The Walking Dead vs. Dead Set

This will be brief because I watched them both over a month ago, but I wanted to jot some stuff down anyway:

My first thought was "All right, we can probably look at the pair as 'Americans reacting to a zombie apocalypse' and 'Brits reacting to a zombie apocalypse.'" But is that totally justified?

The Walking Dead is truly an AMC show: that is, it's slow. Quality at a snail's pace. There's a sheriff and his familial problems (more running time = more time to build relationships), a racist who saws his own limb off (introducing moral Issues with a capital I), and most importantly, relentless but typical zombies.

I'm a purist and don't like my zombies running about like they do in Dead Set. The Walking Dead had it right with its crawling, dismembered rotting corpses, dragging themselves across lawns...

Dead Set is roughly half the running time The Walking Dead's had so far. Maybe that's why their zombies were more frantic.

Another thing that annoyed me about Dead Set was that everyone was such a good shot, except that one time when Riq wasn't even hit after like five attempts because the story called for it. This bothered me so much it took me out of the moment every time. Brooker games, so perhaps this influenced all the one shot KO's.

The Walking Dead is a zombie show. A good one. Dead Set is a message. Using Big Brother as the backdrop for a story about zombies is nearly perfect: the way the zombie hoard charged the Big Brother house like Mecca, Nyman's producer character as the perfect villain, that final shot of Kel as a zombie shown on every screen... so good!

Something I loved in Dead Set: Kel as a strong female protagonist. I kind of wish that she'd been called Kelly the whole way through rather than her nickname, because then you get that "she's female AND the badass hero" contrast rather than the "she's the hero so she's also masculine so let's call her something less feminine" thing. Did that make sense?

Something I loved in The Walking Dead: Exploration of characters and relationships, slow burn, racial diversity.

Both excellent shows, though I think I prefer Dead Set because I appreciate the metaphor.

Britcom Samplers

...of the panel-show-regular-as-lead persuasion, mostly. I won't be watching more than one episode of these shows for various reasons discussed below, but I wanted to post a roundup with my preliminary thoughts.

Jonathan Creek (1997-)

Not a comedy. I expected to like this one, but it ultimately disappointed. Maybe because it's a product of the late 90's. Reminded me of the awful Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) 2000 remake. Featuring Alan Davies as a super-observant detective/magician's assistant. Not compelling enough to keep me watching, though the synopsis was very intriguing.

Whites (2010)

Now this Alan Davies-led show I liked! I watched all six episodes of the first and sadly, only, series. Reminded me of a classier, British Kitchen Confidential (Bradley Cooper American sitcom, not the book). It's a bit empty; it doesn't really go anywhere, which was a little frustrating, but not enough to turn me off. Good performances all around. Loved Katherine Parkinson and Isy Suttie. Pseudo-Moonlighting thing Davies' character and Parkinson's character had going on was weird because Alan Davies is Alan Davies and Katherine Parkinson will always be Jen (from the IT Crowd) to me. But I liked it. Moderately funny, definitely enough to keep me watching, at least, and directed well. Sad this promising show only got one series. Sign the petition!

Not Going Out (2006-)

Featuring Lee Mack as a character not unlike himself, similar to Jack Dee in Lead Balloon. (Speaking of characters playing fictionalized versions of themselves, check out The Trip or, with less fanfare from me, Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive.) A typical sitcom, but not bad by any means. If there wasn't better stuff on, I would probably continue watching this.

Miranda (2009-)

The appeal of this show is that Miranda Hart is so incredibly endearing. What's more, it made me laugh more than once, which is more than I can say for some of these other shows. The jokes are all self-deprecating pratfalls, which could get old, I suppose, but if I'd kept up with this show from the beginning I'd probably have kept watching anyway. I've seen the first episode and the one with Peter Davison, and I can't help feeling good afterwards. Cute, accessible. I don't even mind the canned laughter.

15 Storeys High (2002-2004)

I do like this one. Atmosphere is fantastic. Subtly funny, and Sean Lock and Benedict Wong are very good. Might keep watching, actually. Mark Lamarr helped write, too!

Lead Balloon (2006-)

Featuring Jack Dee as someone not unlike his public persona. Lead Balloon's kind of an extension of that, a sitcom background to the character Jack Dee affects when on Shooting Stars or Buzzcocks, etc. Haven't seen his stand up, but I assume it's more of the same, which isn't a bad thing. Cool to see Rasmus Hardiker, who I'm enjoying as Raymond in Saxondale right now. Some set-ups to jokes paid off later were too predictable to laugh at. Overall, seems like one of those shows where nothing happens, and I don't like Jack Dee enough to care about his fictional housekeeper's blood sausages.

