[Sobeyet]

http://nymag.com/new...ericans-2011-5/

[Wrathblood]

Sigh. I've written and discarded a good half-dozen racial jokes, but I just can't get one that works well.

So I'll just give props to the new sig. Great episode, and the part where he gives the little girl the landmine was awesome. Lot of good characters on that show (really, the show's biggest problem is failing to properly mesh its cast. Its not as funny as it should be given how many great characters it has), but Mr Swanson's the best one. On the downside, the first real Michael Scott-less episode off the Office had moments, but it was all off-balance and totally lacking its center (Jim's shtick especially suddenly feels out of place). Its been trending down for a couple years now, but its still been worth watching, imo. I'm not expecting much from the final season, (and I'm still a little appalled they aren't wrapping it up now) but if this episode was any indication, it could be downright dire.

[Sobeyet]

Wrathblood, on 13 May 2011 - 11:03 PM, said:

So I'll just give props to the new sig. Great episode, and the part where he gives the little girl the landmine was awesome. Lot of good characters on that show (really, the show's biggest problem is failing to properly mesh its cast. Its not as funny as it should be given how many great characters it has), but Mr Swanson's the best one. On the downside, the first real Michael Scott-less episode off the Office had moments, but it was all off-balance and totally lacking its center (Jim's shtick especially suddenly feels out of place). Its been trending down for a couple years now, but its still been worth watching, imo. I'm not expecting much from the final season, (and I'm still a little appalled they aren't wrapping it up now) but if this episode was any indication, it could be downright dire.

This season in general has been awesome, I've been struggling to decide if I like P&R or Community more. Ann has seemed pointless for a while, maybe her character will have an actual purpose now with the new job. April & Andy are just adorable together, even better than PB&J during the Office heydays.

In terms of comedy shows I watch in 2011 it's been:

Community > Parks & Rec > 30 Rock > Modern Family > South Park (season just started, might creep up) > Archer > The Office.

I still watch the Simpsons/Family Guy out of habit more than anything else, don't really expect to be amazed or spectacularly entertained. The Office will probably fall into that category soon enough. I'm shocked they burnt the "Dwight as boss" storyline so early, though if Will Arnett is making an extended appearance I'm pretty much guaranteed to watch. Caught a few episodes of the other NBC comedies, nothing special unless I'm bored. Raising Hope is okay, hit or miss. I'd rather gouge my eyes out than watch a CBS comedy.

[Wrathblood]

Community is just a bizarre show, and perhaps the single show on a major network that's clearly trying to be something different or at least meta, probably making it too ambitious for its own good. Mrs Wrath doesn't really like it, and I'm still slightly bitter that it never quite lived up to its absolutely amazing pilot, so we don't end up watching it very often. When it succeeds, its spectacular, but its often just meh and I fear for its extended survival.

30 Rock kinda perked back up as the season wrapped up, but I think it seriously jumped the shark about a year ago. Its been sliding harder and faster than The Office, and I'll be kinda shocked if the two don't go out together. When 30 Rock was at its peak (seasons 2 and 3) it was spectacular, but when its writing isn't amazing or if they don't have enough Alec Baldwin, its weak and unless it starts strong next season I think its on its last legs.

Modern Family is great, wish I watched it more. Raising Hope is mediocre in a good way. Its always fun to watch, its occasionally, but only very rarely, brilliant, but its also almost never not worth watching. Whoever does the casting for its guest/recurring characters is brilliant and deserves an Emmy (which, I learned not that long ago, they actually give out). I was reading somewhere that its reruns get 90% the viewership that its original episodes do. It'll never be a hit, but if it lasts long enough to go into syndication its going to do great in its second life.