FX saw the return of its comedy block tonight, and that meant new episodes of “Anger Management” (a show I didn’t watch…on purpose) and “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell” (which is great if you love hearing Bill Maher’s jokes three weeks later and out of the mouth of Kenan Thompson as he does his Cornell West Impression). Still, the big news was the return of Archer (now in season…I can’t remember, 4 maybe?), and the series premiere of Legit, the latest FX comedy to force “naughty” Australians down our throat. Let’s get to it…
Archer…It’s no secret that I actually love this FX animated comedy, the best animated comedy series on TV right now. It’s funny, sometimes sexy (man, oh man, Lana…wow…), and most of all just fun. The half-hours are breezy, and usually involve some espionage plot that’s like a Z-grade Alias episode, but that turns out to be a springboard towards some highly original jokes, striking a more realistic and fresh cord than the usual spy-parodies (Austin Powers, Get Smart, etc.). This episode began with a hilarious inside joke that found Sterling Archer’s super-spy getting amnesia and winding up as his Bob’s Burgers alter-ego (which H. Jon Benjamin also voices). Plus, did I mention it had Lana in a bikini and the news that Sterling’s mom got married? Grade for the Premiere…B+
Legit…FX decided one unfunny show centered around an Australian who’s not nearly as outrageous as he thinks he is (Wilfried) wasn’t enough, so they went and gave Jim Jeffries a show. “Who’s Jim Jeffries?” I don’t know, and this show doesn’t present a compelling case for me to want to know. The first episode dealt with Jeffries (who has zero charisma) taking his friend’s disabled brother to a whorehouse so he could lose his virginity before he died. It’s the kind of lame-joke situation a comedian would think is hilarious (haha, disabled people, haha, whorehouse, haha, sex), but doesn’t really work in visualized format. For starters, there’s no real momentum to the joke, and the end of it is far-fetched but not in a climactic way. [Jim Jeffries is the type of comedian that would laugh at the word “climactic” and think that was a good enough joke.] Grade for the Premiere…C-
Parks and Recreation…Was this a season premiere or a season finale? No. So why am I reviewing it? Because only Parks and Recreation could create such a tightly scripted, hilarious half-hour that includes great jokes about Indian casinos, “deconstructed” bar-drinks, and cameos by Jim Irsay and Newt Gingrich alike. If you aren’t watching this show, you’re really, really missing out. Grade for this episode (and most episodes this season)…A
Alright!
I don’t want it to end. I’ve been there from episode.