Leave it to the folks behind Community to go the extra mile for a joke. Last night's episode featured Britta's small-nippled ex, Vaughn, singing a song about what a B Britta is. First of all, I love it when anyone on TV calls someone a "B," because it always makes me think of Arrested Development ("Don't call mother a 'B,' Michael!"), and secondly, having Pierce on keyboards and backup vocals singing about how Britta is a "GD B," is just hilarious.
My sister has a friend named Britta, so anytime there's any Britta hate on Community, we harass her on her Facebook profile with clips. Because maturity is my middle name. So enjoy this video and bask in the glory of more of Vaughn's tortured rhyme schemes. Sample lyric: "I wouldn't strangle her, but I would sell her to the highest bidder." It even becomes a singalong at the end!
[Watch clips and episodes of Community on SlashControl.]
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"Gettin' Rid of Britta" - the music video
The latest about the Arrested Development movie
Does it seem like every other month there's some talk about the proposed Arrested Development movie? Perhaps that's because it's an idea that simply won't go away until the film is actually in theaters and fans of the Emmy-winning Fox series will finally be satisfied. Well, satisfaction may be just around the corner. The Arrested Development movie is really developing now. Creator Mitchell Hurwitz is at work on the screenplay -- working with co-executive producer James Vallely -- and the Bluths are creeping closer to big screen reality.
Continue reading The latest about the Arrested Development movie
Ron Howard coming back to TV to make the IRS funny
The last time Opie got involved in a television show, we wound up with Arrested Development. Now he's hoping he can bring back the funny, maybe this time with ratings. FOX has picked up a penalty-heavy pilot commitment for Ron Howard's new multi-camera IRS-based sitcom.Think of it as a classic workplace comedy modeled after the Taxi formula. And we'll have the added fact that the IRS is despised by the American public. And yet, at the heart of the show is a guy who genuinely thinks he's doing something valuable and important. Beyond this character will be the typical ensemble of wacky co-workers you'd expect.
It's oddly refreshing that this will be done in the multi-camera format; making a strong comeback of late. It's being proven that buddy and family sitcoms can still be funny in this format, so why not the workplace comedy? As much as I love The Office and 30 Rock, I could handle something more like Taxi or NewsRadio from time to time.
Joan Cusack: The TV Squad Interview
Joan Cusack has made a career of finding the comedically crumbling foundations beneath what are at first normal-seeming characters. The two-time Oscar nominee also has a knack for making the most out of her roles, and in the new Lifetime movie Acceptance, both of her greatest skills are on display. In the movie, which debuts on Saturday at 9PM ET, Cusack plays Nina Rockefeller, the hard-driving and high-strung mother of the movie's protagonist, Taylor (played by Mae Whitman of Arrested Development). The movie examines the pressure on high school overachievers to go to just the "right" college, and the story is told in a way that looks at it from both the students' and the parents' perspectives.
Cusack called me from Chicago (where she lives full-time) earlier this week. We talked about college pressures, if the notion of a Lifetime movie has changed, and why she loves working with her brother John so damn much.
Continue reading Joan Cusack: The TV Squad Interview
Hurwitz and Arnett hoping third time is the charm for new comedy
Arrested Development was a critical darling that managed three seasons of low ratings before FOX pulled the plug. Creator Mitch Hurwitz reunited with AD star Will Arnett for this past season's animated disaster Sit Down, Shut Up. Now, they're reuniting with AD co-executive producer Jim Vallely for a third shot. This one's a live-action single camera comedy on FOX starring Arnett as a jackass. It's off to a good start; Arnett plays jackass very well.
The premise: Arnett is rich Beverly Hills stock and falls in love with a tree-hugger who hates him and every shallow thing he stands for. Just for being live-action, I think this one has potential. Arnett is waiting for the right vehicle to make him a star, and we already know what Hurwitz is capable of. Could this be their pot of ratings gold?