Hyperdrive (2006-2007)

I like the idea of this one: Miranda Hart, Nick Frost, and Kevin Eldon in SPACE! Decent effects and set, but unfortunately, simply not very funny. The minutes seemed to drag on. Really too bad, as I absolutely adore all three leads. And space.

Friday Night Dinner - The Sofabed, 1.01

In this newish Robert Popper-helmed comedy, Simon Bird plays his Inbetweeners character with Tamsin Greig as his mother, Mark Heap as the creepy neighbor (always a joy to see), in a decidedly Inbetweeners-vibed milieu. As sitcoms go, nothing special so far.

When I watch sitcom pilots I generally evaluate by two standards: the ambiance/tone and the characters. Not many American sitcoms are funny right off the bat (exceptions abound, of course, ex. Modern Family), because the humor typically takes a bit to develop and find its footing. This is the same for tone and characters, though writers usually have a better feel for them initially, I find. The pilot of 30 Rock wasn't very funny, but Liz was Liz and Jack was Jack and the incidental music and direction set the tone for the series as it stands today.

That said, it's different for British comedies. Because the series are so much shorter (22-ish versus 6-ish), the qualities and quality of a sitcom are evident right from the start: the first episode of a series doesn't feel tonally separate from its successors. This is just opinion and personal experience with the genre, of course. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace was a fully formed idea from the beginning. Parks and Recreation wasn't. The Office US wasn't. They took a whole series to find tonal center and balance.

So, Friday Night Dinner. I've only seen the first episode so far. Feels like The Inbetweeners, which isn't a bad thing. Popper is very good. Shot well, cast well, but I'm not yet sure if the laughs are there. The funniest bits were Mark Heap, which did make me laugh out loud. We'll see how this goes!

Surprise Matt Holness!

Jonathan Creek

...It's as if this show was made specifically for me.

Comedy Night Done Good.

NBC comedies (sans lame two) were ON FIRE last Thursday. I couldn't choose a best or a favorite, which is saying something. I even loved The Office!

ETA: What really got me, I think, is how good-hearted all four sitcoms are. They're light fun with big heart. I do like my comedy black (Nighty Night, jam, etc.), but it's impossible not to fall in love with these really quality, feel-good shows.

Top 10 British Comedy Sketches

I'm green when it comes to British humor. Still working my way through the second series of Blackadder. Still haven't seen the Fast Show. But I am in love, and I want to share my favorites so far.

These are sketches from a range of shows, though you'll find I'm partial to The League of Gentlemen. Sketches, never more than seven or eight minutes, are succinct vehicles for storytelling. Character is often limited to one or two idiosyncrasies because the medium is short and the purpose comedic. However, I consider it a triumph if, within those short minutes, there is poignancy: a moment that makes me stop and think. Laughter could be secondary. You'll find that the higher ranked sketches on my list are ones that combine genres or feature a tonal shift. (Yup, I've written about this before.)

Some are just plain funny, though, and have made it onto the list for that reason alone! Some are also more accessible than others, I imagine (jump in with Tricky Linguistics. Hold off on Masterchef for a while...).

10. Masterchef (The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer)

Brilliant and surreal. I think The Smell of is Vic and Bob at their very best.

9. Pitch of Fear (Doctor Who Night 1999)

I can't not giggle all the way through this. This is solely because I'm a huge pre-2005 Doctor Who nerd. And look, Gatiss and Walliams!

8. American Sitcom Parody (Mash & Peas)
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The first (I believe) collaboration show between David Walliams and Matt Lucas. This sketch was from a special, and features some of my all time favorite comedy actors.

7. Know-Nothing Estate Agent (Monkey Trousers)

Bob and that wig. I don't know.

6. The Debt Collectors (The League of Gentlemen)

I've written about this one before. All of the League at their very best. Superb acting, superb comedy.

5. Tricky Linguistics (A Bit of Fry and Laurie)

Fry and Laurie are absolutely masterful. Not only are they unbelievable actors, they are freakishly intelligent. Stephen Fry has a way with words like no one else. This sketch made me feel like I was reading a good bit of poetry. Fantastic.

4. Elderly Sherlock Holmes (That Mitchell and Webb Look)

I've written about this one before, too.

3. Papa Lazarou (The League of Gentlemen)

Look at the strut. Listen to the gibberish. Papa's one of my favorite characters of all time. Delightfully dark. Typical horror-tinged League comedy.

