Better Off Ted

I do not know what happened with ABC between 2004 and 2016, but they underfunded, misrepresented, lacked promotion, and otherwise failed every worthwhile TV show they produced. Better Off Ted is the poster-child of this complete corporate incompetence.

What should have been a 6-9 season show was reduced to a measly TWO seasons. The show had some of the best on-screen chemistry between characters -- Phil and Lem, Linda and Ted, Veronica and Veronica. Very rarely do TV shows cause me to laugh out loud, and even rarer than that do they make it happen every episode, often a few times.

Yes, the show is corny. Yes, it is light-hearted. Yes, it actually has a lot of humanity and critique of the industrial military and corporate culture of America while making you think it's corny and light-hearted. Yes, it even handles issues of gender and race in a respectful, yet still corny and light-hearted way. Does anyone at ABC understand how difficult that is to do? What a shame.

I've always thought there would be a few shows I would like to revive once I hit the lottery (I've got a system, it's a sure thing!). Better Off Ted is in the Top 5.

As most of the other reviews bring out, this series was a victim of the network's itchy hatchet fingers. A lot of us didn't become aware of it until well after its cancellation-and it was like discovering hidden treasure. The first season is especially good-it has the quick wit and irreverence of "Arrested Development" in the guise of a standard workplace comedy. The writing in the second season shows signs of getting lazy by adding too many sex jokes in unnecessary places, but the gifted cast makes up for it-often taking the otherwise-clever dialogue and situations through the 4th wall very naturally. It's not easy to pull off this kind of comedy, but it's so seamless that it becomes perfectly normal in Veridian Dynamics' button-down business world. A perfect cast, in a comedy that should have run longer. It deserves a place of honor in TV history.

This is now a decade old and nothing I can remember in that time came close except maybe The Office. Ahem...these two shows are both finding gold with satire over the white collar corporate mentality and the workplace that results from such.

Well corporate greed and hubris does create a fertile field to plow it seems as so much of the exaggerated comedy here springs from a solid kernel of truth whether it be in the ethos of the company or the psyche of the character. It might even be a bit on the creepy/scary side that to find these points to spring from it really doesn't take much intelligence or imagination.

The bottom line is this show absolutely has a wickedly sharp take on lampooning the foibles of the corporate empty vessel and the workplace that springs forth. It has both characters you love to hate and characters you love simply because you connect with their take on all of the soulless greed. Some things really glue it together such as the device of Ted narrating the story and the use of no inane laugh tracks using instead sharp scene editing with a spritely brass anchored background soundtrack. This brilliant comedy and because it pokes an eye at some of the real things surrounding work life it truly can connect with viewers like me. I think this show is a great mirror of corporate insensitivity, ambition, and greed.

I am a big fan of this show. It really compliments my Wednesday nights of Scrubs and South Park. I don't expect this show to do well or even stay on the air long, which is a bummer. The humor is dry, intelligent and very targeted to a specific audience. Lucky I think I am their target audience...

The show plays heavily off stereo-types. You have the uptight Female boss, the nerdy scientists, slightly crazy blond, and Ted. Ted is the man who has to sift though the insanity that is corporate America, aka Veridian Dynamics.

Give the show a chance, You might like it....

I don't usually do this kind of thing, but I'm tired of great shows getting canned before they get a chance to grow an audience. I have no idea how the ratings are for this show, but it's my favorite new show and might quickly become my new favorite show.

The casting for the show is superb, the acting top-notch, and the beat of the show is always quirky and funny. There are a lot of great ideas coming out of the writers. It is over the top in the best of ways but never loud or annoying. Best part: NO LAUGH TRACK!!! I can't say enough how tired I am of those.

If you like Scrubs you'll like this show. And for the record, I don't mind at all that the characters talk to the camera. It's not a mocumentary and I'm glad for that too - another idea that is going to get old very fast. I laugh constantly throughout each episode. Like I mentioned, the writing is very sharp and you have to pay close attention to see all the funny stuff that is going on at times.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a long and healthy life for Better Off Ted. Now back to the lab...