As somewhat of a pop culture nerd when it comes to TV and films, it is my sworn duty to alert you all to the great TV shows you should be watching, particularly since so many of the shows I love have low viewership. I'm going to list 3 shows and tell you why you should be watching them.
1. Community
I looked back over my posts, and I was surprised that I haven't written in depth about this show before. It's 4 episodes into its third season, and since its start, it's been the most consistently funny and innovative show on television. So why, in particular, should you watch it?
1) It features an absolutely amazing cast. As it was originally conceived, Joel McHale was going to be the centerpiece, and he's fantastic, but the rest of the cast is so strong that it morphed into a full-on ensemble comedy. McHale is joined by a rejuvenated Chevy Chase, Alison Brie (showing her range by starring in both this and Mad Men), Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, Yvette Nichole Brown and the wonderful Danny Pudi. The main cast is joined by a strong stable of recurring characters and guest stars like John Michael Higgins (Arrested Development, tons of other things), Malcolm Jamal Warner (Cosby Show), Dino Stamatopoulos (basically every significant late night comedy of the 90s), John Oliver (The Daily Show, Awesomeness), Betty White, Patton Oswalt, Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire), John Goodman, Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks) and others. The cast is full to the brim with great actors, but the cream of the crop is Donald Glover, who absolutely crushes every single line delivery. For a quick sampling, check out this video:
2) Community features a group of writers who are willing to push the envelope with what a TV show can do, and the result is a show that is unlike anything else. You're never quite sure what you might find on the next episode of Community. They've done movie parodies, a zombie episode, a claymation Christmas episode, and a Dungeons and Dragons-based fantasy episode. The creme-de-la-creme, though, is "Modern Warfare", an episode in which a game of paintball assassin turns into a 30-minute action movie, complete with all the standard tropes of the genre. Community is the master of genre parody and meta-commentary. They'll poke fun at anything, including themselves, and they do it brilliantly.
3) It's a show made by geeks, which means it almost feels tailor-made for me. The writers love sci-fi and fantasy and weird, obscure, nerdy stuff, and they're willing to show it. This means that Community isn't for everyone, I realize that. It isn't going to resonate as deeply with a lot of people as it does me. However, it's such a brilliantly written show with a great comedic cast, even if you don't catch all of the references or connect with the particular brand of geekiness, it's still really, really funny. My sister, who by no means shares my geeky tendencies, loves the show (even though it took her a few episodes to get invested). If you enjoy TV comedy at all, it's a show you should check out.
2. Parks and Recreation
Where Community is a show that probably won't appeal to everyone I cannot think of any reason why someone would not enjoy Parks and Rec. Especially if you enjoyed "The Office", you should absolutely check out Parks and Rec (it's created by two of the writers largely responsible for "The Office"). Even if you didn't like "The Office" though, you should watch this show, because it's better than "The Office" ever was. Parks and Rec isn't just the best comedy on TV right now, the only comedy I would put it behind ever is Arrested Development. That's the kind of roll this show is on right now. It struggled to find itself in its first season, trying a bit too hard to be a clone of "The Office", but once you make it through those 6 episodes, it takes off. What's so great about it?
1) Again, it's the cast. Great comedies are highly cast-driven, so it's no surprise that P&R shares this with Community. The cast of P&R is a veritable "who's who" of comedic all-stars. The regular cast includes the great Amy Poehler (SNL, Baby Mama, Arrested Development), Aziz Ansari (Funny People), Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World), Rashida Jones (The Office), Chris Pratt (Moneyball), Adam Scott (Party Down, Step Brothers) and Rob Lowe (West Wing, tons of other things). Recurring characters/guest stars include Louis C.K., Andy Samberg (SNL), Ben Schwartz, Megan Mullally (Will and Grace), Patricia Clarkson (tons of stuff), Will Forte (SNL) and Will Arnett (Arrested Development). There hasn't been a better ensemble cast since, well, Arrested Development. As with Community, there's a breakout star of this cast as well: Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson. Ron Swanson, the staunch Libertarian (despite holding a position in the government) and all-around man's man, is one of the great TV characters, and it's to Offerman's credit (along with the writing staff) that he's a fully realized character, not just a caricature. Check the videos below to sample the Swanson.
2) P&R is an amazingly good-natured show. Most comedies on TV are, to some extent, abrasive and mean. I mean, consider Seinfeld and Arrested Development, 2 of the all-time great comedies. Both are populated by terrible people largely doing terrible things to each other. Most comedies go that way, and it's plenty funny, but Parks is different. It's a cheerful show where the characters all seem to genuinely like each other (even Jerry). That doesn't mean that nothing bad ever happens, it just means that there's a general tone of camaraderie and joy that pervades the show, and it just makes it fun to hang out with these people. We're laughing with the characters, not at them, and it makes all the difference.
Seriously, you should check out Parks and Rec. Seasons 1-3 are on Netflix Instant Watch, it's well worth your time.
3. The Sing-Off
And now for something completely different. As I've detailed in the past, I'm a complete sucker for singing competitions, while at the same time acknowledging that they're honestly pretty terrible. The Sing-Off, however, is a show that I don't feel bad at all endorsing. It's a singing competition for acapella groups, and it's awesome. The first 2 seasons were shortened, and just ran for a week during the holidays. This year, they're giving it a full season, and if you appreciate acapella, you should definitely check it out. Unlike something like American Idol or X-Factor, even the worst acts are pretty good and display strong musical competency. And the best groups? Well, let's just take a look at some of them:
The groups this season haven't been quite as strong as last year, but there are a few stand outs. In particular, the 5-person group Pentatonix is my favorite. They've got an incredible bass singer and beatboxer, and they do things with their arrangements that make them sound like no acapella group you've ever heard. They're really, really fantastic.
The other great thing about the show is its panel of judges, which is actually filled with talented singers who know what they're talking about when it comes to acapella. They aren't mean-spirited, but they do point out when something isn't working, and they bring up points that I would otherwise miss, which is really what you want your judges to be doing. Plus, unlike the judges on other singing shows, they've got credibility as artists, so when they're really impressed, I'm impressed. Also, Ben Folds is awesome.
There you go, 3 shows you should be watching. I've done my duty. If you want to miss out on this goodness, it's no fault of mine :).
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