Continue reading Hurwitz and Arnett hoping third time is the charm for new comedy
Seven TV dads we're glad aren't ours
Fathers' Day should be a time of deep reflection and appreciation for the man who brought you into this world, whether you asked him to or not. Oh sure, the old man may seem like the worst father of all time sometimes. He yells and screams. He gets on you for growing your hair too long because he knows he couldn't grow hair if he had a Chia Scalp. He constantly walks around the house in his underwear and then scolds you for not eating the sausage Mom made for breakfast.
But a few minor flaws doesn't mean that he's a bad guy. So go out and get him that witty card with the pipe smoking Dad on the cover, pick out a paisley tie that you'll never see him wear and give him a big hug to remind him he's the best. Because he's your old man and he's not one of the seven bastard sons of hell below.
Continue reading Seven TV dads we're glad aren't ours
Fox won't even air Sit Down, Shut Up's finale
Fox must be really disappointed in this show. Not only is it incredibly unlikely to get a renewal beyond this horrible first season, but now Fox won't even air Sit Down, Shut Up's finale this weekend. Instead, they're going with a rerun of already canceled King of the Hill. While Fox is notorious for yanking a show before it gets a chance to find its audience, I think it's safe to say that Sit Down, Shut Up had found about as much audience as it was going to.
In four short episodes, it managed to undo all the work that Fox had done in the past two decades proving that quality animation could be made for prime time. I don't know why the formula didn't work, but I think Mitchell Hurwitz would have been better off trying it live action, like the Australian original.
Continue reading Fox won't even air Sit Down, Shut Up's finale
Sit Down, Shut Up: World's Greatest Teacher
(S01E03) I'm still not completely sure what I think about Sit Down, Shut Up yet. This is the third episode, and this is what I have so far: it's funny enough that if I were flipping channels and came across it, I'd keep it on FOX, but if I didn't have to review it, I wouldn't set my DVR.
This week's episode, in which Knob Haven High was up for a distinguished school award, definitely had its funny moments -- the very end where Ennis realizes that he slept with Miracle's mother made me chuckle. However, it wasn't consistent enough to keep my mind from wandering in the middle. I had to rewind a couple of times because I completely spaced out and missed a few scenes.
Continue reading Sit Down, Shut Up: World's Greatest Teacher
Sit Down, Shut Up: Miracle's Are Real
(S01E02) Last week, when I rewatched Sit Down, Shut Up for my review, I said that while I still wasn't enthralled by it, the show was much better upon the second viewing. Since I thought episode 2 was much better than the pilot, I expected to like it even more upon rewatching. Oddly enough, I didn't.
As stellar as this cast is, I'm trying to separate my feelings about this show from my feelings about them. I love Kristin Chenoweth on Pushing Daisies, so I don't really want to admit that her work on this show reminds me of a more grating Amy Sedaris with none of the humor, but it kind of does. I don't know if it's the way her character is written, or the fact that Chenoweth's particular brand of pixie cuteness doesn't translate unless you're looking at her, but she just sounds shrill to me.
Continue reading Sit Down, Shut Up: Miracle's Are Real
Sit Down, Shut Up off to a bad start
What do you call an animated show whose premiere is sandwiched between two other highly-rated animated shows yet still manages to be third in its timeslot? You could call it a lot of things. You could call it "poor" or "slow". You know what I call it? A one-season show.Seriously, I watched the premiere of Sit Down, Shut Up (and it was reviewed here on TV Squad), and while I thought some bits were funny, I don't see it lasting more than a season on Fox, if that. This is a network that is quick to pull the plug on many quirky shows (including Hurwitz's previous work, Arrested Development).
I could be wrong. Arrested Development lasted three seasons and animated shows are only a fraction of the budget of live-action ones. If his last show is any indicator, Sit Down, Shut Up is probably one of those shows that rewards loyal viewers with various Easter eggs and hidden double-meanings. Hopefully Fox will give it time.
Sit Down, Shut Up -- An early look
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has been breathlessly anticipating Sit Down, Shut Up (premiering on FOX Sunday at 8:30 PM ET), the newest series from Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz. SDSU is an animated series based on a live-action Australian show by the same name. It follows a group of under-performing teachers at a Florida high school.
