The Jim Gaffigan Show

Author, Grammy Nominated for Best Comedy Albums, Stand-Up Comedian Jim Gaffigan is to comedy today what Carol Burnett was to comedy in the 70s; clean and funny. Refreshing! His deadpan sarcasm is done beautifully for those of us who use and appreciate it. The entire cast of this show plays their part effectively and humorously. I love Ashley Williams who plays his wife. Adam Goldberg as a a fellow friend and Michael Ian Black are also spot on. I first became familiar with Gaffigan when he did a very small part in the wonderful 2004 movie 13 Going On 30. This show has a running time of about 22 minutes on Wednesday evenings on TV Land which is perfect as it keeps the viewer wanting more!

Jim Gaffigan is a standup comedian in Manhattan. He and his wife Jeannie (Ashley Williams) have five little kids in their small 2-bedroom apartment. His best friend is the aggressively single-without-kids Dave (Adam Goldberg) who annoys Jeannie. Her best friend is her gay college boyfriend Daniel (Michael Ian Black) who annoys Jim. Jim's jokes are often about food and his usually large Manhattan family. He is always eating.

This is a sitcom based on Jim's real life. The first season is great fun with a meta joke with his real family in the last episode. I would put that joke in the pilot episode or maybe have his real family live in an adjacent apartment with a far more handsome Jim. That way, his family could show up every once in awhile as a recurring joke. The second season goes down a darker path with Dave. Dave is always a jerk but the second season has him being a truly awful self-serving frenemy. Will Ferrell shows up as a mercurial comedy power. He needs to be serious but he goes down a wacky path and takes away the comedy. He's trying to make a wacky sitcom when the role calls for a satire. The second season does need to lighten up a bit. The show lasted two seasons on TV Land. If Jim wants to spend more time with the kids, hire them for the show. This deserves more seasons.

Season one of this show was hilarious. So funny and the banter between the actors was amazing and quick witted. We couldn't wait for the second season. Now that it is almost over - we can't figure out what happened. The ideas for the show are still great, but the writing is horrible. We hardly laugh at it any more. Sometimes we even fast forward through short sections. And why do they have to explain the show afterward? That should be their first clue that it is bad. If you have to explain your comedy, it isn't funny. I don't know what happened to the writers, but they need to go back to the way it was. Watch the first season on demand - but don't waste your time with the second one.

I feel the need to dispel the review by the individual who gave this a 1/10 and stated that Jim Gaffigan is awful and that no other comedians have the heart to tell him so. Well, here is a list of comedians who have appeared/will be appearing in Jim's show: Fred Armisen, Janeane Garafalo, Dave Attell, Hannibal Burress, Robert Smigel, Adam Goldberg, Michael Ian Black, and also includes appearances by Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, Keith Olberman, Jimmy Fallon, etc. The bottom line - don't make silly statements that you can't effectively back up because as evidenced by this stellar cast, Gaffigan has more than enough backing and support within the comedy and television world. If you don't care for his comedy, that's a 'you' thing.

First: Jim's show is not for kids. This show is about smart adults doing adult things, like eating and dealing with life. IF you are an adult, you will appreciate Jim and his writers reflecting real life issues, while making them funny too.

Second: TV Land has finally put on a show for adults that is not done in front of an audience or an annoying laugh track. Hooray! Third: This show is shot on location in New York City meaning the city itself is another major character of the show -- even more important than it was on the television show Seinfeld.

Last: This show has depth far beyond its twenty-one minutes. Good for you Jim. Keep up the great work!