MOONBEAM CITY, Where The Girls Are Pretty (By 1980s Standards)

Article first published as MOONBEAM CITY Review on Seat42F.

Comedy Central’s newest cartoon comedy is MOONBEAM CITY. Set in the metropolis named in the title, which has heavy Miami overtones to it, the show follows local cops as they struggle with the criminals who are ruining their beloved town. But the cops aren’t the slightest bit competent, nor are the criminals, really, and the results are humorous.

MOONBEAM CITY boasts a very impressive cast. The lead is Dazzle Novak (Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation), who is very reminiscent of FX’s Archer, inept and over-sexed, but the star of the police force because of blind luck and charm. Dazzle is assisted by Chrysalis Tate (Kate Mara, House of Cards), who wants to stop getting coffee and start firing guns, which she already is much more skilled at than Dazzle. Dazzle’s rival on the force is Red Cunningham (Will Forte, Last Man on Earth), who is jealous of the hero, but slightly less effective. This motley crew is overseen by the put-upon Captain Pizzaz Miller (Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games), who has little patience for their antics, but seems hesitant to actually fire them.

Now if those names sound like something out of the 1980s, they are far from the only thing ripped from the era in this show. MOONBEAM CITY seems to be set in that decade, and the colors (neon), lighting (blinds), and music (synthetic) all reinforce the style, as does the clothing and overall design. The faces are super white, and only a portion of the spectrum is used, but it’s all very consistent with the overall tone of the piece.

To give you an idea of the type of bizarre, twisted stories the show seeks to tell, the pilot finds Dazzle hunting a kingpin he accidentally allows to ascend to that stature. But Dazzle gets distracted by a pretty girl playing chimes in a mall. (Yes, in keeping with the 80s trend, malls are very popular.) Dazzle commits himself to being her manager, which he does out of police headquarters, and only because of the kingpin’s ridiculous hobby does Dazzle even cross paths with his query. Could the whole thing be an elaborate scheme by Dazzle to catch his query? Nah; he’s just not that smart.

I’m sure MOONBEAM CITY will be a case-of-the-week procedural. It has already established the world and the format that it will likely be repeated in installment after installment as Dazzle tangles with many different villains.

This is where MOONBEAM CITY is sure to fall short of its closest rival, Archer. Archer thrives because it makes the viewer care about the characters, building a funny ensemble that make the show as much a workplace comedy as it is about spying. Over time, the players because far more important than the situations. MOONBEAM CITY has the potential to do this, with the criminal sort of ignored in the pilot, and the four leads being fantastic in their own right, but shows no signs of committing to putting character above story, at least not yet.

That being said, it’s still a humorous romp. There aren’t really any laugh-out-loud moments or quotable lines, but I enjoyed watching the half hour, and will probably tune in again. I’m impressed by the overall production, if not many of the specifics, and it deserves a chance to find itself and grow into whatever it’s going to be. It’s clear it doesn’t know what that is from the get go, but it has the right ingredients to get there without having to add new elements, so that’s a good start.

MOONBEAM CITY premieres Wednesday, September 16^th on Comedy Central.

ANGRY OPTIMIST Not Exactly Quality Reading

Article originally published as Book Review: 'Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart' on Blogcritics.org

I recently had the opportunity to read Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart by Lisa Rogak. It is, as one might imagine, a biography about the popular host of The Daily Show, written by a New York Times bestseller (for Barack Obama in His Own Words). So while it may not be an authorized biography (presumably, based on the way it reads), I expected it to be pretty good.

At first, it was interesting. While a bit dry and slightly disjointed chronologically, I learned a lot in the first hundred-plus pages. The book skips breezily through Stewart’s early work, trying to make it as a comedian, taking menial jobs, continually failing to find success. For those who weren’t familiar with the comedian until he took over The Daily Show, this biography fills in a lot of the gaps, giving us an idea of the journey, and filling in the details of things Jon has mentioned in passing over the years on his show, without going too deep.

Most of Angry Optimist avoids taking a position on Stewart. It presents quotes from a variety of people in his life, but the first two-thirds of it are pretty factual. When there is emotion, it is gleaned from Stewart himself, a character that comes to life on the page early on. The reader is apt to feel the struggles he goes through and relate to them, most of us having to work hard to try to get ourselves to a place we can be pretty happy about.

Then, around page 150, Angry Optimist takes a fairly sudden turn. Soon, the quotes about Stewart are more opinionated and less reliable. One time, the book attributes some words to “a viewer” with no background on who this person is. Since when does the thoughts of one audience member at home rate inclusion in a public work, meant to serve as a viewpoint for the larger fan base? At other times, it gives a biting bit from former correspondent Steve Carell about a particular incident, but without the greater context needed. Most regular viewers of The Daily Show know Carell and Stewart are friends, and the author hints at that earlier, but then presents this almost out of nowhere. It’s as if the writer is just trying to stir trouble or grab some headlines by including such things, which do not add much to the story because they aren’t illustrated further.

Similarly, this is when the timeline of the book breaks down, with the narrative jumping back and forth randomly, skipping ahead years, and then backtracking without warning. In one particular paragraph, it cites 2003 as a moment where things change for Jon, and then in the same paragraph, uses an event from 2002 as a detail to back that up, which doesn’t make any sense at all. It flits around from bit to bit, checking in periodically with themes that are mentioned and then forgotten about for a dozen pages. It’s hard to follow, disjointed, and certainly not a comprehensive take at all.

It’s puzzling to me where weight is given. A lot is said of Colbert and his spin-off, compared to the others involved in the show. But Larry Wilmore is only mentioned, and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver gets nothing. Admittedly, Oliver’s show premiered after the original release of this book, but the inclusion of “new chapter” in this paperback release should rate something, especially because Oliver went on the air before Wilmore and shares a lot more of his format with The Daily Show than the program that took over Colbert’s time slot. Nor does the book go into much why Stewart is choosing now to end his run. It does get into the impact he’s had on the media landscape, but nothing about what lasting change he may or may not have made.

Overall, I left Angry Optimist feeling pretty dissatisfied. The knowledge gleaned early on in no way makes up for the messy, sensationalist bend towards the end, which turns the piece into a semi-gossipy rag more than an informational biography. At only 231 pages of actual text, it also doesn’t have time to really dig into the subject to figure out essential truths about him, and it feels like the author gives up trying to halfway through. Not having read Rogak’s other work to this, I’d be curious to know if this is normal for her, or if it’s a sign of how she feels about Stewart after researching him. Either way, it’s not nearly as enlightening or scholarly as it should be.

The pictures included are also randomly dropped into places that don’t make sense, but generally the author has no control over this. I understand placement often depends on the printer and production, but I wish more books took the time or effort to better control this aspect.

Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart is now available in paperback.