The teachers are all flaky, disinterested in their students, and with the exception of Larry Littlejunk (Jason Bateman), highly under-qualified for their positions. An example? Miracle Grohe (Kristen Chenoweth), the science teacher, beat Larry out of the job by stripping off all her clothes and yelling, "I ain't come from no monkey!"
The humor manages to be both broad and subtle at the same time, much in the way Arrested Development managed to be. However, though Bateman himself calls this show an animated version of AD, that's overstating it a bit. Sit Down, Shut Up, is more like Arrested Development's annoying younger brother.
Continue reading Sit Down, Shut Up -- An early look
Press Kits Unwrapped: Sit Down, Shut Up
I don't know about you guys, but I've been super-excited about the premiere of Mitch Hurwitz's new animated show, Sit Down, Shut Up. It seems like I've been hearing about it forever, but it finally premieres this Sunday night on Fox. Recently, the screener came up for grabs, so naturally I jumped at it. What I didn't realize is that I would be getting the whole press kit with it.
All press kits are not created equal: I'd definitely enjoy a talking Barney bobblehead from How I Met Your Mother, but a busted picture of Eliza Dushku's face from Dollhouse really wouldn't do a whole lot for me. The press kit for Sit Down, Shut Up is kind of low-rent, but it is for a Mitch Hurwitz show on FOX. The low-rated Arrested Development didn't exactly make FOX a boatload of cash while it aired, so they're probably waiting to see how the ratings go for this one before they shell out any more dough on fancy tschotkes for the press.
Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: Sit Down, Shut Up
Mitchell Hurwitz talks Sit Down, Shut Up and Arrested Development
With Arrested Development, Mitchell Hurwitz went through the ringer with critical support, winning awards, and grassroots campaigns to convince Fox to keep the show on the air that ultimately failed. So what does Hurwitz do for a follow-up? He takes some of the same cast (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman), goes back to the same network (Fox), and back to an idea he had before Arrested hit the airwaves. The new show is Sit Down, Shut Up, an animated series that debuts April 19th at 8:30 PM, in between The Simpsons and Family Guy.
"It's funny, this is a show that I actually wrote in the year 2000, and it was an adaptation of a live-action show from Australia," Hurwitz said in a recent conference call. "I kind of kept it in the drawer for a long time, and finally brought it out, mostly because I needed money, which - I enjoy money, and I also use it for all sorts of different things in my life, but mostly for food and shelter."
Continue reading Mitchell Hurwitz talks Sit Down, Shut Up and Arrested Development
Could My Name Is Earl jump to Fox?
According to industry scuttlebutt, My Name Is Earl is on the ropes and at risk of being canceled by NBC. Nikki Finke is reporting that it's practically a done deal at NBC, but Earl could be moving to Fox.
It's not just the lousy Nielsen ratings that have done the shaggy-dog sitcom in, it's also the rising production costs. NBC has an entire line-up that's bleeding in the ratings, so surgery is required. It is very likely that Earl will get the ax.
Continue reading Could My Name Is Earl jump to Fox?
Amy Poehler is "surprisingly promiscuous" - VIDEO
The fact that Will Arnett may not actually be the father of wife Amy Poehler's baby is just one of the shocking tidbits you learn from Jason Bateman on the soundstage for Sit Down, Shut Up, Mitch Hurwitz's upcoming animated comedy in which he and Arnett both lend their voices. We heard about the mini Arrested Development reunion almost a year ago, and while the series doesn't premiere until April 19th, FOX has given us a taste of what to expect.
The video is great because it's not even a preview of the show, nor does it talk about the animated series in any way. Instead, it's three minutes of Jason Bateman and Will Arnett talking about height, "hair hats" man boobs, and intelligence (or lack thereof). It's blatently aimed at rabid, drooling Arrested Development fans who are clamoring for any smidgen of a hint of the show's former glory-- and it works.
Continue reading Amy Poehler is "surprisingly promiscuous" - VIDEO
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
