television review: teachers and free ride
aka: why spring replacements should be outlawed.
-teachers (NBC; tuesday @ 9:30) link - in a word, painful. from "a writer of scrubs" this "comedy" does for hilarious teachers what law & order does for hilarious homicide investigation. it is just chock-full of re-hashed jokes about homosexuality ("i'm not gay. i'll have sex with you right here to prove it." hello? seinfeld?) relationships and race ("when a white man hides behind a trash can, he's a hero. but a black man...is homeless.") honestly, not an orignal thought in the entire 21 minutes and 45 seconds. yeah, i counted.
the main actor (i believe his name is justin bartha, though i truly don't care) somehow manages to be both smarmy AND lackluster. i just wanted to grab his pretentious leather jacket and knee him in the stomach. not to mention the contrived plot devices and other useless characters that filled the faculty lounge. a hot subsitute-turned-full-timer causing an immediate love triangle? how inventive. getting through to the "troubled student" by making hamlet "real." brilliant! not even the once-adorable sarah alexander (aka: the british "rachel" from bbc's coupling) as a 2-D british stereotype ("buckingham alice" anyone? ugh.) can be seen as even remotely charming. even joey was better than this. BRING BACK JOEY!
wow, that hurt my soul a little.
verdict: part of me wishes i recorded it just so others could get a feel for the awfulness before it gets cancelled. which by my watch should be in...about...now.
-free ride (FOX; sunday @ 9:30) link - a show about a college graduate (an unintelligible blur of a character named nate) who moves home to live with "the folks" that is so desperately trying to be the next arrested development that it is almost funny. i said "almost." it's TOO fast. too "thrown away." too kinetic. in all fairness, this could have a future. if it weren't for the sheer lack of definition and the mostly unlikable supporting characters.
the "kramer" in this little ditty is a bronzed man-child construction worker named mark who is soooooooooooooo over the top he almost comes back full circle. again, i said "almost." i mean dudes stuck in the 80s hair band era are always funny, but...wait, no. they're not.
verdict: still out. but extraordinarily pessimistic. they have one more episode before i pull the proverbial lever and make my call to the network.
-sidenote: can will & grace just go off the air already? the show responsible for more guest stars than a lifetime of love boats has an upcoming appearance from none other than ms. britney "somebody, please say you still love me" spears in a role that in every way resembles an annoying, poorly-acted version of jaime pressly's spectacular "joy" from my name is earl. dignity, thy name is NOT will or grace.
i'm done.
-teachers (NBC; tuesday @ 9:30) link - in a word, painful. from "a writer of scrubs" this "comedy" does for hilarious teachers what law & order does for hilarious homicide investigation. it is just chock-full of re-hashed jokes about homosexuality ("i'm not gay. i'll have sex with you right here to prove it." hello? seinfeld?) relationships and race ("when a white man hides behind a trash can, he's a hero. but a black man...is homeless.") honestly, not an orignal thought in the entire 21 minutes and 45 seconds. yeah, i counted.
the main actor (i believe his name is justin bartha, though i truly don't care) somehow manages to be both smarmy AND lackluster. i just wanted to grab his pretentious leather jacket and knee him in the stomach. not to mention the contrived plot devices and other useless characters that filled the faculty lounge. a hot subsitute-turned-full-timer causing an immediate love triangle? how inventive. getting through to the "troubled student" by making hamlet "real." brilliant! not even the once-adorable sarah alexander (aka: the british "rachel" from bbc's coupling) as a 2-D british stereotype ("buckingham alice" anyone? ugh.) can be seen as even remotely charming. even joey was better than this. BRING BACK JOEY!
wow, that hurt my soul a little.
verdict: part of me wishes i recorded it just so others could get a feel for the awfulness before it gets cancelled. which by my watch should be in...about...now.
-free ride (FOX; sunday @ 9:30) link - a show about a college graduate (an unintelligible blur of a character named nate) who moves home to live with "the folks" that is so desperately trying to be the next arrested development that it is almost funny. i said "almost." it's TOO fast. too "thrown away." too kinetic. in all fairness, this could have a future. if it weren't for the sheer lack of definition and the mostly unlikable supporting characters.
the "kramer" in this little ditty is a bronzed man-child construction worker named mark who is soooooooooooooo over the top he almost comes back full circle. again, i said "almost." i mean dudes stuck in the 80s hair band era are always funny, but...wait, no. they're not.
verdict: still out. but extraordinarily pessimistic. they have one more episode before i pull the proverbial lever and make my call to the network.