ENJOYing BRODY STEVENS

Article first published as ENJOYing BRODY STEVENS on TheTVKing.

Comedy Central recently launched its first 'drama' series, Brody Stevens: Enjoy It! In the first two half-hours, "Brody Stevens, Who Are You?" and "Breakdown!," presented together this week, we meet Steven Brody Stevens, a comedian who used to do warmup for Chelsea Lately and has appeared in The Hangover films. Suffering from mental problems, Brody backed away from the spotlight for awhile and stayed in an institution, but is now back on his meds and ready to make his comeback.

Brody Stevens: Enjoy It! seems to be an unscripted reality series following the show's lead, though surely there is some structure to the episodes. It's hard to tell how much is real, with Brody, Chelsea Handler, Zach Galifianakis, and others playing themselves, seemingly not doing anything so unrealistic that this appears faked or staged. This may just be mostly authentic.

This program is actually based off an HBO short-form project, which explains why it seems more high brow than CC's other fare. The interviews and conversations are mixed pleasingly with amusing animation to really get inside Brody's head in a creative way. The whole thing doesn't quite feel like anything else I've seen before, lending it a bit of originality that is much appreciated.

Brody himself is an oddball, but in a good way. He definitely has had some anger issues in the past, given the stories and explanations he spills early in the run, but he appears to be stable and considerate now. He is working through his stuff with the help of a therapist, and is on a mission to rebuild bridges, such as the one with Chelsea, whose show he quit.

Brody is also bluntly honest. As he embarks on a date with a woman in episode two, he over shares way too much about himself, scaring her away. However, it's this earnestness and the need to not hide anything that makes him endearing, too, knowing what you see is what you get. He doesn't always portray himself in a positive light, when lends him credibility. Any person willing to be this open and honest on a television show (and when discussing sex with their mother) is probably pretty up front about their feelings.

This series is quite compelling. Everyone likes a good comeback story, and Brody has one. He also seems like the type of person who deserves it. His career is clearly not huge, as most people will not have heard of him, but he's been involved in projects with high profiles, showing he has talent and famous friends who respect his skills. If Zach Galifianakis likes him, why not us at home, too?

As a rule, I generally avoid reality shows at all costs. But if Brody Stevens wants to pour his heart and soul out for us on screen, and he seems like someone who is a good person with his head on straight, who am I to criticize? Especially when he's such a fascinating individual. I think I'll keep watching.

Brody Stevens: Enjoy It! airs Sundays at midnight on Comedy Central.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Futurama Volume 8′

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Futurama Volume 8′ on Blogcritics.

Finally, the last episodes of Futurama have hit Blu-ray. No, seriously. The series, which was canceled on FOX, found new life on DVD and in four straight-to-disc movies, and was resurrected for a few more years on Comedy Central, has been canceled again, and Futurama Volume 8 has the very last 13 episodes of Futurama that will ever be made. For now.

Most of Volume 8 is good. Better than the other Comedy Central episodes, hands down. Something that plagued the series all during its reboot was an inability to stick to continuity in terms of character relationships, and because Futurama is more heart than laughs, that’s important. This batch, in keeping with the trend, is amusing, but not overly so. More importantly, though, even though Fry (Billy West) and Leela (Katey Sagal) finally get together just prior to the start of the CC run, the show can never seem to make up its mind if they are a couple of not. Until at the end of this set, the matter is (mostly) settled, making for better installments near the conclusion.

The episodes on the two DVDs are presented in production order, not broadcast order. This means that the two that aired first, “2-D Blacktop” and “Fry and Leela’s Big Fling,” are episodes two and four on the discs, respectively. Though, as Futurama rarely has plot that extends from week to week (with returning threads coming back much later, not in consecutive installments), that shouldn’t matter.

The best episodes in Volume 8 include: “T.: The Terrestrial,” in which Fry is left behind on Omicron Persei 8 and lives out E.T. as an alien’s pet; “Saturday Morning Fun Pit,” a take off of traditional weekend cartoons in a trilogy of minisodes; “Calculon 2.0,” in which Bender tries to resurrect deceased ham-of-an-actor Calculon (Maurice LaMarche); “Game of Tones,” a mission back to 1999 and the series’ pilot, and Fry visits his mother; “Murder on the Planet Express,” where the crew are killed off on the ship, a la Alien; and “Stench and Stenchibility,” in which Zoidberg (Billy West) finally finds love.

I did not include series finale “Meanwhile,” on the list because it deserves its own paragraph (or more). Perhaps knowing their time was at an end, the Futurama writers sought to match the stellar previous series finale, “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings.” Knowing that the element of the show serious fans are most invested in is the relationship between Fry and Leela, “Meanwhile” seeks to finally make good on that romance as much as can be made.

The result is a bittersweet world in which Fry and Leela are the last two people on Earth. Their friends (and everyone else) are frozen in time, and the pair spend an entire lifetime together, traveling the globe by their lonesome, happy to share each others’ company. It’s incredibly sweet and moving, and we get to see them find the ending they deserve at long last. Plus, there are cameos from most of the beloved recurring characters through their journey, a nice capper.

The end of “Meanwhile” is a bit of a cheat, leaving the door open to make more episodes or movies, should the series have the chance to do so (please let it be so). Yet, at the same time, it also pays off for the marriage, too. For a full review of the episode, click here.

Volume 8 boasts audio commentary on all 13 episodes. I can’t remember the last time a series did that, and it’s certainly welcome. There’s also a second commentary for “Game of Tones,” the second best episode in this set after “Meanwhile,” featuring the animators. Plus, deleted scenes are included, as well as a look at both the writers’ room and the animation process. It’s a satisfying bunch of extras.

I have found that animation that was originally made in high definition (as Futurama is) pretty much always looks great on Blu-ray. More than film, cartoons have the ability to shape the image exactly how they want, and there’s little better than watching sharp, finely detailed, well-drawn shows like this. Futurama doesn’t typically break new ground in effects, but the quality is high and consistent throughout the episodes. The sound is equally clear, even without many frills, providing a very pleasing viewing and listening experience.

Futurama Volume 8 is available now.

SOUTH PARK: "Let Gov" In

Article first published as South Park: "Let Gov" In on TheTVKing.

Comedy Central's South Park is an enduring cultural touchstone. While it is not the longest-running animated series for adults on television, it does hold second place, beginning it's seventeenth season last night with "Let Go, Let Gov." The advantage South Park has over its older peer, The Simpsons, though, is instead of getting stale midway through its run, South Park still continues to deliver biting satire and social commentary, making it relevant and funny to this day.

"Let Go, Let Gov" hits a few items recently in the news. The most obvious involves the NSA, whom Cartman (Trey Parker) becomes concerned is listening in on his phone calls and reading his twitter and email. Of course, the NSA doesn't care about a little boy in Colorado, and that's part of the message that shines through. But they are shown paying attention to a lot of other trivial things, so it still lambasts them.

