To each his own but this show is nothing like an extended SNL skit at all, imho. Can’t think of why you would have that opinion.
We’ve been watching it and it’s been pretty funny. I agree that the characters are a little broad but Ellie Kemper is just so perky and cute in it. Carol Kane is a national comedic treasure and I cherish seeing her in anything. They keep throwing “Hey those guys” into the show Horatio Sanz, Rachel Dratch (that was Rachel Dratch in the wheelchair right?), and Mark Harelik .
Paraphrasing (because it has been a few days):
“Is that meant to be funny, because like a Woody Allen film, no one is laughing”.
I like the crazy positivity of it “You can do anything for 10 seconds!”
I really LOLed when they finally found out what the Mystery Crank was for.
I watched the first 3 episodes because of this thread and I really enjoyed it. I think Ellie Kemper is awesome in the role. Looking forward to watching the rest of the available episodes.
I’ve binged the first few episodes and my reaction is similar to how I felt about 30 Rock and Arrested Development - a lot of chuckles with three or four major laughs per show… that’s pretty good, I’ll keep watching.
I’m on episode 7. I like it! Of course the supporting actors (Carol Kane and Titus Burgess) make the show but I think the writing is good all around. Kimmy is just unpredictable enough to make it all feel very smart.
I kind of think Jane Krakowski’s “rich and clueless” thing is a bit played out. She is basically playing her 30 Rock role here. But I read that the role was specifically created for her (duh) and I don’t like to second guess Tina.
I do feel a touch of weirdness with the kidnapping premise, having recently read Michelle Knight’s book (one of the Cleveland victims) but they do present it as a cult so that does separate the two a bit.
Oh and I absolutely love love love how they did the theme song. Super clever!
I think this is a lot like “Blast from the Past” too but It’s also sort of a classic premise. You can’t just let “Blast from the Past” take and keep the credit.
I finished it last night. I recommended it to a couple friends I think will like it, too. Not many sitcoms are that funny to me, but this one had me LOL enough to keep going. There’s a line with me and absurd stuff, which is nebulous to me (Flight of the Conchords - hilarious; Arrested Development - not so much, and I’m not sure why) but this was funny.
Oddly enough, I like the Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski “A” stories better than the Carol Kane and Titus Burgess “B” stories which, while funny, sometimes seem kind of like filler.
I’m just amazed that NBC let it go.
I love Carol Kane’s story of how her husband(who was black) died.
Kane: “My husband was shot and killed, you know that!”
Titus: “Yeah…by you.”
Kane: “Well, a black man was approaching me in the dark! It was the 70’s!”
When I first heard about it, this was the first thought I had, like HOW can you make light of kidnapped women, especially when things like the Cleveland story are so recent. (I wasn’t particularly thinking about the age thing, it seems pretty horrific no matter how old the victims are).
I’m about half way through the season, and I’m impressed that this aspect is handled so deftly. It’s a comedy show, but it doesn’t feel like it’s being unfair or crossing a line.
Those references to the Montreal Expos stung a little, I admit.
Loved the commitment to that joke.
It might also help people accept this show to remind them that there are plenty of other sitcoms that managed to make humor out of terrible situations (like Hogan’s Heroes and MAS*H for example). I think that a truly skilled comedian can make just about any topic funny, because sometimes humor is the best way to cope with a painful topic.
Personally, I didn’t make the connection to the Cleveland kidnappings at all, because unfortunately wacko religious cults being involved in abuse/deceit is not at all an unusual situation. I found the premise appealing because unfortunately I have family stuck in the Jehovah’s Witness cult (which is in fact currently in major legal trouble over a bunch of sex abuse cases they tried to hide from authorities). I would love it if this show ends up causing the light bulb to go off for a few people out there who are part of a controlling religion.
Oh, so it would be a-okay if he abused an adult? That’s a weird line of thinking.
I missed it. Could someone spoil it for me?
It generated the electricity for all the gadgets in the preacher’s “man-cave”, which was off limits to the women. He had a big screen TV, movie-style popcorn maker, a pinball machine, tacky neon-lighted decorations etc.