TV Review: Bored to Death

Bored to Death is a self-indulgent and occasionally humorous comedy show on HBO. Jonathan Schwartzman plays Jonathan Ames (named after the show's creator, producer and co-writer), who's girlfriend dumps him prior to the show's beginning. So he does what every guy does in this situation: he takes out an ad on Craigslist... offering his services as a private eye. Theoretical hilarity ensues. I say “self-indulgent” because Ames is obviously the fantasy version of the show's creator. For instance, every woman he meets wants to sleep with him (despite being kind of a nebisshy, irritating little New Yorker.

THE GOOD: When the show is funny, it is very funny. It's exactly the kind of wry, dry humor that Schwartzman does so well. Zack Galifanakis as his unhappy, whiny cartoonist friend and Ted Danson as his perpetually stoned, up for anything boss also shine.

The real stand-out here, though is Olivia Thirlby as Ames' ex-girlfriend, Suzanne. She is beautiful and believable, and you really feel for her wanting to get back with Ames, who perpetually fucks it up.

THE BAD: Monologuing by Ames. When he's talking to someone, he comes up with these almost random monologues that have little or nothing to do with the plot at hand. This got much better toward the end of the first season, but I fear its recurrence. Imagine a detective novel written by Woody Allen on an off-day.

There are also plot elements that come in to play and then simply disappear with never another mention. For instance, in the first episode, a detective acquainted with Ames warns him that he'd better not hear of Ames doing this detective stuff anymore, and then simply vanishes, despite Ames being arrested in a later episode. Also, the next-to-the-last episode of the season concerns him trying to track down two lesbians who took his friend's sperm under the pretense of having a baby, and then selling the sperm to other lesbian couples. The episode ends with a "to be continued", but the story ISN'T continued. Instead, the final episode focuses on a fight between the magazine that he works for and representatives of the magazine GQ.

THE UGLY: Utterly unbelievable plots. Ames constantly gets himself in ridiculous situations that he wouldn't survive in real life. Yes, I know that it's “just” a TV show, but for my money, the believability of a TV show isn't based on how the plot would work in real life, but rather how the plot works within the context of the show. And the context of this show is apparently New York City in our world. And in that context, the plots on this show simply don't work.

Compared to most of the rest of the fare of pay-cable series, this is definitely near the bottom of the barrell. If Dexter or True Blood or The United States of Tara are Seinfeld, then Bored to Death is 1000 Ways to Die. Not bad, occasionally amusing, but not something that you really miss if you don't see an episode.

The second season of Bored To Death premiers on Sunday the 26th of September on HBO.

Peace.

Rev. Randal