Whether or not people care that the NSA is monitoring us has been a one-sided debate. There are plenty of us that really don't mind, having nothing to hide, but those people don't tend to speak up because it's not important to them. Then there are others who see it as a stripping of freedoms and privacy. Cartman is the face of this side of the argument, stereotyping the worst of that segment, painting an image many may not be pleased with.

Considering that Cartman has no terrorist connections, why does it matter to him so much that he sneaks into the NSA to spill their secrets, a slightly more subtle reference to recent whistle blowers like Bradley Manning? He claims it's because he doesn't want the government in his personal business. This is a valid point, but only if he doesn't shove his business in everyone's face already.

Cartman is part of the constantly-connected community, talking on speaker phone in public places and tweeting his everything he does or thinks. He even takes it a step further and installs the new social media app "Shitter" in his head so his every thought will be broadcast on the internet. When one puts all that out there, it's hard to feel sympathy for that person's complaints that people are paying attention to it, even if it's not the people he wants to pay attention, whether it be the NSA or Kyle (Matt Stone), neither of which are actually trying to spy on him.

Now, not everyone who has complained about the NSA does what Cartman does, and there are nuances to the matter. However, I love that South Park plays on these things in a very funny way, making for a great season premiere.

The 'B' plot is even more amusing in "Let Go, Let Gov," when Butters (Stone again), hearing the government is watching over him, confuses them with God. Soon, he's recruiting a flock to follow his beliefs, too, out evangelizing the Jehovah's Witnesses, and bringing everyone to the DMV for confession.

It's hilarious that a little boy's misunderstanding spawns an entire religion, though not much more ridiculous than some actual religions' origins. That's part of what South Park is going after, never shy about attacking the devout for legitimate reasons. But the other part is a really clever comparison of what religion and our current system of government post-9/11, which I hadn't thought about before, but seems obvious now.

It's this intelligence that makes South Park so persistent, constantly providing new perspectives that make one smile and nod. It doesn't matter if a particular episode doesn't work, or the material quickly becomes dated, because there's another brilliant, up-to-date offering just around the corner. I don't know how long it'll last, but I hope there's no end in sight.

Also, kudos to the updated title sequence, that looks 3D even on a 2D set. It was time for a dramatic change, which the series does every so often, and the new version is pretty cool.

The one odd thing about "Let Go, Let Gov" is that Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live) provides the voice of Alec Baldwin, the spokesperson for Shitter, a fitting app name for both the actor's infamous rants and the next step in social media. Hader does the impression weakly in true South Park style, the voice obviously the comedian's, even though he is skilled at such craft, more so than is displayed here. It's just weird to hear a new person lending their vocal talents, as the show has always been made up of such a limited cast. It's something I could definitely get used to, just jarring at first.

South Park airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

FUTURAMA Canceled, "Meanwhile"...

Article first published as FUTURAMA Canceled, "Meanwhile"... on TheTVKing.

After resurrecting it for a scant few years, Comedy Central recently canceled Futurama. This week's episode, "Meanwhile," in which Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) invents a button that can send a person back in time ten seconds, will serve as the second series finale. Thank goodness it ranks among the most memorable and best written episodes of Futurama ever produced.

Futurama is supposed to be an animated comedy, but it has always been strongest when it tugs on viewers' emotions. Sure, sometimes it delivers funny jokes, but it rarely fails to jerk a tear when it tries. If one thinks back to the stand-out installments in the original run, episodes such as Fry (also West) giving up his hands to the Robot Devil in order to play a sweet song for Leela (Katey Sagal), or Fry's dog faithfully waiting back in 1999 for him to return home (he never does), are at the top of the list.

Which is why the Comedy Central run, taken as a whole, is inferior to the FOX airings. FOX, and the subsequent straight-to-DVD movies, get it right. On Comedy Central, Fry and Lee's relationship is never certain and rarely touch on, and most half hours go for the gag, rather than continuity or story.

That is, until these past few weeks. Perhaps knowing their time is up, the writers delivered a string of episodes done right. We see Zoidberg (West again) finally find love, Fry pledge to love Leela even as she grows into a mutant, and Fry going back in time to say goodbye to his mother. These are what we are longing for, and they finally arrive.

"Meanwhile" continues that proud tradition. After a near-death experience, Fry decides that he cannot live without Leela and must propose. He stages the perfect way to pop the question, but because he doesn't adjust his watch for the time travel he engages in, believes Leela doesn't want him. Distraught, he jumps to his death, only to realize his mistake and see Leela coming to accept the proposal on his way down.

From here, Fry, using the ten-second button (that takes ten seconds to recharge), becomes stuck in a time loop, always falling, but never landing. This is such a bittersweet moment. He will get to experience the joy of knowing Leela loves him over and over again, but also face death if he forgets to hit the button every ten seconds (like a fast-track Lost). Leela, meanwhile, only sees Fry falling to his death repeatedly.

The time loop is broken unexpectedly, thanks to teamwork from the rest of the Planet Express delivery team, but in the fixing Farnsworth is seemingly killed and time freezes for everyone but Fry and Leela.

I am disappointed Leela and Fry don't take a moment to grieve the professor, or say anything about missing their friends. However, watching them stage a wedding (with their frozen pals in attendance) and travel the world growing old together is enough to overcome these flaws. We finally get to see their happy ending, what it would be like for them to truly together. Without any of the distractions of the world around them, they are able to focus on each other, and the result is lovely taken to the extreme.

Also, while they walk through the frozen world, we get cameos by a number of Futurama's recurring characters, a tribute to what the series has been over the years.

In the end, though, Farnsworth isn't dead and visits them in their old age, ready to reset time back to before he invented the button. Though they won't remember their lives together, Fry and Leela agree to go back, too, giving themselves the opportunity to do it all over again.

This is cool because there is no doubt on the part of the happy couple. They are both certain they will be together and find joy, even if they don't remember this particular proposal and scenario. This solidifies what we suspect, that the pair are meant to be man and wife, and that they will share love no matter what happens. Given the depressing state of their romantic entanglement in earlier adventures, this is the way Futurama must end, giving fans exactly what they want.

Though it also opens the door for further episodes of the type we're familiar with, should anyone else decide to rescue it again. (I'm looking at you, TBS!)

DRUNK HISTORY Now Weekly

Article first published as DRUNK HISTORY Now Weekly on TheTVKing.

Drunk History began on funnyordie.com, was featured on HBO's Funny Or Die Presents, and now has its own weekly half hour on Comedy Central. The premise is simple enough - Derek Waters (Hall Pass) gets a person who knows a bit about American history drunk and has them tell a tale. Actors perform the inebriated bits, with the drunk voice dubbed over them.

