Community / Parks and Recreation

[diggler]

This started out as a ho-hum Office ripoff but is now fast becoming my favorite comedy series. I never cared for Amy Pohler on SNL but this is a great character for her.  The rest of the supporting cast is terrific as well.  Has anyone been watching?

[modage]

Has anyone been watching?

Yes and this reminds me of something I've been meaning to say for a while.  I read an inordinate amount of praise for both this and Community (which I had abandoned midway through Season 1) so I went back and caught up on both shows. They both have great ensembles but the shows themselves are just not great. They're just sitcoms with sitcom premises which is kinda boring for any stretch of time. Maybe I hold TV shows to too high of a standard but I feel like if it's not going to be GREAT it's sort of wasting my time to keep up with it.

[diggler]

I'm having a hard time understanding what you mean by "sitcom with sitcom premises".  Are there sitcoms that don't use sitcom premises?  I agree with you on Community. That show is rife with possibilities but is just a little too self referential to appeal to me.  They still pull out great episodes here and there but the humor is very inconsistent.  Also it abuses the use of Ken Jeong, who in the first season was an occasional bit player but is now featured in every episode which is a bit much.

As for Parks, It wasn't until the Halloween episode of Season 2 that it started to pull me in.  The Office comparisons are obvious due to the format (can we ditch the documentary interview thing in comedies already? at least Community does that much), but it's a much stronger show than that. The cynicism of the British Office was what made it so relatable but the American version is too much of a cartoon to really pull it off.  Sure there are heartfelt moments but at the same time you get the impression that these characters can't stand each other.  The characters on Parks not only seem to care about each other, but they're competent at their jobs as well!  I suppose you could fault the format of the show for being unoriginal but the characters and the writing are both terrific.

[RegularKarate]

You guys are watching Community wrong.
It's like the Simpsons.  It's so fucking smart and quick.  Next season you'll be pretending you liked it the whole time.

[polkablues]

Community spent half a season being a promising young show, and then flipped a switch and became one of the best comedies on television.  It hits highs that no other show is hitting right now, and even the average episodes are better than 95% of the rest of shows.

Parks and Recreation is also great, in a more low-key way.  A flawless ensemble.

[Ravi]

P&R got really good starting in season 2. I didn't care for it at first, but I'm glad I kept watching.

I love how they all hate on Jerry for no reason whatsoever.

BTW, I watched the Strangers with Candy movie not too long ago and was surprised to see a totally different looking Chris Pratt:

[tpfkabi]

I kinda watch Parks, but not to the point that I try to see every episode. I watch it mostly for Aubrey Plaza I think.

Community, on the other hand, I do try to watch every one. I was kinda disappointed when Big Bang Theory went right up against it, so I always have to watch one and record the other if both show new episodes.

Community has surprised me how they will do totally out there episodes like the Christmas episode that was almost all claymation. I figure this place off all places would like it as one of the characters talks about being a director or movies quite frequently. My favorite episode off the top of my head is when they did the war movie/end of the war apocalypse spoof revolving around paintball.

[diggler]

The paintball episode will probably be the directorial highlight of Justin Lin's career.

[ono]

I admit I haven't really given Community a chance because of Chevy's douchebaggery.  It really makes it hard for me to enjoy most things he's in.  It shouldn't, but it does.

I've been a Parks fan since it came on.  A familiar story, I'm sure.  Started watching 'cause of Poehler.  Stuck with it because of Poehler even though the first season was lackluster.  Was VINDICATED when season two kicked all sorts of ass after they fired that boring dude and punched things up writing-wise. Each character is so unique and heartening.  Even the one Aziz plays.  Mustache-dude and Mullally (whe she guest stars -- four Ls looks so wrong!) are a trip and three-quarters.  Names are failing me now, but my DVR never does for this show.  Nope.

The episodes manage to be funny and often poignant, and dammit, I really have to learn the names.  Yes.  Pratt and the hot chick.  The newlyweds.  Their having to clean the apartment.  Great ep about them not wanting to grow up just yet.  The camping one was great, too.  I liked Lowe in West Wing, and I loved otherguy in Boy Meets World back in the day when he was BigBadBully take 2.  But I don't know how I feel about the new fellows other than that.  I think the cast as is is just fine, and I don't know if he's a match for Leslie.

[tpfkabi]

The paintball episode will probably be the directorial highlight of Justin Lin's career.

I think I saw an add for a follow-up paintball episode.

hot chick = Aubrey Plaza

look up her late night tv interviews. they're pretty funny. i know she was on Leno and Lopez. maybe Fallon, too.

[Reel]

she's great, I love her. I like how naturally she stays in an awkward moment with one look of those crazy eyes of hers. Her eyes are crazy. She's got those eyes you could still see in a pitch dark room. Like a cartoon.

[tpfkabi]

she's great, I love her. I like how naturally she stays in an awkward moment with one look of those crazy eyes of hers. Her eyes are crazy. She's got those eyes you could still see in a pitch dark room. Like a cartoon.

She was on one the other day again with a P&R clip. Steven Tyler kept making passes at her.

Someone tell me how late night TV works - do they always do a pre-show interview where they set up potential jokes?

Community had Part 1 of a new Paintball episode Thursday. I thought Alison Brie might have played up to a potential Tarentino film role soon.

[squints]

Someone tell me how late night TV works - do they always do a pre-show interview where they set up potential jokes?

watch the Larry Sanders show

(yes.)

[AntiDumbFrogQuestion]

WHY doesn't Community have its own page???

I know, I know, they do lots of derivative movie stuff and meta-humor, but the writing is impeccably funny, the characters keep flowing within the oddball plots and it's one of the best-looking shows on television considering cinematography.  They pack in so much per episode that it shows the you know its creators are firing on all four cylinders.  They're not afraid to take chances and will even end their season on a downbeat as exemplified in Season 2.  I'm probably biased because I was following the show's creator Dan Harmon back in the heyday of Channel101.com, but I must admit, this show uses the Television medium to it's greatest advantage and is in a league of its own when it comes to comedy.

Just some food for thought to my fellow Xixaxers.

[diggler]

WHY doesn't Community have its own page???

to be fair, this started as a Parks and Rec thread.