The Ricky Gervais Show finishes second season with "Munchies"

     HBO's The Ricky Gervais Show finished its second season this past Friday night with "Munchies". Season two lived up to the high comedy expectations set by season one, and one can only hope the series will continue for some time to come. In the finale, Karl is asked if he would live a perfectly happy life in a virtual world. He agrees, but imagines a life pretty much the same as his is now. The only two things he is really concerned about is how much time his girlfriend, Suzanne, will have off work, and if Munchies will still taste as good. He must have the Munchies, but he's not sure he'd like Suzanne to have too much free time at home with him.

     Which is how Karl Pilkington's brain works. That's what the whole show is about, and any reviews written about it will cover the same. He doesn't think like a normal person, and approaches existence from an entirely different perspective. That's why the show works so well. Karl isn't a character that must be consistently written funny. He is a unique individual who provides intense fascination for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, as well as viewers at home.

     After discussing the virtual world, Karl goes off on problems. He tells the guys his theory of a 'problem hole'. He says everyone has a problem hole, and they are all the same size, but the problems going into them are not. Ricky keeps wanting to interrupt, but in a rare display of take charge-ness, Stephen repeatedly orders Ricky to shut up so that they can explore the hole theory. It's great, because Stephen is just so curious about what nonsense Karl has made up, which admittedly is a full explanation, not just a tiny tidbit idea, like Karl usually spouts. In the animated version, Stephen is even shown to draw a diagram to illustrate Karl's words.

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     Finally, at the end of the episode, for the first time in the series, Ricky makes Karl laugh. Karl rarely seems to be offended by the guys, who often pick on him. But he is genuinely amused by something someone else says. This is such an unusual occurence, there is nothing to do but end the show when it happens. It's hard to say how a real life Karl would look laughing, but for the cartoon representation, it is odd.

     Next week, Ricky will do a special sitting down with other comedians, so a Ricky Gervais drought will be brief. Hopefully, so will Karl's absence from screen.

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Geek Out With Jimmy hits HotZoneRadio

Jerome Wetzel, er, me, is currently a contributing writer for HotZoneOnline.com, but I began my public foray into publicly covering entertainment news and reviews as a podcast host.  I co-created a podcast called The Good, The Bad, & The Geeky, and hosted it for nearly 100 episodes, most of which are still available on iTunes, though I don’t recommend any new episodes, as the podcast was continued, albeit differently, after I left, and unfortunately, retained the name, despite my request that it not.  Almost a year ago, having had a fall out with my co-creator, I launched my own podcast, Geek Out With Jimmy, as Jimmy is the name I was called by my former co-host.  Then I got married and moved from Columbus, Ohio to Lexington, Kentucky, and dropped the podcast in all the confusion.  When the dust settled, I began writing as the Lexington TV Examiner, and then for HotZone.  When HotZoneOnline announced they were creating a radio station, I was thrilled to bring back the hourly cast Geek Out With Jimmy for a new audience.
Though the episode running this week is listed as Episode 16: Why Did He Come Back?, you can jump in with no prior knowledge of me.  (I will try to put the first 15 back on iTunes in the very near future).  This week I discuss which shows have been picked up for next season and which are still up in the air.  I also cover other television news, such as upcoming guest stars and stars of new shows being made.  I talk about the shows 24, Lost, American Idol, Brothers & Sisters, Undercover Boss, The Colbert Report, Ugly Betty, and the Olympics.  There is also a song tucked in about Jack Bauer.
In the future, I plan on bringing GOWJ to HotZoneRadio every week, and hope to find a co-host for my newly revived show.  I will discuss current television news and reviews, and every once in awhile, stick in a parody song or (hopefully) funny skit.  I welcome all e-mails and suggestions for the show.  Send to me@actorsnightmare.com
Geek Out With Jimmy is currently slated to run tonight (Friday) at 7pm, Saturday at 1pm, and Sunday at 1pm.  Please tune in and tell me what you think.

The Ricky Gervais Show podcast cartoon

     The Ricky Gervais Show premiered last night on HBO.  Essentially, it is bits of a podcast set to Flintstone-esque animation.  Mostly, it shows three guys sitting around the table with microphones, and then there are little flashes to illustrated whatever one of them has said.  The series stars the British The Office and Extras cohorts Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, along with the real star of the show, a producer named Karl Pilkington.
     Listening to it, one is immediately struck with the idea that Karl is such an idiot that he can't possibly be for real.  He says the most inane random tidbits, and Merchant and Gervais have a ball laughing at him.  No one can possibly be as stupid as Karl comes off as being.  However, both of his co-stars insist that it's all real, and that's really how Karl acts in real life.  It's why they added him to the show.  Gervais even insists the show is being done to make Karl a star, though other articles have speculated it's because Gervais was complaining about giving away this brilliant podcast for free.
     I can't decide if I should give the show a good review or not, and so I won't give it a star rating.  It's laugh out loud funny.  Hilarious in many sections.  The thing is, though, this is a podcast, and the animation is not why it's funny.  I would be just as amused listening to it on my iPod as I was watching the cartoon version.  What is enjoyable is Karl's assertions and Merchant and Gervais tearing him apart, and that would still be as jovial in any fashion that it is presented.
      That being said, it should be apparent that the title of the show is merely to attract attention and play off Gervais's fame.  More accurately, it would be called The Karl Pilkington Show, and in fact, Merchant and Gervais would be interchangeable with practically any two men on the planet.  They really don't add a thing to the project, despite the fact that both have proven themselves brilliant in their own right.
     Tune in to HBO Friday nights at 9pm and see for yourself.