THE BIG BANG THEORY - THE COMPLETE NINTH SEASON

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Ninth Season' on Blogcritics.

Some television shows begin to show their age after nearly a decade on the air, especially sitcoms, which tend to thrive on one-off stories. Their lack of complexity makes them fun in the short-term, but it’s hard to sustain a high quality level of humor and enthusiasm year after year without the cast and the audience beginning to grow bored. An exception to that generalization is The Big Bang Theory, which is releasing it’s ninth season on Digital HD, Blu-ray, and DVD this week, and shows little sign of slowing down.

If you’re not familiar with the show (though it’s hard to imagine you aren’t, with the series being the most-watched comedy of the last several years), it’s about four geeky scientists and the women that they love. The Big Bang Theory didn’t start with much in the way of female representation; the sole woman in the early days was Penny (Kaley Cuoco), and she was mostly just there to be a dream girl for Leonard (Johnny Galecki) to pine for. But over time, that changed, and other girls came along and stuck.

I think that’s part of the key to The Big Bang Theory‘s success: it has allowed itself to evolve and grow over time. Penny and Leonard marry in the season premiere of this release, but it’s no longer a one-sided affection, nor is it shallow these days. They have come to appreciate one another for a variety of reasons, and work as a couple because they’ve both changed through their exposure to one another. They seem like a solid pairing.

This rings true, also, for Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), the former of whom is still getting over his mother’s death from last season as they move into her house this year. They begin to think about starting a family in season nine, and we can see how they have stabilized, the man child ready to be a man with a child, and the woman who has thankfully pushed him towards that point.

Raj (Kunal Nayyar) is far less settled, dating two women at once. It’s not as skeezy as it sounds (usually), as Raj really does care deeply for both Emily (Laura Spencer) and Claire (Alessandra Torresani, Caprica), and he doesn’t lie to them (much). But even with the negatives in the story, it’s a big leap for Raj from the shy man who couldn’t even speak in the presence of women at the start.

Even famously particular Sheldon (Jim Parsons) is softening, forced to face the fact that he may lose Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) if he doesn’t learn how to express his affections both vocally and physically. The results of these growing pains are funny, yes, but they’re also painful as we learn what makes Sheldon tick, as happens arguably more this season than in any other.

If that makes the guys and Penny sound totally different from where they started, they are. Yet, all of this evolution has been gradual and authentic, changing as real people do over time. They rub off on one another, and it has made them all more complex, mature individuals. The Big Bang Theory hasn’t lost its premise or what made it special; it simply enhanced and deepened it as the years went by, a sure recipe for success. I can’t wait to see what season ten has in store this fall.

The Complete Ninth Season has a bunch of bonus features, though I would rank it middling in what is offer. Two sets of “#JustAskBBT” has cast members responding to fan questions, though most of them aren’t very good questions, and it’s puzzling why this is in two parts instead of just one. “Love is Rocket Science” is basically just a recap of the romantic relationships at this point, which is emotionally satisfying, but doesn’t really add anything to what we’ve already seen. But “The Big Bang Theory Gives Back” is better, highlighting how the series has positively helped college students going into STEM fields. And the included gag reel is predictably, comfortably funny.

While I’m lukewarm on the extras, I’m clearly not on the episodes, which attract guest stars like Bob Newhart, Christine Baranski, Laurie Metcalf, Judd Hirsh, Keith Carradine, Wil Wheaton, Adam Nimoy, Stephen Merchant, Elon Musk, Adam West, Stephen Hawking, June Squibb, and more in just this season alone. Whether you’ve been a faithful watcher from the beginning, have only caught a few episodes here and there, or want to jump in for the first time, I can unequivocally recommend The Big Bang Theory – The Complete Ninth Season, available September 13th.

Late Night Television's Losses

Article first published as LATE NIGHT TELEVISION'S LOSSES on Blogcritics.

