Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

Halfway the first season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, I can say I am absolutely in love with this show. I love how the series is a hilarious, cynical comedy about the music industry, but also a funny and heart warming family comedy.

On top of that there's this great music that makes this show extra special. I have had Liz Gillies' songs from this show, like 'Animal' and 'New York 2015' on repeat for days now.

The cast is excellent. Everyone has great chemistry together. The fact that they had lots of room for improv gave them the chance to show just how talented they all are.

The shows mix of comedy, drama and music is a perfect fit for Liz Gillies. She has an amazing talent for all and for me is the star of SDRR.

The only downside I can find is that the episodes are so short. I would love to see longer episodes in a next season, so we can enjoy more of this great show.

You have to give this series a bit of time and the characters will slowly grow on you. In the initial few episodes the series focused on Denis Leary who plays the lead singer Johnny Rock for the over the hill gang rock band named the Heathens. He discovers that he has a daughter who also wants to be a rock star so who better to learn the ropes then from her dad, the legendary Johnny Rock. Gradually the series expands and each of the Heathens band members develops a personality of their own.

Johnny Rock's lead guitarist and song writer is Flash, played superbly by John Corbett. Episodes 5 and 6 are especially enlightening as the group seeks psychiatric help in episode 5 and in episode 6 the story line revolves around what tattoos mean to each of the group members.

Denis Leary admits to being an egotistical drug addicted rock star which is what it takes to stay on top of his game and keep his band together after so many years of a rock music legends top ten drought. Mrs. Shullivan and I have grown to enjoy the series episodes and with only four episodes of season one still remaining we are optimistic that the series will survive for a season 2. If you recall Denis Leary's previous hit series Rescue Me took a little bit of time before developing a dedicated audience and then went on for seven seasons.

I have upgraded my original rating from a 5 to a 7 and I took the time to write this review to tell other viewers to stick it out and you will find that the series will grow on you as it has on us. I am a bit worried though of what I am learning about the rock lingo such as avoiding "dog balls" by having surgery on my privates. What a hoot!

7/10 rating

Denis Leary plays Johnny Rock - a manipulative, egomaniacal, Washed-up, womanizing, drug-addict rock legend who is loathed by other musicians and particularly his former band-mates. He continually attempts to revive his career and vents about the excesses of the music industry that are holding him back.

Formerly the front-man of the Heathens - a much loved late 1980s/early 1990s band Johnny has gradually ended up further back in his career than where he started as the series begins. His ultimate low-point comes when he puts the moves on Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies) a woman young enough to be his daughter who actually turns out to be his daughter.

The hits keep on coming as she coerces him into re-forming the Heathens to serve as her own vehicle to pop stardom. Johnny is still on board to write songs with Flash (John Corbett) the former band-mate who despises him. But Gigi, who turns out to be ten times the singer her father ever was has displaced him as Heathens lead vocalist.

Johnny does his level best to be a father to his long-lost daughter whilst scheming to feed his substance abuse and to regain the momentum his career once had. Diplomacy remains far from his strong suit and as self-appointed arbiter/guardian of rock 'n' roll's legacy he pulls no punches (Like Leary's stand-up act).

A music historian with impeccable accuracy for someone whose mind has been blasted on booze and hard drugs for decades, his scathing criticisms and prescient observations strike with the accuracy of a stealth bomber. The show itself stages epic send-ups of rock star excess right down to the minutiae of the song-writing process which are absolutely side-splitting.

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is nothing less than a brilliant satire of the music industry. The opportunities for mining a raunchier/grittier kind of humour that prime-time network TV won't touch make it a perfect sitcom for cable TV.

Denis Leary hasn't lost any of his bite as a writer and this show is a perfect outlet.

After watching the first episodes of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll I can say that this show has stolen my heart. The series is a comedy mixed with drama and music that at first looks like to be about an old rock band trying to get together but basically is most about the relations between the band members.

The casting is very well done, the chemistry is between the actors is great. Elizabeth Gillies who plays Gigi, makes the most impression in both acting and singing. She is a true talent and a great find by producer and actor Denis Leary.

The music part of the series is what makes it stand out from all other shows about bands and fame. All music was recorded live and this you see back in the episodes: it makes it look like you're watching a live concert. The live music makes it so much more believable and brings us back to a time where we had real music instead of auto tune. Gillies voice is phenomenal and shows that real music still is possible.

I loved season 1, and the first episode of season 2. Now the language and excessive sexual nonsense in season 2 episodes 2 & 3 are just plain unnecessary. Me being in my early 50's and having a very bad potty mouth I still find it a waste of time and just worthless. My daughter is 22 and the same as I am in being a potty mouth and feels the same way.

Get back to the way season 1 was going and stop the excessive sexual innuendo's and acts and over the edge language. You can use cussing but Christ season 2 episode 3 was ridiculously foul and unnecessary. I truly hope they change this before they start losing viewers.