Category Archives: Comedy
Sherman Hemsley Dead at 74
Sherman Hemsley, who is best known for playing George Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons, died yesterday. He was 74.
In the 90s, Hemsley was still appearing with his on screen wife Isabel Sanford. George and Louise Jefferson were reprised twice on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Episodes Takes A Dramatic Turn
So far this season, Episodes has been enjoyable, but relatively simple. When last week’s episode ended with Merc Lapidus taking a phone call at his own father’s funeral, it’s not surprising that the following episode would be a bit cynical. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t funny. It just got darker than usual. In a way, it’s good for the show. It demonstrates that it can expand its tone. However, those who were looking to laugh without having to think will be disappointed.
The fourth episode of the season opens with Merc and Carole discussing the ratings of Pucks!, which have been steadily declining. This isn’t so much a well directed or well acted scene as much as it is a way to comment that they are in a show about a show. When Carole says that she and Merc are always running into problems with the show’s that are failing, Merc quips rather angrily,”Why don’t we make a show out of it.” This is obviously meant to call attention to the premise of Episodes, but it doesn’t work well. The running joke continues to be the network’s disdain at the success of an unnamed show about a talking dog. It can get a little old, but Episodes’ sense of good and bad television premises should be commended.
Weekly TV Update: July 23
Each week we bring you stories from around the Internet that you might have missed.
WWE Raw reaches its 1,000th episode. It will feature a look back the shows 19 years on air.
Aaron Sorkin lets go of more than half of The Newsroom’s writing staff.
The Olympics opening ceremony is Friday. Find your local Olympics schedule at NBC Olympics.
Mindy Kaling is returning to The Office for at least one more episode.
If you missed the Teen Choice Awards, Jen Chaney of The Washington Post has a summary of what happened.
John Oliver’s NY Stand Up Show Returns To Comedy Central
John Oliver
John Oliver’s NY Stand Up Show began its third season on Comedy Central last night. John Oliver hosts this show, which features short sets from both established and up-and-coming comedians. It once again succeeded in showcasing one of the barest forms of entertainment. There is something very enjoyable in watching one person share his or her observations in an attempt to make strangers laugh. This is the ultimate form of creative control.
John Oliver is a British comic and is well-known as a correspondent on The Daily Show. As host of this show, it almost seems he wants to be portrayed simply as the opening act. The truth is, he deserves more credit than that. Not only is he funny, but his show gives comedians a chance to gain a larger audience.
Sullivan & Son: Crass, but Pretty Funny
The promos for TBS’s new sitcom, Sullivan & Son seemed crass, stereotypical, and at times cringe worthy. There was very little context, so I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like this or be offended by it. There is a lot of shock value in the show. It is crass, stereotypical, and cringe worthy. It just also happens to be pretty funny. The series opened with two episodes last night that both showed potential.
Steve Sullivan is the son. He is a workaholic corporate attorney on Wall Street who is visiting his family in Pittsburgh for his father’s birthday party. The party is being held at Sullivan & Son, a bar that the Sullivan family has owned for generations. Steve is bringing his girlfriend of 8 months to the party. It is his first time back home since they started dating and she is obviously more serious than he is about the relationship. This type of dynamic seems to really establish Sullivan’s character from the get-go. Steve is portrayed by showrunner and comic Steve Byrne. He is a man who is simply going through the motions of life. He has a “big and important” job (which he has to describe several times throughout the show) and a girlfriend who assumes they are going to move in together. He is following a safe and conventional path, but that isn’t what he wants. In this sense, Steve’s character seems very real as he struggles to grow.
The 2012 Emmy Nominees
Earlier today, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the 2012 Emmy Awards nominees. HBO (81 nominations) and CBS (60 nominations) lead the networks in nominations. Mad Men and American Horror Story (tied with 17 nominations) were shows nominated for the most awards.
Here is list of shows nominated in the major categories:
Best Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Girls
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep
Best Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men
Trust Us With Your Life or Not
ABC‘s Trust Us with Your Life is easy to forget about because it’s on Tuesday nights, which are dominated by America’s Got Talent. I thought this was the debut of Trust Us with Your Life, it was actually the second week and the third and fourth episodes of the series aired.
Trust Us with Your Life is essentially a rehash of Whose Line is it Anyway? meets a really bad talk show. The show’s not terrible, but I could have lived without it. The guests add nothing, except tell wacky stories that are acted out by the cast. The entire cast is talented, but are limited in trying to be somewhat faithful to the celebrities memory. The two shows also pretty much share the same cast, which I am convinced has nothing better to do than to make poor imitations of their most successful show. Only this time they did it sans Drew Carey and added Jonathan Magnum and Fred Willard.
Despite the surprise absence of Drew Carey, not having anything to do with him was the best decision the producers could have made. It is the best attempt to recreate Whose Line is it Anyway? so far, but that’s not saying much. Past attempts at recreating the magic in Whose Line? revolved around Carey, so much so that his name was in the title of the two previous improv shows with the same cast: Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show and Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza. Both shows were terrible and didn’t even make it past a season, which is a fate Trust Us will probably share. When done well, these type of shows work best in America after 11pm. However, the only improv show that has worked so far is Whose Line is it Anyway?. Will someone please make Whose Line 2.0, so the fans no longer have to sit through poor imitations?
Wait! What's A Dial? 
Cool TV Video of The Day: Bill Maher Blames Parents And Television
Jul 19
Posted by Jeremy Einbinder
The following is a clip of the “New Rules” segment from a 2010 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. In the video, the political comedian has harsh criticisms about a lack of quality education taught to children. He rejects the notion that teachers should be blamed for parents’ incompetence. He also ironically slams television as one of the reasons parents are not taking responsibility.
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Posted in Comedy, Cool TV Video of The Day, HBO, Talk Shows
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Tags: bill maher, commentary, education, new rules segment, real time, reatime with bill maher, talk show