This week, late night television lost two of its three best hosts, with only Jon Stewart remaining as one worth watching regularly. The Colbert Report, Stewart’s Daily Show spin-off, and The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson both aired their series finales recently after nine and ten years, respectively. Given what they both bring to the overall landscape, this is a double-punch blow that will leave fans of originality on the small screen reeling.

First, let’s look at Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report. Perhaps the first character that has done a show like this, completely in character, Colbert took his correspondent persona from The Daily Show, and developed it into a full-fledged parody of Bill O’Reilly. That seems a good joke, but a four-times-weekly half hour series? It takes a very rare talent to pull something like that off and keep it fresh night after night.

Colbert did so much more than that. He skewered politicians with his brilliant satire, which led to politician from both parties boycotting him for an extended period of time, until they realized his lampooning could actually help them get the youth vote.

He ripped apart then-President George W. Bush to his face when the GOP failed to get his schtick and unwittingly gave him a forum to do so. Colbert’s endorsement became a valuable commodity, any product or charity he promoted sure to see huge contribution from his rabid fan base.

He created a Super PAC to expose a broken system. He ran for president as a joke, and polled higher than many of the real candidates. (Equally noteworthy, he knew to get out before it went too far.) He held a rally that drew hundreds of thousands of his followers (including myself, who never does things like that) to Washington D.C. He re-defined late night wars in his “feud” with Jimmy Fallon, got involved in the Olympics, made into the Smithsonian, and supported our troops time and again. That’s a lot for a short time, and I’m just scratching the surface.

Why did Colbert have such an impact? It’s hard to define his appeal, but he has a cool factor, an intelligence, and a harmless quality that captured the spirit of those frustrated with the power structure. He was our voice to fight back, orating in a way that said what we thought in a manner that we couldn’t. He was thoroughly funny, and completely committed to the bit. But we fans were in on the secret, even when those in power were not for quite awhile, and it felt great to be a part of that club. It also didn’t hurt that he premiered after the widespread adoption of the DVR, meaning I was able to watch every single episode he did without fail, never missing a minute.

His final episode, which aired this past Thursday, was the perfect capper. Beginning with a “typical show,” he spiraled into a bizarre cheating of death, ending with him forever circling the globe in Santa’s sleigh, accompanied by Abraham Lincoln (who is a unicorn) and Alex Trebek, meaning he gets to live on forever, always with us. He also included a tear-worthy sing-a-long with so many guest stars, actors, politicians, athletes, musicians, scientists, historians, and more, that it’s impossible to name them all without copious amounts of freeze-framing, the sheer number of famous faces taking part proving Colbert’s worth. Best of all, he finally tossed back to Jon Stewart, making the whole series one long segment for The Daily Show, giving due to Colbert’s creator and demonstrating Colbert’s humility and gratefulness. If there were only a way to thank him in return.

Colbert ends his run far too early because is being given Late Show, taking over for the retiring David Letterman. I’m just speculating on his reasons for doing so, having no personal insider knowledge of the situation, but it seems to me that comedians of Colbert’s age see that job as a career pinnacle. They grew up looking to Johnny Carson, and aspire to get either The Tonight Show or Late Show.

Yet, in the current, fractured age, those stalwarts aren’t what they were. I’ve outlined the impact Colbert has made. I can’t believe he’ll get to do half of that on CBS. Though, it has to be tempting for Colbert to finally get to be himself, having retired the character on the show that made him famous. I mourn deeply for the loss, and hope for his seemingly inevitable return in some, likely limited, fashion.

One reason I have a small hope that Colbert won’t turn into a cookie-cutter host, which seems the obvious thing to do, is that CBS has shown itself willing to take chances at night, surprising given its boring, safe prime time lineup. Letterman has long been followed by The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, and as Craig constantly tells us, he’s not like any other show on television. With a “band” too shy to show itself, a gay robot skeleton sidekick, and two guys in a horse suit that dance, Ferguson has longed thumbed his nose at the genre and made the series his own. He ignored the pre-prepared interview, preferring just to talk to people, and routinely improv-ed large segments of his hour. He didn’t follow any norm.

