Shasta

This comedy, about a ne'er-do-well rap group living in Venice Beach may have looked good on paper, but it stank when it hit the air. With the advent of "South Park" and "Family Guy" pushing the boundaries for better or worse, the powers that be are running scared. We must be daring! Don't be afraid of crude humor! The trouble is that they have forgotten that, as an executive said about an unaired pilot starring Kelsey Grammer, "A comedy should be funny".

"Shasta McNasty" is not. It is not, with a vengeance. The first show "Pilot" has Verne Troyer (Mini-Me from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me") in one of the first scenes walking around in a sombrero with chips on the brim and salsa on the crushed crown. In another scene, he is seen with the same hat, but now it has popcorn on the brim.

No, I didn't laugh, either, but believe me, this is as funny as the show got. The leads are sadly, listless, the writing goes out of it's way to be offensive (which "Seinfeld" did occasionally, but still managed to be funny, more times than no)and it's on UPN, which recently lost a couple of affiliates.

To quote Troyer in one scene, "Lame, lame, lame!"

Shasta McNasty was a great show when it first began, because it was willing to be brutally politically correct, and not follow the traditional mainstream attitude that their storylines must be cliche. They did things that were so stupid, but funny that it was fantastic, but in recent episodes, it is as though they are bowing to pressure, and trying to become a more mainstream sitcom, by employing standard storylines. Let's hope they come to there senses and go back to the craziness of the first half of the season. We don't need another friends, but we always need a Shasta McNasty.

When I read some of the reviews for this show (man, they were bad) I thought it was going to suck. But when I saw it for myself I couldn't stop laughing. I love that they had a friend who happened to be a little guy. It was fun to watch Verne Troyer play a regular character and not that mini-me crap. I also liked the romance between Scott and Diana, she was pretty sexy. I wish there were more shows that took a chance like this one did.

I really used to enjoy this show. It was fast-paced and quirky. Just about anything could happen at any time. One episode in particular stands out. They had a coupon book and they had to use every coupon in order.

It was one of the weirder episodes.

I was sad when they canceled it. My wife and I liked it as one of the freaky weekend shows. You know, like X-files and American Gothic. I barely remember the girl in the show. She was no Jessica Alba, but I think she was hot. To me, Jake Busey made the show because he was so freaky and yet confident about it.

Vern was the bartender.

I think they had a band but I'm really not sure. I remember them wearing zoot suits for some reason.

The best new show of the season, "Shasta Mc Nasty" may very well be one of the funniest sitcoms of recent years. I've always been a fan of Jake Busey and I think he has finally found his vehicle with this outrageous, undefinable instant classic, and the other cast members are equally fantastic.

Avoid this show at all costs if you are not looking for an over the top, irreverent romp that packs more laughs per minute than the best of the Marx Brothers' films, a comedy team which the Shasta boys resemble quite a bit.

I urge people to watch and support this show before it is too late, as I fear this film may be too outrageous and ahead of its time to survive on Network TV.