-sidenote: can will & grace just go off the air already? the show responsible for more guest stars than a lifetime of love boats has an upcoming appearance from none other than ms. britney "somebody, please say you still love me" spears in a role that in every way resembles an annoying, poorly-acted version of jaime pressly's spectacular "joy" from my name is earl. dignity, thy name is NOT will or grace.
i'm done.
posted by cade at 6:41 PM
15 Comments:
I must say I'm a little surprised you watched a show on FOX.
Also...
Series [Arrested Development] creator Mitch Hurwitz announced his decision to quit the Emmy-winning comedy Monday, dealing a blow to fans still holding out hope that the canceled Fox show might be revived on another network, Daily Variety reports.
Dave,
Don't make him cry.
Seriously.
Setting aside all of Fox's downfalls, they do have The Simpsons. Yes, The Simpsons. I still watch every Sunday for that new episode and will occassionaly tune in to the week-night episodes. Go Fox!
dave- it was on after "family guy" what can i say. i'm lazy.
good for mitch. maybe he can get working on his next brilliant, doomed project.
I gave up on network comedy during the 16th season of Friends...talk about a show that should have died much earlier than it did...
anyway, I recently got rid of cable (I'm still sane, we'll see how we do long term) and I've discovered, because I only have 5 channels, this show on NBC called "The Office"
Funniest damn show I have seen in a long, long time.
After seeing one episode, my fear is that it becomes the same general situation week after week revolving around a different work related topic.
I'd be surprised if you didn't know about it and watch it, but it's comforting to me that networks are at least trying something new.
Cade, seriously, you've GOT to start paying better attention to the ads for these shows...the teachers promos were awful...same with the new adventures of old christine...
dale-
simply. the 3 best surviving comedies on t.v. are as follows:
1) my name is earl
2) the office
3) scrubs
of course i know of the office. it is a ritual post-church activity every thursday. keep watching it, there has been MAYBE one "not-hilarious" episode to this point. excellent.
john, you know me well enough to know that i didn't go into teachers expecting a winner. it was on in the background (after scrubs) and it was SO BAD that abducted my attention. i make no apologies though, i try to watch everything once. you know, so i can pass along the wisdom.
update: two and a half men? still not funny.
Becky,
Two reasons my news may be a blessing rather than making Eric cry...
1. As Eric eluded to, this frees Mitch up to create new, hillarious, unappreciated shows
2. The word is that Fox is selling the show to SHOWTIME, which means that Eric would have to get a subscription to SHOWTIME and we know that he wouldn't be able to resist the $10 monthly bill for ONE SHOW.
And "The Simpsons" transcends Fox...it exists in a universe all its own.
And although it is more a "dramady" than a true comedy, I believe Boston Legal belongs on a list.
yep. going for the 30 min variety.
david e kelley...you mad genius you.
Dave, I now understand your point of view. Please feel free to send Cade a $10 check every month to make the showtime option possible.
David E Kelley could make a show with people walking moodily down Boston streets in trench coats and I'd watch it.
ohh, wait.
i know how it is when something is so bad it sucks you in and when it's over you don't know exactly how to feel...are you offended at the poor production and time you wasted or are you glad because it gives you an outlet for your cynicism? Tough call really...
the latter. always the latter.
Being a teacher, I had hopes for teachers. I know I see enough off the wall insanity at my school for there to be potential material, but after barely sitting through half of the first episode, i agree that this was a waste of air time.
By the way, my favorite quote for this semester by a student:
friend: did you get a new ipod?
girl: yeah, my dad bought it for me so i wouldn't get bored when i was grounded.
True story.
bri- that made me laugh out loud. God bless johnson county,
If you think these shows are bad, look up "Shalom in the Home" on TLC. I seriously thought it was a joke commercial when it first aired.
yeah. see. that's a reality show, right? those just don't exist in my world.
although, i am sure it's terrible.
Post a Comment
<< Home