Drunk History works for a couple of reasons. One, the people participating know what they are talking about, so while they tell things in an amusing way, there is some truth involved, too. Two, the segments are kept short, with Watergate, Lincoln's assassination, and Elvis meeting Nixon all in the first half hour. Third, the costumes and sets are pretty good. Not realistic-makeup good, but not made-in-someone's-basement cheesy, either, making the look work well. And it's edited, so we get some tangents, but the plots remain cohesive enough to follow.

There are lots of recognizable faces participating in Drunk History. In this first episode, Jack Black (Scott of Rock) is Elvis, Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad) is Nixon and 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer is Nixon's aide, Stephen Merchant (Extras) is Lincoln, Fred Willard (Modern Family) is Deep Throat, Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) and Will Forte (Saturday Night Live) are the Booth brothers, Jonathan Ames (Bored to Death) plays father Booth, and Nathan Fielder (Nathan For You) portrays Woodward. I think having all of these people involved lends the proceedings credibility.

It's also really funny. The narratives are delivered in a whimsical, light-hearted way. It's enjoyable (for a limited amount of time, such as a half hour) to watch people who are wasted, and by taking the words they say and acting them out with pizazz, it's a lot like hanging out with your friends, only more visual.

I could do without the puking on the floor, though I guess that's a necessary risk, as Slightly Tipsy History wouldn't be nearly as good. But the cookie breaks and the dialogue delivery are wonderful. This is an idea that has proven popular in other venues, so it's nice to see it get its due now.

Drunk History airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

FUTURAMA "Fling" With Comedy Central Almost Over

Article first published as FUTURAMA "Fling" With Comedy Central Almost Over on TheTVKing.

Futurama, which Comedy Central resurrected years after its cancellation by FOX, is near the end again. Last night, the first two episodes of the back half of season seven, which will be the show's last, aired. Like much of the cable run, they were very mediocre, occasionally funny, and still bitter sweet, with the ending in sight by fans, though not the players.

The first half, "2-D Blacktop," is part Fast and Furious parody, part adventure in two dimensions. Not liking the car racing flicks, the first part of the episode, where Professor Farnsworth (voiced by Billy West) soups up the Planet Express ship and joins a drag racing gang, feels kind of flat. Yes, we see Farnsworth behaving in an amusing way, but it's not the type of story that really fits his role, nor does it tie into much that we've seen from him before.

Worse, there is a supporting character tossed into "2-D Blacktop" who complains about being emotionally abused by her father, who apparently didn't say certain things to her. This is a recurring plot throughout the half hour, culminating in her seemingly getting a call from her dad that makes it all right. It's not funny, doesn't fit, and makes little sense in the scheme. We'll probably never see the character again, thankfully, but she is pointless here.

Then the Planet Express ship crashes and Farnsworth, Fry (also West), Leela (Katey Sagal), and Bender (John DiMaggio) are transported into a literally flat universe. Ironic, considering that that's the part of the episode that jumps up and gets interesting. I wish more time was spent in this realm, as playing with the physics and rules of the new universe is enjoyable and part of what Futurama does in its best days - geeky humor.

"2-D Blacktop" would have been redeemable has the new Planet Express ship stuck around past the end of the thirty minutes, but inexplicably it has disappeared by the next episode. Why?

Part two is entitled "Fry and Leela's Big Fling." The characters mentioned in the episode's moniker take a romantic vacation where they encounter Leela's penny-pinching ex. Many long-time fans of the show love to see the pair together, and wish the relationship would be handled with more care and consistency during the rebirth. Granted, it's not much different than in the original episodes, but that's kind of the point, since the filler movies, released after the cancellation, mature and grew this into something beautiful that has since been squandered.

Unfortunately, it's not handled super well in "Fry and Leela's Big Fling," either. At first, the pair are sneaking around, trying not to show their co-workers that they are intimate. Then, they don't care. Once on the trip itself, they seem completely stable and comfortable together, then things get awkward and tense, and it's not just the interloper that causes this, and then they go back to being solid again. It's like the entire inconsistency of the past couple of years is condensed and replayed in a half hour.

The fact that their vacation spot ends up being in an ape-run planet's zoo, with primates surreptitiously watching them make love, is absolutely perfect! I adore the Planet of the Apes take-off, a return of old characters, and tying Fry and Leela's story into several other characters' scenes. It's well crafted in such a way where one can admire the storytelling, and there are some gags that land. I especially admire the revelation that Leela and her ex are manipulated into running into one another.

The only thing that doesn't make sense are that the monkeys have old-style cameras. There are cell phones mixed in as well, but as much as the future portrayed in the show mimics today's world, having cameras there is just dumb and doesn't belong.

What's most disappointing is that nothing will likely pay-off. Animated shows take awhile to make, and going into this batch of installments, no one knew it was ending. Futurama sets itself apart from others of its ilk because the characters can actually be dynamic and there is continuity. As such, it deserves a true bookend, not just a handful of typical entries. Lackluster these past couple of years as it may be, it'll still be sad to see it go without the ending it deserves. Maybe some more films can be made?

Futurama airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

Futurama returns to The Matrix

Normally, I like the more emotional episodes of Comedy Central's Futurama better than the comedy-centered ones, though both have their merits. This week's entry, "Near-Death Wish," kind of balanced things out nicely, even if it stretched the believability of the universe a bit. There was some true character exploration, and throw backs to previous episodes, as well as good movie references.

Obviously, the title of the episode is a play off of the movie Death Wish, though instead of a vigilante seeking revenge, Fry (Billy West) just connects with some old relatives who may soon pass away. You see, Fry is desperate for approval from his great-great...-nephew, the Professor (also West), but the Professor isn't that interested in being a good family member. Discovering the Professor's parents are still alive, Fry finds them living in a virtual world, and builds the family connection he has longed for. This also exposes the Professor's past, and allows him to finally make peace with his mom and dad.

"Near-Death Wish" makes the Fry family connections make sense a little more. We know that the Professor is crazy, and now we see him in his early days, before he got locked up in the mental institution. (Yes, now we need a episode to figure out how he got from a 25 year lock up to working for Mom.) And with the personality that the Professor has, unable to relate even to the people who lovingly raised him, it's no wonder he has no strong connection to Fry, despite their shared DNA.

My only beef here is that the Professor is so often portrayed as close to death, himself, and to have his parents show up definitely pushes what can be accepted as reality, even in this cartoon world. The likely explanation is that the Matrix-esque Near-Death Star must be able to keep old people alive. And I wish we had seen the referenced Floyd and Bender (John DiMaggio) sequence a couple of weeks ago, like when the Nibbler plot seeds were planted early.

