Bored to Death

I've only seen 4 episodes, but think the show is excellent. The subtle and not-so-subtle lines are hysterical. I love the humor in "Flight of the Concords" but think that this show will be more accessible to a larger audience.

All of the actors, Ted Danson in particular, give depth and nuance to the characters they play. The entire cast use their bodies, from face to feet, to express their over-the-top characters. The script is intelligent, farcical and just plain fun and all of it is enhanced by the camera work and direction.

I am rationing the remaining episodes or I'll devour them in one day and have to wait for HBO's interminable next season!

I've got to say, I'm loving this show so far.

I've never seen a TV comedy show with this sort of sense of humour before, it reminds me, as my title suggests, of a Wes Anderson movie but with a pinch of Kevin Smith.

Imagine if "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zisou" was about a young writer-turned-unlicensed-private-detective instead of an over-the-hill documentary-maker, and throw in a scene from "Mallrats" every now and again and you get close to the feel of "Bored To Tears".

Jason Schwartzman is, IMO, the perfect choice for the lead role - he's almost reprising his "I (Heart) Huckabees" character.

Keep an eye out for little details - objects on screen, reactions of "extras", the lyrics in whatever song is playing in the background... there's alsorts of really funny things you might miss if you're only half paying attention.

I can't wait for the next episode!

This show is probably the best thing on American TV right now, it doesn't try to be in your face unusual but it just is because of its slow burning pace, great offbeat sense of humor, while you won't catch yourself bursting with laughter at cheap humor that many shows rely on, BTD has some of the funniest and most SUBTLE written dialog that seems to be a privilege of British shows. Its a brilliantly written show with characters and story lines that are painfully endearing. And if you like me haven't been entirely convinced in the first episode, please don't give up on it, it's one of those shows that grow on you and you catch yourself watching BTD again and again. It did seem at first as something specifically catered for Brooklyn hipsters, but it gives a great background for the stories and if you live in Brooklyn you'll appreciate glimpses of your neighborhood (especially Williamsburg). All around a funny and pleasant way to spend half an hour!

The story is very straight forward from the beginning, and has elements of a "fish out of water" character trying to be something he is not.

It would be close to impossible not to love the cast, and they do a great job with what they are given. By that, I mean that the jokes that fall flat are not due to poor acting, they were lazy, stereotypical jokes to begin with.

Still, I enjoyed this, and re-watch it every few years for a chuckle. I'd recommend it if you like the Woody Allen, fumbling, New York kind of comedy, so it's not for everyone.

Note from the author: this review has been written after watching two seasons. Bored to death is a TV show whose charm relies heavily in its three leads Jason Schwartzman, Zack Galifianakis and Ted Danson. The main problem that I found is that during the first season Schwartzman's character is given the most weight out of the three leaving Danson and Galifianakis as secondary characters that have mini-subplots around the main cases - as the story revolves around a writer drawn to be a detective to solve it's financial difficulties -. Thankfully this has been solved in the second season with an even repartition of plot for the three and consequently has improved the stories, the cast and the overall dynamic of the show. Throughout the two seasons I felt that the show gradually turns from a solve-the-case of the week show to a hang-out-with-us show while the story flows...and boy what a blast it is to hang out with this cast. Danson's hedonistic charm is suave, subtle -and even slightly touching in some episodes with a cancer subplot- with the best laughs when his facade of elegance is down due to his drug use. Galifianakis is perhaps the geek hero (but not a geek himself) as the comic-book writer in a dysfunctional relationship with his girlfriend played by Heather Burns - who's first in the list of recurring character's of the show, also including Oliver Platt and Kristen Wiig-. Finally Schwartzman's character is a struggling writer with relationship problem's and a tendency for solving weird-cases in a very unprofessional way - high point for me is the first episode in season 2 when he has to go into a fetish dungeon-. To sum things up. Bored to death was a slow burner for me, by the end of season 1 I was ready to give up but, with season 2, it pulls out a "The Office" and gets much better. Each season has eight episodes which leads to very cohesive stories and arcs but then again the charm relies on the cast which are great if you like these type of characters. Thanks for reading.