While I enjoyed Ferguson on The Drew Carey Show many years ago, I first discovered his brilliance during the Writer’s Strike of 2008. Curious to see how the various late night personalities would handle things on their own, I sampled them all and found Ferguson to be, by far, the funniest of the broadcast network guys. That has to come because he does so much of his stuff on his own anyway. But it made me a fan, and while I did not watch every minute of every episode of The Late Late Show, as I did The Colbert Report, I checked in periodically and was never disappointed. Craig is leaving to pursue other projects, tired of staying in a single format.

Craig delivered a semi-tame finale. After a huge opening number with almost as many celebrities as Colbert’s, though Ferguson’s were almost all Hollywood-types (with The Newsroom‘s Jeff Daniels being the only participant on both shows that I spied), he settled into a very routine formula. He had Jay Leno as his final guest, someone I personally have little respect for, but who seemed appropriate given his own recent departure from the genre, and who was very enjoyable in this instance.

Where Craig departed the most from his formula was at the end. After revealing Bob Newhart as the head of the horse on the show, Craig woke up in bed next to Drew, reprising their roles from the earlier sitcom while paying tribute to the series finales of The Newhart Show, St. Elsewhere, and The Sopranos. It was zany, unexpected, and rewarded long-time fans. It was perfect for him.

It’s also worth noting that Craig brought the voice behind Geoff the robot up on stage in the penultimate hour, a treat that felt very, very right.

Ferguson is being replaced by a British comedian and actor named James Corden, who also doesn’t seem likely to be “normal.” With a Colbert / Corden team up, will CBS finally do what only Comedy Central has been doing for years and deliver a late night lineup worth watching on a daily basis? Only time will tell, but for now, I mourn the loss of the two heavyweights, both quite different, but both bucking what amounts to “typical” fare in their field. Without them, the evening will get a lot more dull.

Colbert’s replacement, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, premieres January 19th. The Late Late Show will have a series of guest hosts for the next couple of months before Corden takes over in March. Letterman retires in May and Colbert will be back on TV in August.  Ferguson is expected to next do a 7 p.m. half hour syndicated comedy talk show, with robot and horse in tow, in 2016.

Newhart Returns to THE BIG BANG THEORY

Article first published as Newhart Returns to THE BIG BANG THEORY on TheTVKing.

Bob Newhart won an Emmy for his first appearance on The Big Bang Theory, so it's with anticipation that viewers welcome him back this week in "The Proton Displacement." Professor Proton, a.k.a. Arthur Jeffries (Newhart), asks Leonard (Johnny Galecki) for assistance with a paper. Sheldon (Jim Parsons) gets jealous that his hero doesn't come to him for help, so befriends Bill Nye the Science Guy (himself) to try to get even.

Nye's spot is little more than a cameo, unfortunately, so I hope he returns in the future. I really loved the rivalry between Arthur and Bill, and with Newhart signed on for a third episode, that seems like a rich vein to mine for the next story. It's not often you see Newhart play an angry character, so those glimmers of rage are interesting and funny indeed.

Newhart himself is always fantastic. He comes off as a little creepy in his lust for Penny (Kaley Cuoco), but other than that, he handles the role well, adding layers where there don't have to be layers, making the part more than what was surely on paper. It's wonderful to see Newhart at work, a master of his craft, meaning comedic acting infused with a bit of drama.

One particular scene stands out, in which Arthur admits to Leonard he's baffled as to why Leonard puts up with Sheldon. I wasn't completely satisfied with Leonard's answer, but we did gain a little insight, Leonard trying to be Sheldon's caretaker. This could be forecasting a series finale in with Leonard finally hands the reigns over to Amy (Mayim Bialik), as Sheldon makes some progress at coping with the world, but still needs much help.

