johnnymonsarrat
Joined Mar 2002
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johnnymonsarrat's rating
Reviews379
johnnymonsarrat's rating
30 Rock has its moments, but it's overwritten. When you're watching, think to yourself, "Is this line of dialogue necessary?" and you'll see what I mean. Everything that is obvious visually from the actors gets stated in dialogue anyway. It's like the writers think it's a radio play.
This means that the setups get explained, the jokes get explained, and the reactions get explained. That makes the show less funny. Music is also overused and heavyhanded, as though they don't trust their own script and actors to tell the audience what's funny.
Like Saturday Night Live, they beat a joke to death. For example, it's hard to pronounce "The Rural Juror", which could lead to a comic misunderstanding. But is it funny? So funny that the same joke is repeated 15x and then explained, "It's hard to pronounce!... I don't understand what you mean!"
Now try watching Malcolm in the Middle, and you'll see better acting, better pacing, they don't saturate jokes with dialogue and music, and the plots are more character driven.
Why is 30 Rock like this? Perhaps the sketch writers and sketch cast from Saturday Night Live didn't adapt enough for a sitcom.
Finally, I guess the writers didn't know that the best way for a show to age poorly is commenting on current events. What's sad is that the topical humor is unnecessary to the plot, and could easily have been cut.
This means that the setups get explained, the jokes get explained, and the reactions get explained. That makes the show less funny. Music is also overused and heavyhanded, as though they don't trust their own script and actors to tell the audience what's funny.
Like Saturday Night Live, they beat a joke to death. For example, it's hard to pronounce "The Rural Juror", which could lead to a comic misunderstanding. But is it funny? So funny that the same joke is repeated 15x and then explained, "It's hard to pronounce!... I don't understand what you mean!"
Now try watching Malcolm in the Middle, and you'll see better acting, better pacing, they don't saturate jokes with dialogue and music, and the plots are more character driven.
Why is 30 Rock like this? Perhaps the sketch writers and sketch cast from Saturday Night Live didn't adapt enough for a sitcom.
Finally, I guess the writers didn't know that the best way for a show to age poorly is commenting on current events. What's sad is that the topical humor is unnecessary to the plot, and could easily have been cut.
Wonderfalls has a great premise. It's original, it's fun, and it leads to a lot of comedy.
Unfortunately, the hero, Jaye, is supposed to follow an arc from a lazy person who doesn't like others to more of a true hero. At her starting point, which includes insulting others and being selfish and self-centered... that makes her unlikable. That's the fatal flaw.
Viewers want to root for good hearted characters who make bold, good choices. Wonderfalls could have made Jaye an anti-hero in some other way, for example making her too busy or too poor or too controlled by her parents and friends to do what the objects tell her to do. But they chose to make Jaye a petulant and petty woman-child who grew up rich and did nothing with it.
Also, the objects that talk to her don't take on much of a personality that would have supported banter. And there's not good chemistry between the cast.
Also, if this is a fish out of water comedy, why put Jaye in her home town? Put her some place alien, which also helps with exposition as she learns about her environment.
It truly could have been great and I can see why this TV show has a cult following. But I can also definitely see why it was cancelled.
A lot of TV shows have bumpy first seasons trying to figure themselves out, for example Star Trek: The Next Generation. I wonder how this show would have gone in Season 2.
Listening to some of the commentary tracks, the cast and showrunners didn't have regrets and weren't thinking about improvements. I wonder whether self-congratulatory group-think contributes to the show's rough edges.
A quirky show like this where it nearly all came together should give us awe about the quirky shows where it does come together, like Northern Exposure, Party Down, Malcolm in the Middle, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Community, and Psych.
6 stars.
Unfortunately, the hero, Jaye, is supposed to follow an arc from a lazy person who doesn't like others to more of a true hero. At her starting point, which includes insulting others and being selfish and self-centered... that makes her unlikable. That's the fatal flaw.
Viewers want to root for good hearted characters who make bold, good choices. Wonderfalls could have made Jaye an anti-hero in some other way, for example making her too busy or too poor or too controlled by her parents and friends to do what the objects tell her to do. But they chose to make Jaye a petulant and petty woman-child who grew up rich and did nothing with it.
Also, the objects that talk to her don't take on much of a personality that would have supported banter. And there's not good chemistry between the cast.
Also, if this is a fish out of water comedy, why put Jaye in her home town? Put her some place alien, which also helps with exposition as she learns about her environment.
It truly could have been great and I can see why this TV show has a cult following. But I can also definitely see why it was cancelled.
A lot of TV shows have bumpy first seasons trying to figure themselves out, for example Star Trek: The Next Generation. I wonder how this show would have gone in Season 2.
Listening to some of the commentary tracks, the cast and showrunners didn't have regrets and weren't thinking about improvements. I wonder whether self-congratulatory group-think contributes to the show's rough edges.
A quirky show like this where it nearly all came together should give us awe about the quirky shows where it does come together, like Northern Exposure, Party Down, Malcolm in the Middle, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Community, and Psych.
6 stars.
The best thing about Beyond Paradise is the chemistry of the supporting cast. It is fun watching them go through mysteries.
But I quickly learned to skip past the hero's family drama. Viewers like to root for bold characters who make character driven choices. Characters who are anxious, can't communicate, and whose choices seem manufactured are unlikable.
To avoid spoilers I'll make up an example that's not in the show. The hero and his girlfriend decide to go on vacation together. But then she says, oh I can't, for no reason. She's too depressed or something.
But she doesn't tell him. Instead she tells her mom. Finally she tells him. He accepts this glumly. She gets him to admit that he's not happy. The mom doesn't have anything wise to contribute. Lots of sighing. They finally decide that they will go on that vacation. Who cares? Also, it's depressing.
It just lacks the comedy and cast rapport of the original Death in Paradise, and the mysteries and setting don't stand out enough to make up for it. It's too similar to the many other quaint countryside mystery shows.
But I quickly learned to skip past the hero's family drama. Viewers like to root for bold characters who make character driven choices. Characters who are anxious, can't communicate, and whose choices seem manufactured are unlikable.
To avoid spoilers I'll make up an example that's not in the show. The hero and his girlfriend decide to go on vacation together. But then she says, oh I can't, for no reason. She's too depressed or something.
But she doesn't tell him. Instead she tells her mom. Finally she tells him. He accepts this glumly. She gets him to admit that he's not happy. The mom doesn't have anything wise to contribute. Lots of sighing. They finally decide that they will go on that vacation. Who cares? Also, it's depressing.
It just lacks the comedy and cast rapport of the original Death in Paradise, and the mysteries and setting don't stand out enough to make up for it. It's too similar to the many other quaint countryside mystery shows.