Maron

What a great show.

Marc Maron is one of the funniest comedians we have.

I would have watched a whole lot more of this show.

I only watched the first episode of Maron, not because I didn't like it, but because I didn't like it *enough* to commit. It follows the Louis C.K. approach of a shambling storyline, a fictionalized version of the protagonist comic, and a generally downbeat sensibility.

There are so many series of this sort nowadays that I'm beginning to think Louis C.K. is a comedy subgenre, and honestly, it's one I don't quite connect with. I like my comedy a bit more polished - I prefer the detailed stories and rat-a-tat jokes of 30 Rock or Arrested Development to the bitter musings approach of something like Maron.

That's not to say the series isn't funny, because at times it is. The first episode begins with a funny, painful scene of Maron hitting on a mortified veterinarian, and Dave Foley's guest turn as himself is quite amusing. But it's a wandering show about an unlikable guy, and ultimately that's a subgenre I cannot fully appreciate.

Marc Maron is brave in this series about his own flaws, and I found the early episodes a good combination of funny and thoughtful.

But the character Marc annoys his friends and resists changing into a good guy... At some point that becomes annoying to the viewers. Marc becomes unlikable. I get it that I think to keep up viewer interest in a character like that you need a lot of variety. The first couple of seasons have that variety, then the show seems to stall on new ideas.

Then unfortunately the drug addict and rehab stuff is darker and less comedic. I think there's a self-indulgence in this. The show could just as easily have shown Mark taking off to celebrity, but I suspect that he just wanted to share his struggles more than to make a compelling show.

Viewers like to root for a character who has confidence and makes bold and smart decisions. Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm is also acomplaining weirdo, but it's balanced with acts of friendship and the jokes aren't bitter. There's more a sense of fun, which seems lacking in Maron. I'm sorry.

the other two reviews were pretty f**king harsh, those guys need to get laid. i hate a lot of shows and other types of art forms but you still have to respect that people worked their ass off to create it and make it. at least they followed their dream and succeeded instead of writing reviews on IMDb.com . I love the show Maron and i think its going to grow and get even better. i love comedy and i want as much as possible all the time. I've been a listener of the Podcast since the beginning and i always listen to Maron's rants, he has some very funny, very deep introspective, and intelligent things to say. i would like to see Andy kindler and the kyle character more and i even thought Marc and Dave Foley had great chemistry, id like to see Dave again too. all in all if you are into neurotic comedy i think you'll dig this show.

and my favorite shows are parks and rec, 30 rock, community, arrested development, Louie, curb your enthusiasm, portlandia, comedy bang bang, Tim and Eric, Delocated. so i'd like to think i have a good idea of whats comedic gold.

A few years back, when I have seen/heard Marc Maron speak outside of his comedic persona, I have found him to be whiny. Honestly, a bit boring, a real tattered mess of a person, riddled with issues and an unbearable underlying narcissism. Me this, me that, explicit or implicit. Unfunny as getting a prostate exam and a root canal all on the same day, maybe even at the same time. So when I got around to seeing his comedy, I expected it to be boring AF. But that's not at all the case!!! Don't get me wrong, when I see him do comedy, I see the exact same person, but he's really, really, funny. Marc weaves it all into his rambling, meandering flow that seems so effortless, so off the cuff, it puts me in a thrall. I half can't believe this is the same guy. It's really something to see. I was talking with a latina friend of mine about Pablo Neruda one day and a bit later in our conversation we got to talking about Marc, because his name came up when I was saying something I'd heard in one of his specials. She said, "I've never seen his comedy, what's he like?" I said, "He's not like anyone who's hot in comedy today, so comparison is hard. He's not easy to describe, he just starts talking and the thread goes every which way, but he keeps you laughing if you just hang in there with him." Then I said, "He's kind like Neruda, in a sense. You know how Neruda can just look in a room and focus on anything, a cutting board, some onions, a pair of slippers, and ta-da, reel off a poem that is captivating even if deceptively simple and with no apparent effort. Marc's comedy is something like that. Pablo finds poetry practically anywhere and Marc finds laughs." She goes, "Wow. He should get to write a review or something for him."