The Brink

Clever, very, very funny, insightful, instructive and addictively entertaining. So, why did HBO not renew for a second season? Hmm. I wonder.

So weird i loved the first two episodes,, the minute i'v read the reviews i was so scared even to watch the pilot , but the series is way far from those bad reviews, The Series is organized, the plot is smooth and easily understandable and the dialog is fast in a tense intriguing way ... the screenplay seems to be strong and tightly written considering the shortage of experience of Kim Benabib and only with 14 episodes of Weeds written by Roberto Benabib the script turned out unexpectedly connected and catchy.

The script or let me be more general .. the story basically revolves around three characters; the naive careless low level state department employee Alex Talbot with his dream to be a CIA operative , Walter Larson who seems rational and thoughtful on the table but also a drinker sex-addict and mouth full of "bad" comments and finally Zeke Tilson the drug-addict fighter pilot who always needs the combination of money and drugs to keep himself sane on the Jets-Reg ... see all of those three have a mission to stop world war 3 from happening... in a funny but thrilling development of events the series looked really strong.

As for the cast, well the threesome of Jack Black, Tim Robbins and Pablo Schreiber works amazingly here in a dumb, sarcastic but dreamy funny way.

So Overall, the series really caught my attention in the those first two episode ,, it is a comedy based on fictional so i think people who say its full of Zionist propaganda should just chill out a bit and i do think it has a bit of "Veep" in it but i believe it is a good thing for the show, i mean who doesn't love Veep but now with a different story and different characters.

"The Brink" is most certainly a political satire and not a comedy. The exaggeration and the ridicule is obvious from the start. But sadly not far from the truth...

It's about a fictional U.S. government which must deal with a foreign crisis. Its first season focuses on a crisis in Pakistan. The show was conceived that each season will follow a different crisis somewhere in the world with the same characters. (IF it gets a 2nd season that is!).

There are a few main characters. An alcoholic Secretary of State played by Tim Robbins, a lowly Foreign Service officer in Islamabad played by Jack Black and lots of other known comedic actors in various roles.

It is mildly funny because of these talents but if you go for the satire you might need a sharper bite. It seems like the creators went for some kind of Dr Strangelove type of thing, but fails short to deliver any real political messages.

Overall: Basically I would say "Meh!" but the cast is good so I will keep watching for now.

UPDATE (after watching the whole season): It gets better and 9th and 10th (season finale) episodes are GREAT! Highly Recommended!!

HBO's new show "The Brink" tells the story of the U.S. government and their attempts at foreign affair through dark comedy and satire. Without spoiling anything, the show brings you around the world as you follow characters like Alex Talbot (Jack Black), Walter Larson (Tim Robbins), and Zeke Tilson (Pablo Schreiber) through U.S. government and military scramble to prevent World War 3 from happening.

It's been a long time since I actually found a TV show this funny. The cast in this show are fantastic; Jack Black, Tim Robbins, and Pablo Schreiber really sell the show for me along with many other supporting actors. When I first saw Jack Black, I thought his performance was going to be over the top with crazy expressions and hand gestures, but I'm glad that he toned it down. Don't get me wrong, I love Jack Black. I just didn't think that his performance in Tenacious D was going to work in here. Compared to the movies he usually does, The Brink combines a serious, suspenseful, and playful tone at the same time.

In conclusion, the pacing in this movie is really good, this is not the type of show that has a lot of background story in character development. They are more concerned with the present and fast paced movie that gives you suspense and a good laugh. Overall, I'm really impressed with this show and I hope it goes on for many more seasons!

I am having the best time watching "The Brink." It's a funny, clever, fast moving half hour of t.v. If you're not paying attention, you'll miss so many great lines. Tim Robbins is hysterical as Secretary of State. Reminds me of Charlie Wilson; womanizer, drinker, but smart as heck. Jack Black is not my favorite comedian but he is winning me over in this series. John Larrouquette plays the fanatical religious ambassador to perfection. Pablo Schreiber is a lovable screw up. I don't think of Esai Morales as a comedic actor but he plays comedy really well. I could go on and on about each character so I'll conclude with this. Each and everyone of their performances knocks it out of the park. I applaud the writers of this great show. If this series is not picked up for a second season, I'll be terribly disappointed.