"Near-Death Star," besides that obvious Star Wars reference, also makes allusions to Star Trek, and goes on an extended tirade about The Matrix itself. But the best references are those to past Futurama episodes. The Near-Death Star was visited by the characters awhile ago, and even has the same robot guard arm. We get to see Fry playing his holophone again. Hermes (Phil LaMarr) and Zoidberg (also West) seem to have become friends, a toss back to earlier this season.

Also, the clout Fry gets after winning the Clippie Award is just plain hilarious, and who can pass up a guest star turn by Estelle Harris?

The gags, references, and a sweet ending on a farm all contribute to make "Near-Death Wish" a memorable Futurama episode. Watch new installments Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

Jeff Ross will burn you

Jeff Ross is s roaster extraordinaire for Comedy Central during the annual event where comedians go after an "honored" celebrity. With frequent appearances, usually providing some of the funnier material in the specials, it seems natural for Ross to move on to his own show, roasting anyone that he wants to, whether they like it or not. Thus is born the new series that premieres last night, The Burn with Jeff Ross.

The title tells you everything that you need to know about the series, really. Ross stands up on a stage and lays into famous people. Some deserve it, some don't. Jokes are broken up into segments, but there isn't any real sense of distinction between what belongs in each solo-performed category; instead, it just provides a way to break up the show a bit.

Ross has an edgy style that may go too far. In fact, in the first episode he starts a bit called "Too Soon?" This week's topic is Sally Ride, and he rips on the recently deceased female astronaut. Ride is a pioneer and a hero to Americans. While some may be shocked that Ross says anything negative about such a woman, at least he does seem to take it easier on her than his still-living subjects.

Besides these monologues, Ross also brings on a few pals. In the first episode, Amy Schumer, J.B. Smoove, and Ralphie May are the victims, er, guests. Ross actually leaves them alone, for the most part, just allowing them to partake in his rant-fest, if it's even severe enough to call it that. This is a bit of a shame, because here are some targets that would fight back, which could be amusing. Instead, they all just feel like they're having fun, bonding over telling mean jokes, but not getting too carried away. Sarah Silverman appears briefly in a smaller segment, to much the same effect.

This exposes the "secret" behind The Burn: Jeff Ross is not mean. Sure, he may touch on topics that are a bit taboo, and say some things that will offend some. But his smile betrays his genuinely nice qualities, and the guests are his friends, proving he isn't a total jerk. This is why he gets away with picking on people who aren't defending themselves. Even when attacking meter maids on the street, half of them smile at Ross's gags at their expense. A segment in the first episode where Ross roasts his elderly uncle is also aces at demonstrating the real Ross.

So will a nice roast format work? Is it really a burn if the person delivering it is nonthreatening and likable? Eh, that's debatable. The bottom line that people will really care about is, is The Burn with Jeff Ross funny? And like most weekly comedy shows, the answer is: sometimes. It's hard to pump out so much new material on a regular basis, and while Ross tries, he only succeeds part of the time. Which makes me doubt the longevity of such a program.

Enjoy The Burn with Jeff Ross while it lasts, Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! Originally posted on TheTVKing

Futurama builds "The Six Million Dollar Mon"

In the latest installment of Comedy Central's Futurama, "The Six Million Dollar Mon," Hermes (Phil LaMarr) is disgraced after being rated the least valuable employee at Planet Express and fired, replaced by a machine. It doesn't matter that he is the one who does the firing to himself, it still hurts. Adding insult to injury, Hermes is almost mugged by crazy Roberto (David Herman). To cope with these events, Hermes begins getting robot implants, until there is nothing human left about him.

"The Six Million Dollar Mon" is, overall, a very good episode. It really focuses on the characters of Hermes and Zoidberg (Billy West), exploring their relationship, and their personalities. Futurama is at its strongest when it takes the time to work with what it already has, which are fully developed, complex characters. Adventures are nice, but character exploration is what makes good television great.

The episode uses these individuals and their quirks to be funny. When Zoidberg thinks Hermes's meanness towards him is Hermes's way of showing affection, it's sweet. When we learn that Hermes really does hate Zoidberg, it informs on the way their characters interact, and is tragically amusing. Zoidberg building the Hermes puppet continues this trend, simultaneous making us laugh at the visual gag, but also feel sorry for poor, pathetic Zoidberg, knowing this is his way of coping with not truly having any friends. Many people can relate to this.

Add to that, Professor Farnsworth (also West) acting as a mad scientist, and Scruffy (also Herman) refusing to fix anything that is not a boiler or a toilet, and there are some truly classic moments. Best of all is Bender (John DiMaggio) being fascinated with a machine that bends, and appearing jealous of Hermes's shiny metal ass, a trademark catchphrase of Bender's.

There are a couple of smart plot twists in "The Six Million Dollar Mon." Once Roberto is executed, and then Mecha Hermes wants a robot brain, it's fairly predictable what is going to happen. Still, it seems clever, even if it's a trope used in other fiction, because of the sincerity it is played with. Ditto for Zoidberg rebuilding Hermes piece by piece. One can see where the writers are going, but it's still fun to be taken along for the ride. It's the seamless way it all ties together that kicks the story a notch above the norm.

Plus, Futurama really delivers the references in this episode. From the title, a play on the television show of almost the same name, Hermes getting a Cylon eye, and seeing Helper's grave in the robot cemetery, "The Six Millon Dollar Mon" has goodies for geeks galore, whether one is a fan of The Venture Brothers or Battlestar Galactica. These are more than just cut scenes, a la Family Guy, but actually add to the value of the plot here.

That being said, it isn't a perfect episode. The sequence where LaBarbara's (Dawnn Lewis) curry drips through a number of different places, finally burning the Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta), is a throwback to the other animated shows that lack the ingenuity and cleverness of Futurama. Worse, Leela (Katey Sagal) and Amy (Lauren Tom) invite a distracted Fry (West again) to shower with them in a cheap joke that is totally out of character for all involved.

Still, Futurama delivers more consistently than most, and remains a must-watch show, even after the many years of episodes that have come before this one. Catch Futurama Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com.  If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published on TheTVKing

Futurama returns with "The Bots and the Bees" and "Farewell to Arms"

Futurama TM and © 2012 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Comedy Central's FUTURAMA returned with two new episodes last night to kick off the season. Having been resurrected for a couple of years now, the show has gotten back into the groove that made it so great before being cancelled by FOX. Both episodes that aired last night are funny, somewhat ignoring of continuity, and have a heartfelt arc. So, they are classic FUTURAMA.

The first half hour is called "The Bots and the Bees." Bender (John Di Maggio) doesn't take a shine to the new soda machine, Bev (Wanda Sykes), very quickly. But after she kills his night with two slutbots, they end up fighting, which turns into lovemaking. Shortly thereafter, Bev gives birth to a son, whom Bender names Ben. While Bender tries to abandon the lad, as is completely in character for him, Bev does so first, leaving Bender to be a single parent.