2. Understanding Barman (A Bit of Fry and Laurie)

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

1. Injure For Friends (jam)

Julia Davis, queen of black comedy. jam is fantastically dark and surreal, straight out of the brain of Chris Morris (Brass Eye, Four Lions). The sketches that comprise its 25 minutes remind me of the sort of deranged collage of snapshots of murder victims and newspaper clippings you might find plastered on a serial killer's bedroom wall. It's that good.

Doctor Who Interlude -- Series 6

I could not possibly be more excited for the next series (and series-point-five) of Doctor Who.

The Monsters

Have you SEEN the previews? Fucking stellar. Creepy life-size dolls and space suits with no one in them. Moff's Vashta Nerada worked because everyone is innately afraid of the dark. They're afraid of Silence, who seems to be the Big Bad of series 6. I love that we're already set up for a big mystery.

Can't wait to draw monster/horror parallels between The X-Files and series 6!

Hopefully scarier monsters means a darker tone, as well. We've been introduced to Eleven, and he's been introduced to himself. Now he can be thrown around and tested a bit.

The Companions

They're the species the Doctor loves most, and any viewer knows they're the heart of the show, a reminder of what the Doctor fights for, why he does what he does.

It was interesting to me that through series 5, Amy seemed to be separate from us, the viewers. Rose Tyler was our eyes and heart, close to home, but Amy is fiery and distant. She's likable, and relatable to an extent, but there seems to be more to her, whereas Rose laid everything on the table from the first ten minutes of series 1. Moff revealed that there's more to her too, and I wonder if her specialness is different than the RTD brand of the same: Donna Noble, the most important person in the universe; Rose, the Bad Wolf; Amy Pond... I hope the reveal will be darker. Nothing Bad Wolf or DoctorDonna. Maybe something Judas. A betrayal would be quite twisted. We've had Amy's Choice and she chose the Roman soldier. But how about a variation on the theme, with a darker edge?

The cliffhanger to 6.5 will hinge on Amy, and maybe Rory, if Arthur's role as a companion expands (did he get opening title billing in the Christmas Special?). Series 5 was about Eleven finding himself, reconciling his past selves and his dark and light sides (and duplicity via the Dream Lord, Pandorica vs. TARDIS, etc.). Series 6 must be more external, more about his human sidekicks.

Also can't wait to find out who River really is. Astounding that in a fandom as huge as Doctor Who's, no one can agree on one theory. I think that's good story telling on the Moff's part. She is a great mystery. I personally hope she's the daughter of Mel and Glitz (hey, it fits) because I won't buy her as a Time Lord.

The Guest Stars / Spoilers

David Walliams (I resist the urge to insert a "Fucking" before his surname. I'm constantly repressing the urge to be more colloquial here. It's not in my nature to talk about TV formally, but I try). James Corden in episode 12 (THE LODGER IS ENDGAME. I knew it, knew it, knew it!!). Lynda Baron (AKA Captain Wrack in Enlightenment, one of the absolute best one-off characters this series has ever, ever had, in one of my favorite serials. She blew it out of the water. She is one of the reasons that story is as good as it is. If only she were back playing that character, though! What if.)

Walliams is an apt comic actor and he'll do fine with drama, or whatever the role calls for -- Corden's Craig was played for comedy though I'm sure he too can add weight if needed. What a thrilling casting, though. Surprising, at least to me, and warmly welcomed -- I find that comedic actors (especially ones as versatile as Walliams) often turn out to be fantastic in dramatic roles, perhaps because of their timing.

Also exciting is the return of Craig from series 5's "The Lodger." Something as big as another TARDIS had to have gargantuan implications. No way around it. TARDISes are of the Time Lords, and I am exhilarated hearing all the rumors and buzz about a possible return of John Simm as the Master (to regenerate soon after; who else is vouching for Colin Firth? Or Cumberbatch? Too exciting), or a female character with "a new face" (quoth Moff) immediately calling to mind the Doctor's extinct people... specifically the female ones. The Rani? Romana? President Flavia? I'm a huge nerd. I might be too excited about this. But Moff is a fan of the old, and my fingers are crossed. And, Gaiman's episode does claim to be influenced by The War Games, an absolutely stupendous, epic, Two-era serial -- has the War Chief reincarnated female? Is the Doctor a pawn, being ushered around a chess board (sounds more like The Five Doctors) by an invisible hand? Or hands? Time Lords, Silents, or other enigmatic being?

Rumors point to the reemergence of Time Lords, at least, if not Gallifrey. And that's huge.

And lest we forget: the ubiquitous Mark Sheppard! Lily Cole! Cybermen! Cybermats!

The Moff

I'd trust him with my life, basically.