Shasta

Six o'clock is the one time that no phone in our whole town rings. Everyone is watching Shasta. Why not? It is cool, hip and trendy. Fresh, new and innovating. Just about everyone finds something to their liking in this extremely funny series. We in South Africa support it. Do you?

A completely under-rated show. Now called "Shasta" for some reason - probably because the "McNasty" part was turning off too many people (like me). This show is every bit as funny as "The 70s Show" and "Futurama". I always find myself laughing out loud at something. I really hope it gets renewed for another year. Anyone who likes to laugh owes it to themself to watch this show at least once. The addition of Vern as a major character is great. He is a complete riot. Jake Busey is stellar every show too - as is the entire cast.

Having recently been introduced to Shasta McNasty on Sky TV in England I am fascinated to find out how long the series has run for in the states as this is possibly one of the funniest shows from America to reach our shores in recent years. It is only a few weeks into the show and I can't wait to see the next episode in a weeks time. The acting is brilliant especially from Jake Busey who is always top in his films.

Shasta McNasty was a great show when it first began, because it was willing to be brutally politically correct, and not follow the traditional mainstream attitude that their storylines must be cliche. They did things that were so stupid, but funny that it was fantastic, but in recent episodes, it is as though they are bowing to pressure, and trying to become a more mainstream sitcom, by employing standard storylines. Let's hope they come to there senses and go back to the craziness of the first half of the season. We don't need another friends, but we always need a Shasta McNasty.

This comedy, about a ne'er-do-well rap group living in Venice Beach may have looked good on paper, but it stank when it hit the air. With the advent of "South Park" and "Family Guy" pushing the boundaries for better or worse, the powers that be are running scared. We must be daring! Don't be afraid of crude humor! The trouble is that they have forgotten that, as an executive said about an unaired pilot starring Kelsey Grammer, "A comedy should be funny".

"Shasta McNasty" is not. It is not, with a vengeance. The first show "Pilot" has Verne Troyer (Mini-Me from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me") in one of the first scenes walking around in a sombrero with chips on the brim and salsa on the crushed crown. In another scene, he is seen with the same hat, but now it has popcorn on the brim.

No, I didn't laugh, either, but believe me, this is as funny as the show got. The leads are sadly, listless, the writing goes out of it's way to be offensive (which "Seinfeld" did occasionally, but still managed to be funny, more times than no)and it's on UPN, which recently lost a couple of affiliates.

To quote Troyer in one scene, "Lame, lame, lame!"