Bender seems like he usually gets the least amount of emotional development of any of the major characters because he is so callous and self-centered. But "The Bots and the Bees" takes the rare side trip of exposing Bender's soul. The mechanics of how the baby is made and grows might not make much sense in reality, but the feelings and attachment feels authentic, and that's far more important. Bender sacrifices everything to be a good dad, even allowing Ben's memories of his father to be wiped so that Ben can fulfill his dream of being a bender.

It's sad that Ben will probably not return to the show again. In its infancy, FUTURAMA added new recurring characters frequently, and brought them back repeatedly. Since the re-launch, no one notable has joined the cast, making it seem like Ben is probably destined to be a one-shot player. This is too bad because there are plenty of stories that could still be mined from Bender's fatherly role, and it would be fun to see Ben interact with the other Planet Express employees' children. If the plan is, indeed, to abandon Ben as surely as Bev does in the episode, would the creative team please reconsider?

Even in the funniest FUTURAMA stories, the level of depth exposed in the characters raises the series a notch above most of its peers. Other animated shows might touch on the heart, but only FUTURAMA embraces it so completely, developing dynamic, fully realized characters. Yes, this episode is very funny, with lots of laughs, especially during Fry's (Billy West) B story, where he drinks so much Slurm that he turns bright green, so much so that he becomes a sort of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. But that isn't all there is to it. It's this combination of humor and emotion that makes FUTURAMA so great.

It must also be said that the opening of "The Bots and the Bees," with the Planetary Express symbol instantly bringing the crew back together, even when some of them are battling for their lives against a giant space spider, works beautifully. FUTURAMA likes to go big in season openings, and this one certainly brings the fans back in cleverly, delivering a great bit immediately.

The second half hour, "Farewell to Arms," is even better than the first. Fry finds some ancient Martian writings under New New York, which Amy (Lauren Tom) is asked to translate. She says that the world will end because of some solar flares. Electronics stop working, so mankind cannot flee the planet in their spaceships. However, near the writing there is a stone rocket ship that can save 30,000 people. A computerized selection process occurs, and certain people are chosen, a varied sampling from which to continue the human race. Upon arriving on Mars, the "survivors" discover that the prophecy actually foretells the destruction of the red planet, not Earth.

Yes, the 2012 story is an obvious target, and changing Mayan to Martian in 3012 in a thinly veiled parallel isn't exactly brilliant, nor does it feel original. Yet, "Farewell to Arms" works because FUTURAMA so fully commits to the conceit. It's almost a commentary on the craziness of the 2012, with several characters making comments about how silly prophecies are. In this, it works very well. While many outlets of pop culture have tackled the 2012 story in a number of ways, FUTURAMA has top writers who deliver a high quality episode.

Like "The Bots and the Bees," soul is at the center of "Farewell to Arms." This episode returns to the Fry and Lee relationship, which is routinely ignored for long stretches of time. Fry keeps making romantic gestures, but in keeping with his character, they always go wrong. Fry gives up his seat to Mars to save Leela, who is not one of the chosen, and then Mars is almost destroyed. It's so bad that Leela almost doesn't let Fry try to save her from Mars, which happens to pass extremely close to New New York, and when she finally does, they both end up with their arms torn off, hence the title of this installment.

Plus, Leela being grossed out about grabbing her own severed arm, which isn't bleeding and somehow must not hurt, is amusing in the context.

When will FUTURAMA just let Fry and Leela be a couple? The effort has been put in, and the DVD-released movies while the series was off-air took the time to make any relationship between them feel earned. "Farewell to Arms" reminds us of the love between them, which makes the episodes where this chemistry is absent seem a bit off. More follow up to this would be greatly appreciated.

FUTURAMA is funny about continuity, in that sometimes it is abandoned all together, while other times past events matter very much to the present. Let's hope Mars' new position, as a close moon to Earth, becomes permanent. After all, this heralds a fantastic Amy episode, as her parents live on Mars, should FUTURAMA pursue this path.

FUTURAMA airs new episodes Wednesdays at 10 PM ET on Comedy Central.

"Cartman Find Love" on South Park

In the mid-season finale of Comedy Central's South Park, a new African American girl named Nichole moves to town. At first, Nichole is smitten with Kyle (Matt Stone). But Cartman (Trey Parker) decides that Token (Adrien Beard) is the natural and perfect match for Nichole, their skin being the same color and all. So Cartman tells Nichole that he and Kyle are gay lovers, a rumor that spreads like wildfire through the school, then locks Token and Nichole in a locker room together overnight. Love blossoms, but will it last?

Leave it to South Park to remind everyone about racism in a new and interesting way. Sure, other shows still go after race relations, though the fervor has died down in the last couples of years, but it's hard to think of another series that takes quite the same angle as South Park does in "Cartman Finds Love." By casting Cartman, already known to be a loathsome child, as a crazy racist bent on keeping the ethnicities separate, the animated comedy goes wild with stereotypes without risking offending too deeply.

When the audience learns that Cartman recently accomplished a similar pairing with a couple of Latino children, it evokes a disturbing pattern. Cartman is violent and full of hate, even becoming a serial killer of stuffed animals in the past. Just why does he go to such lengths, and what kind of adult does this set him up to be?

Perhaps Cartman is filled with self-loathing, and just takes it out on others. He shamelessly sells his romance with Kyle to the point that one begins to wonder if it isn't Cartman's fantasy. His Jew-bashing and taunting of Kyle all of these years could be a coping mechanism for strong homosexual tendencies he is in denial of. Maybe when Cartman comes to grips with that reality, it will calm him down, and his irrational anger will begin to subside.

Then again, maybe South Park is just a funny, filthy cartoon that is brilliant at social commentary. It has proven its ability to hit these notes in the past, and "Cartman Finds Love" does so again.

Humor is very present in this episode. From Cartman arguing and fighting with 'Cupid Me,' to Mr. Garrison (also Parker) teaching Game of Thrones as history, to repeat playings of the song "I Swear," "Cartman Find Love" hits all the right notes of funny. If one wants to watch the series without thinking of the deeper issues involved, this episode succeeds. But they're there for those who like to dissect.

South Park will return next fall to Comedy Central.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Please click here to buy South Park DVDs, streaming episodes, and other merchandise. Click here to read every South Park review I've ever written.

South Park does 'Reverse Cowgirl'

Comedy Central's South Park begins its sixteenth season last night with "Reverse Cowgirl." Clyde's (Trey Parker) mother is killed after Clyde leaves the toilet seat up. The men and women of South Park bicker over whose job it is to make sure that the toilet seat is down. The TSA comes to town and begins regulating all bathroom usage to prevent another such occurrence. Upset, Clyde goes with his friends to meet an attorney, who suggests holding a "sue-ance" to sue the spirit of the inventor of the toilet, who died in the 17th century. Surprisingly, his spirit does appear, and sets the residents straight on the issue.

