I Watch TV . . . Online . . . Sometimes: “Sit Down, Shut Up”

by Michael

I know this show came out like FOREVER ago, but I have finally formed an opinion about it worth reporting.

I am not really a TV watcher.  I usually only watch Breaking Bad (I will be writing about this on Saturday) and Greek, otherwise I am usually busy, or watching ironic crap on MTV or VH1 (Charm School being a favorite), so it is rare for me to actually care about television.  At the same time though, when I heard that there was a cartoon coming out that was created by Mitchell Hurwitz (creator of the greatest show ever on television), and had Bill Oakley (co-writer and co-producer of some of the greatest episodes of the Simpsons) as one of the producers, I got excited.  Then I heard that Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Will Forte, Kenan Thompson, Tom Kenny and Henry Winkler were all going to be voices, I almost crapped myself with excitement.  Then, I heard the show was on Fox, which has been the bane of animation for the last few years (ie Family Guy, American Dad, and The Simpsons).  I also heard that Mitchell Hurwitz was taking a less hands on role (re: he no longer wanted to be associated with the show) and things had fallen through with Bill Oakley (re: see above).  Also, it turned out to be a remake of an Australian show, and not a new idea from Hurwitz.  Suddenly I didn’t know what to think, and luckily have the memory and attention span of a small child, so I didn’t watch.

Now, weeks later, I have remembered that the show showed slight promise, and so I watched it all via sketchy websites.  After the first episode, I must say, I was not a fan, the only shining moment being Will Forte’s character’s catchphrase being “I need a catchphrase.”  In general, the show was vapid and crowd pleasing, aimed towards the lowest common denominator.  I at first thought the humor was mocking the cliche, but slowly realized it was simply cliche and annoying.  I decided to give the show a chance though, and am glad I did.

Somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd episodes, the writers seemed to get it.  The humor was toned down, and the 4th wall was only broken at appropriate times, the magic that Arrested Development had was there (be it still at a lower level).  Suddenly the characters weren’t abrasive anymore, and instead seemed to fit together well to advance the plot.  It also has its off the wall parts too such as Will Arnett’s character taking advice from an imaginary cat, but even that seems to make sense and be relevant.

Apparently as of now though, Fox has pulled the show (a sign that it is good?), and is waiting until June to consider running the episodes again, but I say, give it a chance.  At this point, it would take a drastic turn in writing to put the show on the level of crap all the other animated shows on Fox are at, so I highly doubt that by the end of the season I will be regretting this endorsement.  We’ll see though, I have learned to not get my hopes up about television.