NTSF:SD:SUV

I love this show.

Crime dramas like CSI and NCIS have been ripe for parody for a long time, and this show is absolutely spot-on.

In San Diego, a crack team of law enforcers fight crime using excessive force, absurd scientific equipment, and a garage full of expensive SUVs.

The characters are all totally clichéd, from the gun-toting, shades-wearing leading man (Paul Scheer) the hard-boiled and one eyed agency chief (Captain Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew) to the geeky science tech played by Rebecca Romijn - that's right, I said Rebecca Romijn!!! There's nothing subtle about the humour here, it's all pretty purile and ridiculous, but it's well written and delivered with deadly seriousness by all the cast.

If you enjoy the likes of Archer or Sealab, this is probably for you...

Seriously. Who paid for this and why? It's supposed to be a parody of shows like CSI. Or so I read. You wouldn't know from whatever is going on on the screen. Specific problems:

Lack of story. Each episode takes a familiar script - the movie Speed for example - and hacks it up into short joke setups so limited and disjointed that the underlying story is completely lost. The net result is thoroughly unsatisfying sequence of beats that never add up to anything. Even if you've seen the source material on which the episode is based.

Formulaic attempt at humor. Every "joke" is exactly the same formula: if they do something on a show like CSI, do it more. It they pull their weapons on CSI, this show has them shooting everyone. If a person gets shot on CSI, this show has the person explode. And so on. And on. And on. And on. The problem with this joke formula is it so obvious that it wears out its welcome before the first punchline. Young children may laugh at this type of humor, but this show is not suitable for a young audience.

Lack of humor. I love parodies. I love comedies. This is neither. I'm an easy laugh and I Never. Laughed. Once. I never chuckled, smiled, or grinned. Not once in the first three episodes. I did laugh during later episodes, but only because I started rewriting the jokes in my head to actually have comedic effect.

Ironically, I watched this show because I enjoy Paul and June in the How Did This Get Made podcast. The podcast is about lousy programs, and the only reason this show isn't at the top of Paul and June's hit list is they are in it. Three stars.

Great actors and comedians clowning around. The writers are brilliantly funny and amazingly talented and probably working full-time for other series but having a lot more fun getting together and writing this one. And nailing it. Probably only care that they're cracking each other up and not going for the lowest common denominator in the audience. They're going for the lowest common denominator in the writing room room and I love it. A lot of high-profile big budget comedies try harder and screw it up (Avenue five being a prime example).

Okay if you want "serious" then go watch Bones/CSI/NCIS/etc, however as a couple of the reviewers haven't really sussed out, then I will point out that this is a complete mickey take of those shows!

The clichéd lines, the impossible way that crimes are solved using "Real" science, and the fact that the scientific people are drop dead gorgeous, but "no-one sees it" are all are up for attack in this series.

The actors seem to enjoy themselves, and ham up their parts more than Porky Pig, which adds to the fun.

It's not an inditement into Modern Criminology, nor is it meant to be an in-depth study of characters and their actions, but it is a great spoof on the shows which try to pretend they are, and as a bonus you should really listen to what S.A.M. says.

This take-off of task-force dramas is about as crazy as you can get. Like any good parody, the series mercilessly mocks conventions like the tough- guy-with-the-one-liners or the tough commander. But it's also got the sort of lunacy of something like Police Squad. The actors are funny, playing their characters full out, and the series likes it's weird running jokes, such as everyone's insistence that Rebecca Romjin is painfully unattractive, or that the Navy has its own president.

Having just watched the final episode, an extra-weird parody of the Blair Witch Project, I'm feeling sad, because in a world where even the best series tend to feel a little interchangeable, NTSF satisfied that itch for insane, savage comedy that often goes un-itched (Rick and Morty is another one, also gone).

If you like really crazy comedy, check out an episode.