While South Park is often known for tackling current events or contentious societal issues, it's the smaller, simpler episodes, dealing with the trivial that often hold up best over time. The matter of whether men should put the toilet seat up or down falls into the latter category. It's a universal battle that everyone can relate to, but the fact of the matter is, it really doesn't matter all that much. Which is why South Park blows it way out of proportion in "Reverse Cowgirl," making a story that fills half an hour.

Of course, South Park can't resist throwing in a second part to this tale, merging an age old debate with something on people's minds nowadays: the overreach of the TSA. While the letters stand for something different in "Reverse Cowgirl" than they do in reality, and this fictional TSA's actions seem over the top in the face of such a minor infraction, it's meant to shine a light on the real TSA's airport security procedures. How much is too much? South Park may not take a political stance overtly, but it's clear that they think the TSA needs to be toned down. And who can blame them? However, in dealing with humor at the expense of a factual argument, it becomes an amusing side story, rather than a real discussion or biting satire.

South Park is primarily a comedy, and "Reverse Cowgirl" has its share of funny moments. Butters (Matt Stone) insists on sitting on the toilet backwards, which leads to the episode's title, and though lampooned by his neighbors, his theory is backed up by the spirit of the inventor. Cartman (Parker) gossips shamelessly on the phone while eating candy and clipping his nails, telling exaggerated stories to those who were present for the events. Randy (Parker) is given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt in the bathroom of his own home. These are all very humorous, and make "Reverse Cowgirl" a winner.

"Reverse Cowgirl" may not go down as one of the best South Park episodes of all time, but a fan would be hard-pressed to say it wasn't good. It's a serviceable entry in the library of episodes, and one that did the job it is supposed to do.

Watch South Park Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central. Click here to read every South Park review I've written.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Please click here to buy South Park DVDs, streaming episodes, and other merchandise.

Futurama Volume 6 now on Blu-ray and DVD

     Now out on Blu-ray and DVD from FOX is Futurama Volume 6. The sixth volume contains the second half of season six, the batch of episodes that aired this past summer. Concerning the blu-ray edition, there are two discs with thirteen episodes, as well as some special features. The episodes are in production order, which is not the order in which they aired. For instance, the two episodes that originally kicked off the summer run are numbers 7 and 4 in this set. For Futurama fans, this latest release is needed to complete the collection.

     When Comedy Central ordered new episodes of the canceled animated series Futurama, many rejoiced. The sixth season, the first original one on cable, was twenty-six episodes long, split over two years. Volume 6 contains the second batch of thirteen. But it is far from the capstone on the series that resists death. Next year, Comedy Central will present another batch of thirteen installments, followed by the second half of "season seven" sometime in 2013. So there's plenty of life left in this series.

     The quality of Futurama to be found in Volume 6 lives up to the standard set by the show. Bender (John DiMaggio), certainly a fan favorite character, gets lot to do. In "The Silence of the Clamps," he is forced to enter a witness relocation program as he flees from the Robot Mafia. "Benderama" provides Bender will the ability to replicate himself in ever smaller copies, which eventually threatens to destroy Earth. After Bender's death in "Ghost in the Machine," his spirit haunts the Planet Express crew. "Overclockwise" sees Bender evolve into a god with very high processing power, looking down on the mere mortals he used to reluctantly call "friends."

     But, of course, there are other characters besides Bender, and Futurama Volume 6 should satisfy them as well. "Mobius Dick" is a wonderful parody of Moby Dick, with Leela (Katey Sagal) on the hunt for an elusive white space whale who can travel into a fourth dimension, while "Yo Leela Leela" casts the one-eyed beauty as the star of a children's series. "The Tip of the Zoidberg" delves into the Professor (Billy West) and Zoidberg's (also West) past, giving some background info that fans never knew before. "All the President's Heads" sends the Planet Express crew back to the American Revolution. "Cold Warriors" has Fry (also West) reintroducing the extinct common cold to mankind. And "Reincarnation" is particularly memorable, as the characters are shown in three different animation styles.

     This set has a handful of extras. Most importantly, all thirteen episodes have audio commentary available to them. Roughly fifteen minutes of deleted scenes are included, split between the two discs, some of which are fully animated, and some not quite finished.

     Three featurettes give more depth to the series. "Professor Farnsworth's Science of a Scene" takes a look at how the giant Bender inside-head set was created for "Overclockwise." But rather than get too technical or dry, much time is spent speaking with those involved in the show, who give an overview of their process, as well as share some musings on the show at large. Similarly, "Reincarnation Explained!" features Peter Avanzino, the director of the episode "Reincarnation," discussing the various animation styles featured, but also the impact of Futurama on him, and his take on animation in general. Funniest is "Futurama F.A.Q. (Frequently Axed Questions)," where those involved in the show answer fan questions, usually humorously. It's not clear if these are actual questions sent in by fans, but the short is very entertaining, though a little sparse on real responses.

     Overall, Futurama Volume 6 is a good buy, with some great content to hold fans over until season seven premieres this summer. Buy your copy today.

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South Park picks on "The Poor Kid"

     Comedy Central's South Park caps off season fifteen with "The Poor Kid." A meth lab is discovered behind Kenny's (Matt Stone) house, so his parents are arrested, and Kenny and his siblings are taken to foster care. With Kenny out of the school, Cartman (Trey Parker) eagerly searches for who is now the poorest kid, so he can pick on them. Too bad for Cartman, it's himself. Angry at his mom for the humiliation, Cartman gets himself sent to foster care, and despite thinking he can get sent to Hawaii if he asks, winds up in the home with Kenny. Luckily, Mysterion arrives to expose the bad Agnostic foster parents, and Kenny and Cartman get to go home.

     Cartman picks on everyone. That's his thing. If Kenny wasn't poor, Cartman would find some reason to single him out. Because of that, Cartman is bound to end up as the subject of one of his discriminations sooner or later. But "poor" comes as a surprise. While Cartman's mom (April Stewart) doesn't buy Cartman everything he wants, he seems to live pretty comfortably. Perhaps she still has some savings from her wild days, when she made pornos and things. Considering that Cartman's criteria for poor is based solely on current income, and setting aside that there is no way for him to easily find those figures, her savings could be excluded. Maybe the house is even paid off, taking some of the burden away. Though, Mrs. Cartman does say she is working two jobs, which still makes it seem like she shouldn't be the lowest earner in the entire school.

     The title "The Poor Kid" could also refer to poor Eric Cartman, forced to suffer through the humiliation of being the most economically disadvantaged kid in school. Never mind that he has a mother who loves him and takes good care of him. The selfish child is worried only about his own image, and assumes that everyone is as mean as he is. Most kids aren't, of course, and so Cartman is left making fun of himself. It seems he just can't shake the habit of making poor jokes.