We see this in how Sheldon reacts to the situation in "The Proton Displacement." He is childish in his whims and actions, caring only about himself and no one else. Bill Nye doesn't put up with it, but Leonard, and to a lesser extent, Arthur, do. Sometimes it's hard to see why, and there's certainly sympathy for Leonard when he grows frustrated. And yet, Sheldon's genius is plainly evident, too, amid his flaws and idiosyncrasies. It will be very fascinating to see the type of work that Parsons may get after this.

The B plot of "The Proton Displacement" involves Howard (Simon Helberg) moving in on Raj's (Kunal Nayyar) time with the girls. Howard doesn't mean to be insensitive, but he is. Raj needs these special relationships in his life, not having a romantic partner as the other guys now do, and as girly as Howard can be, he doesn't fulfill all of Raj's emotional necessities. It's an eye-opening story with a sweet ending, and while at first it's just amusing that Raj hangs with the females, there is a rawness revealed beneath that is moving.

In all, this is a great episode of The Big Bang Theory. "The Proton Displacement" isn't as outrageously funny as other episodes, but it's not trying to be, and it does what it does very well. Seven seasons in, character development is just as important as getting the laughs, and the writers and actors have done a great job maturing the series evenly.

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

DVD Review: ‘The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Collector’s Edition’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Collector’s Edition’ on Blogcritics.

I am only 30 years old, so I missed the era of Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roasts, which stopped happening before I could talk. Yet, their presence resonated so much in our society that I am certainly familiar with them, as are many of my generation. We’re in luck now because StarVista and Time-Life have just released The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Collector’s Edition, a six-DVD set of the most memorable of these events.

Dean Martin sure had a lot of pals! The roast subjects in this collection include Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Don Rickles, Jack Benny, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jackie Gleason. None of these people are all that relevant today (most have sadly passed away), but they are names every kid was familiar with, the legends of their time.

Dean attracts plenty of attendees, from politicians like Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater, to astronaut Neil Armstrong, to athlete Muhammad Ali, to comedians Phyllis Diller, Bob Newhart, and George Burns, to actors such as John Wayne, Dom DeLuise, Bette Davis, Florence Henderson, Milton Berle, Jonathan Winters, and so many more.

With lineups like these, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts are a veritable time capsule, a look at an era of pop culture and national history. The installments are a bit dated (they aired from 1973 to 1984): nostalgic for the older viewers who remember this stuff, but also informative and fascinating for those of us who weren’t around. It’s a real treat to look back in time so effectively.

Now, being from a period predating the political correctness movement, there are a lot of awful stereotypes and offensive jokes. Sexism and racism are clearly two guests at the show, and not the quiet types that sit in the corner. It is eye-opening to see how, so recently in our past, attitudes were so drastically different than they are today. This is only 30 or 50 years ago, but it seems America has changed a lot.

Overall, though, The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts are just plain funny. Not everything holds up, nor would one expect it to, but a lot of it does. After all, Dean brought in the top talent, people whose work still lives on to this day, at least on Nick at Nite. The gags have staying power, and the roasters knew what they were doing, always competing with one another, bringing out the best in themselves.

This particular set boasts a dozen episodes, as well as quite a few special features, certainly welcome for the release. There are comedy sketches included, a couple of Dean’s full-length television specials, and a trio of featurettes about the creation and execution of the roasts. There are also “home” movies of Dean and some of his friends, and interviews with Betty White, Tim Conway, Don Rickles, Jackie Mason, Rich Little, and Ruth Buzzi. For a series so old, one doesn’t expect so many riches.

Besides The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Collector’s Edition, a complete DVD set of all 54 roasts is also available, with 15 hours of bonus features and a Dean Martin action figure. This set was not available for review, so I can’t speak to whether or not it is worth its hefty price tag. My interest has been piqued, but I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to check it out and see if the other episodes can live up to the twelve included in the set I received, of if these are the “best of.” It’s nice they released this smaller set, though, so whether you are a devotee or just curious, there are options.

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Collector’s Edition is available now.