrayed as super kind, generous people who want nothing more than to help new comics. While I've heard anecdotally that most successful comics are angry and dark-hearted. This is a light Sunday breeze that goes right up the kimono and tickles you right where you like to be tickled.
Oh look! No written reviews after 4 episodes. Could it be no one gives an F about this **** Oh look! Another slow motion walk with the characters in very very very funny outfits while an '80s song plays. McBride had a chance to satirize a ripe field, instead he never has the balls to go far enough to actually say anything. Now look, there are kinda funny haircuts. Oh look a gay-subtext group without the courage to actually say anything truthful or insightful about it. Not a single laugh in the first four episodes. Smug, "look-at-how outrageous we are" insider crap that's only hysterical to the writers of the show. They just can't believe how funny they are. And neither do we. Danny McBride couldn't make a hyena laugh.
So so so so so bad. Oh look, kinda funny clothes. Oh look, kinda funny haircuts. Oh look a gay-subtext group without the courage to actually say anything truthful or insightful about it. Not a single laugh in the first three episodes. Smug, "look-at-how outrageous we are" insider crap that's hysterical to the writers of the show. They can't believe how funny they are. Only Danny McBride couldn't make a hyena laugh. I swear he has pictures of HBO's wife. How the hell does he keep getting work? I watch this with spite in my heart and I love/hate every minute of it. Never again! More please! Hate you, McBride.
I liked it. All these reviewers said it was slow, but I don't know what they are talking about. Plenty of action, world-building and familiar characters.
Amazing. In my life I have gotten the best advice from puppets and stop-motion characters so this series is right up my canal. The music is great. The set design and look of Ultra City are amazing. If I could give this 10 stars I would!
I thought this season was much, much better than S1. Lots of great small moments of Ricky bantering with the other characters ... plot be damned ... some characters are too cartoony (psychiatrist, Kath, Lenny) but when Ricky is going back and forth with someone not trying to ham it up it's really really good.
Giving it a 10 for the nerve to try and pull this off. The concept is amazing and there are moments of genius. The songs do go on a little long and the kids are a bit much at times. For example, I do wonder if the kid with the lisp has been coached by his parents and comes off contrived. And I know some people who loved the Mr. Music sketch, but it found it to B-flat. The tone is hard to pin down (they admit it) but it was incredibly interesting, occasionally uproarious and well worth the view.
I wanted to like this so much. I love Chris Elliott and Judd Hirsch. Just kidding, I know it's Eugene Levy. Is this one of those improvisational shows where they don't have a script and we're counting on the actors to carry it? Well, STOP IT! Get a writer. Most actors cannot write, so don't set them up for failure. I will still try to get through this but it hurts because there is so little that is funny about it. I don't know how you ruin a Levy/Elliott/O'Hara vehicle but they have.
I like this show a lot. It's fun. But the writers consistently put words in the mouths of smart people that aren't smart. There is no way a family would act the way these people do at dinner parties. It's over the top and it doesn't land. Great performances that are repeatedly let down by mediocre writing.
Even the professional reviewers avoid this show. ONE review again? I watched the one where they got high and it's embarrassingly bad. I can't believe people are being paid for this.
Why won't this show die? They can't even get more than one reviewer to sit through it. It's never been good. It has two long term actors from Hollywood who've been able to keep their careers going (FYI: how Lilly Tomlin has continued to get work is something Einstein struggled with before he died).
While most of the focus will be on the look of this show, I thought the dialogue was the most memorable thing about it. The dialogue is intelligent, funny and gives you great insights into all the characters. They all felt multi-dimensional and real. But I'm not confusing the dialogue with the overall writing of the show. There are some elements of the story that are not as sharply written, but overall it's a unique and welcome experience and sets itself up for a season 2.
How does Danny McBride keep getting work? Same freakin' character as Eastbound and Down, VPs and every other angry, dumb hick he's played for his entire career. Oh look! McBride plays another fleshy loudmouth with a bad haircut who curses when he needs a punchline! Yes! I couldn't get enough it on his other crappy shows. What another refreshing change for the yelling "comedian" who has been mislead that his take on anything is worth telling the world about. WTF, HBO! Is McBride related to Mr. HBO?
She is my Grecian queen. I adore her in all the best ways though they're not always frowned upon by "modern" religions. Why do I feel like this? Why has this angel cursed me with an unquenchable desire. For it is not to be, we will never taste the nectar of each other's soul, because she is a big deal and I am just a cage dancer in the Keys. When I'm I going to get a break? My best show ever.
I love Ricky Gervais and when he's ripping on people there's no one better. But he's on this streak of trying to teach us deeper lessons of life when he should just do comedy with a little bit of drama rather than drama and comedy mixed. With Derek and now After Life he gets too sentimental and while I liked the show overall, I found a lot of the dramatic parts did not land. And he's making his secondary characters too dumb and cartoon-y. It's funny when Orlando Bloom (Extras) is arrogant and clueless because the audience has certain expectations, but when Ricky makes his psychiatrist out to be arrogant and clueless it doesn't ring true.
Considering Lena Dunham's involvement in this it's not as bad as I thought it would be. That said, the overacting is hard to take by Garner and all the male friends (not to mention the camp owners). I watched the first one and none of the characters come off as real (or real funny). Maybe if Dunham let a funny writer take a shot instead of having to bring back jokes like "9-0-2-1-Pho" as if we missed it the first time and/or maybe would find it funny on second mention. It's not. I did like Walt and Juliette Lewis is competent.
My review was supposed to be a ZERO, but you I don't see where you can edit or delete your review. I did like Rob Schneider when he was on 227. Jackee is a still a favorite.
One season and two episodes in: What a slog. 86 critics' score? For what? I swear critics are afraid to be the one who reviews something honestly when the rest of their peers give it good reviews. Resulting in everyone overrating this dreck. Nothing's happened and I don't care about any of them. If this is supposed to be enlightening or loaded with new or interesting ideas they're being incredibly subtle about it. For example one idea that has at least 10 minutes of airtime in the first two episodes of the second season is the removal of a partition. Really? Butter and f'n onions, get some writers.
It's LLOL. The first L is for LITERALLY. Tune-in, tune-out watch 2 minutes, watch it for 6 hours straight. You'll wet your pants if you are wearing any. I wish I could climb inside of Q or be his homunculus.
The first episode is excellent, but then the tone shifts dramatically in episode 2 and it loses its footing. Redeems itself a bit in the last episode but the slapstick and dumb-guy jokes **** the air out of the drama.
Leah Dunham is full of it. Talent, that is. She can write her away around any illogical setup or self-absorbed unlikable characters who just have a way of looking at life that's a little different from us normal people. They're cooler than us and they're sexually liberated that's for sure and they'll even take it in the out door if you know what I am saying if they really like the guy or girl. There's a lot of great material in here yearning to get out though it's not easy to see the first 6-7 times you watch. I haven't had the time to watch for an eighth time but it has to be in there with the way the media lauds this ground-breaking show that's really shedding new light on something. There is a of eye-rolling and some raw talk about people's bodies and their bathing suit zones. And it does not hurt that Adam Diver is a gigantic hunk of ****