     Kenny is the South Park character that deserves sympathy. Repeatedly killed, and forced to live in a shabby, rundown dwelling, he keeps his dignity. He is also likely Mysterion, or so it appears in "The Poor Kid," comforting his scared little sister, Karen. If anyone deserves bad things to happen to him, it's not Kenny. Hasn't he suffered enough? Though, still funny when a giant turkey eats him at the end of the episode.

     South Park tries to fairly go after every religion and group, so as not to be discriminatory. It's finally the Agnostics' turn this week. The foster parents Kenny and Cartman are sent to are very strict Agnostics, that force their foster children to say "I don't know" to any question of belief. It's funny to see a group that typically doesn't take a hard stand be so full of conviction on their position. Thus, South Park has probably gotten around to every religion now, the set satisfyingly complete.

     South Park has just been renewed through 2016, so fans will get at least five more years of the series. It will return with new episodes next spring.

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South Park has a "Broadway Bro Down"

     In this week's episode of Comedy Central's South Park, "Broadway Bro Down," Randy (Trey Parker) discovers that Broadway shows have subliminal messages that cause women to want to give their men blow jobs. Thus, he begins taking Sharon (April Stewart) to many of these performances. Annoyed at the inconvenience, he begins writing his own show, with the subtext more overt. This angers Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Elton John, all legendary Broadway giants, who come to South Park to challenge Randy. In the end, they all become friends, and help Randy with his show.

     Going after Broadway is timely and predictable, considering that Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, have a Tony-award winning show, Book of Mormon, on the Great White Way right now. This does not detract from the enjoyment, of course, as obviously the duo have some serious skill in addressing the musical world. Robert Lopez, who worked with the boys on Book of Mormon, guest co-wrote this episode, too. But the guys don't shove their own thing down viewers' faces. In fact, other than an extremely brief advertisement for Book of Mormon just before the opening credits, their show is absent from reference in the episode.

     Plenty of other shows get the focus, most notable Wicked. The songs portrayed in the South Park version of Wicked are similar to those in the actual musical, but have some different lyrics, including the word "blowjob" inserted in many places. The same thing happens when other Broadway shows are glimpsed. Are the guys onto something? Does Broadway really make girls blowjob-crazy, despite the notable absence in reality of the subtext glimpsed in "Broadway Bro Down?" Well, that depends, of course. If the woman a man takes really likes the man and the show, the reward may be offered. But that's likely more a show of gratitude and affection, rather than anything in the actual material.

     The portrayal of the Broadway legends as beer drinking, "normal," manly men is the oddest part of "Broadway Bro Down." After all, these people have well-known personalities that do not match at all their South Park versions. But if they even see this episode, a possible, but far from guaranteed, occurrence, it probably won't be an issue. This is a well known recurring gag from the series, South Park always wanting to be unpredictable and force new perspectives. Thus, it comes across as light-hearted, funny, and not mean-spirited at all.

     Things do take a turn for the dark when Randy's daughter, Shelley (also Stewart) goes on a date to see Wicked with a vegan boy, whose last name happens to be Feegan, whom she has bonded with. Randy panics, and must tell Sharon the secret of Broadway, as they rush to stop their young daughter from giving oral sex. This is a bit disturbing, made even more so when Randy meets an older gentleman and his very young granddaughter in the audience. Thankfully, South Park does not actually address kids giving hummers, but instead, with a dig at the failure of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, disrupts the show. Shelley's guy's death is unfortunate, as it takes away possible character development, but not out of the realm for how South Park ties up loose ends.

     Watch South Park Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

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Craig Ferguson Does This Need To Be Said? on DVD

     Comedy Central presents comedian Craig Ferguson's new standup special, Does This Need To Be Said? Premiering on the network this past Saturday, October 15th, the event will be released on DVD Tuesday, October 17th. The DVD contains a 65-minute, uncensored and extended version of what is shown on television.

     For those who enjoy The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the man shown here captures the same, light-hearted, genuine nice guy spirit that pervades the talk show. With his stint on The Drew Carey Show being replaced in memory by newer, nicer material, Ferguson is no longer the mean boss, but instead, someone most people would want to hang out with. He comes across as honest, kind, and very, very funny.

     That being said, Ferguson does go after celebrities with aplomb. From unexpected digs at Kate Winslet, Fabio, and Kevin Costner, as well as obvious targets like Charlie Sheen, Carrie Prejean, and Tiger Woods, Ferguson always seems to be ribbing, rather than attacking. Sure, he points out their flaws with glee, but he spends as much, if not more, time being self-deprecating, so it seems acceptable.

     Ferguson doesn't just talk about celebrities who have made mistakes in Does This Need To Be Said? The title itself comes from something he claims to have learned in marriage (he is on his third wife). He speaks about women and men, body image issues, and his battle with alcoholism. He tells of his heritage. He also defends the existence of God, something not often associated with comedy. There are some clever jokes here one won't find anywhere else.

     One thing Late Late Show fans may find unexpected is Ferguson's generous use of profanity, especially the 'f' word. He admits at the beginning of the special that he is sad he is not allowed to say it during his series, and warns viewers that he will be using it a lot. Then he does exactly that. So much so that one wonders what those watching it on television with bleeps thought was happening. You can't say Ferguson doesn't stick to his word. Consider this a final warning. But as long as you aren't offended by such language, and most people that buy or watch stand up comedian specials are not, than this DVD is totally worth a purchase.

     Let it also be said that Ferguson knows how to start and end a show. He begins Does This Need To Be Said? by telling viewers he is here to tell a joke. Though this assertion is soon forgotten about, he does end the special by finally getting around to sharing the short, hilarious joke he promises in the beginning.

     Ferguson recruits Jeff Arnold and Chris Saladin, both veterans of The Late Late Show, to come out and play flute and saxophone as an introduction. At the end, the two return in outrageous costumes to perform a wonderfully choreographed, lip-synched rendition of Britney Spears's "Oops I Did It Again" with the comedian. They do the entire number, keeping the gag going for several minutes. Each second of the bit is as good as the last, and it does not grow tired by the end of the song, as one might expect it to.

     The DVD release, as mentioned above, is an extended and uncensored version of the televised special. For this reason, one should buy this really funny hour. As far as bonus features go, though, clocking in at just over two minutes, it's hard to fathom why anyone bothered including them at all. Fans talk about Ferguson as he arrives in Nashville, and then one of them does a rap about the comedian. Interesting, sure, but as the only extras, they leave much to be desired.

     Buy Craig Ferguson Does This Need To Be Said? on DVD, available this Tuesday.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Craig Ferguson Does This Need To Be Said? on Blogcritics.