I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t sure whether we needed a TV show based on the Ted movies (my reviews for both films can be found here and here). And I write this as someone up-to-date with Family Guy (1999 – ?) and American Dad (2005 – ?), so you can tell I enjoy me some Seth MacFarlane and his style of humour. But for some reason, I couldn’t see this being anything else but an “ok” show. Well, after this show came out and received pretty decent reviews, I had to check it out to see how wrong I was. I am glad to say I was very wrong.

Yes, Ted won’t surprise you with the humour much (it is very Seth MacFarlane), so it is up to you how much you gravitate towards this sometimes political, many times over-the-top, often pushing many boundaries, humour. And as I said above, I like Seth’s humour, so I had a blast, but that much I expected and wasn’t wrong about. What I didn’t expect was how, in just seven episodes, Seth created a family unit that doesn’t just feel like fodder for jokes.

You might think the biggest difference between this show and his other shows is the fact that Ted is live-action, and the others are animated. In reality, that isn’t the biggest difference, as we still have many jokes/scenes that feel very absurd, as if pulled from an animated show. The actual difference is that this family might seem like another bunch of stereotypes Seth can bounce jokes off, but in reality, you get to know and understand them all throughout this show.

Max Burkholder, who had to play a younger version of Mark Wahlberg as this show takes us back to the 90s after all the hype around this talking bear died out, was a great choice. I wasn’t sold on him from the first minute, I won’t lie; however, he turned me into a fan, as he isn’t just a one-dimensional character. He portrays John (while being 24 at the time of shooting) as your stereotypical teenager of that era before the Internet, who is full of dreams and aspirations, wanting to chill with his best friend and possibly watch some porn. You know, the usual stuff. But in the later episodes, we see some growth; we can see a personality and that he isn’t just a dumb stoner.

The same can be said about his parents, played by Alanna Ubach and Scott Grimes, who start one way where you think: “I know what these people are about.”, only for them to surprise you throughout the show. No matter if it’s a mom who tries to be a substitute teacher and discovers what she actually likes or whether it’s a dad whose (maybe?) gay truck convinces him about the errors of his ways. That sentence doesn’t make sense, you say? Just watch the show; it will be much clearer after.

Who I thought stole this show and managed to squeeze the most out of her role was Giorgia Whigham. Her Blaire could have easily become another “shut up, Meg!” punchline character, but it didn’t, and Giorgia positioned herself as the heart of this show. Her character goes through some trials, and sometimes she can be too much, but I was always rooting for her. And the more we get to know her throughout this show, the more you find yourself rooting for her.

Most importantly, they all complement each other so well. They all contributed to my enjoyment and biggest surprise of Ted, how much I cared about this quirky family. The thing is, when you watch a Seth MacFarlane show, you expect a crude, political, boundary-pushing humour. But when comes to writing full-rounded characters, that was something he didn’t have to do that much, given most of his shows are animated sitcoms that are, more often than not, composed of chaotic humour with little to no stakes. And despite Ted having the same style of humour (although a little bit less chaotic), the family unit, composed of actual characters rather than caricatures, helps to ground everything. Towards the end, I found myself laughing less and being invested more in the story about this one family, who happens to have a talking teddy bear living with them.

I hope this will come back for at least one or two more seasons, and that is a sentence I didn’t think I would write in my review of a Ted show. Right now, my only problem with the show is that we didn’t get enough episodes, and I hoped to get more. As long as everyone from the core family (plus Seth, of course) would be on board, I would watch a few more seasons. Especially if Seth doesn’t get wild and will keep this show grounded, because as much as I like his chaotic humour, sometimes, less is more. And Ted seems to have found that line, at least this first season.

Overall, Ted was a delightful surprise on every level for me. I expected to laugh, but I didn’t expect that by the time the first season finished, I would want more episodes. Sure, part of it was the great writing, but honestly, this show’s casting is superb by casting people who feel real. You believe they are a family, and as the series progresses, you find yourself rooting for them despite some of their flaws. I hope we will get a few more seasons, but even if that won’t happen, Ted is worth checking out. I don’t think it’s a heresy to write that this show is better than the movies.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I remember hearing great things about The Boys when the first season came out back in 2019, but at that time, I didn’t have the time to start another show. After a while, I found myself (like many others) getting a bit too fatigued by all comic book things, so I was purposively delaying starting this show. And then, one evening, I decided to pull the trigger to see it for myself, whether this show was as good as people claimed. Yeah, it’s pretty fucking good, alright.

The elevator pitch I always heard about this show was: “What if superheroes were a bunch of dicks.” To an extent, that’s exactly what The Boys is about, but, like with everything else, there is so much more underneath the surface. For example, I loved how this show deals with and explores the idea of power and how if you have any kind of superpower, you will eventually do some things you shouldn’t. Ultimate power ultimately corrupts all that stuff we all have heard of. But this show takes it one step further into the debauchery of the ninth degree, challenging themselves every season to push what they can do/show on the screen further and further. Do you want an Ant-Man-like superhero guy that shrinks and slides his way into a vagina? This show has got it. Do you want the same superhero later on shrink, enter a man’s dick and (by accident) expand within that dude, ultimately killing him? This show also has got that. What about a superhero orgy? This show… yep, you guessed it. The Boys hold no bars and give you a show.

But if you strip all of that, you will find many deep, well-written characters. For example, Erin Moriarty and her Annie/Starlight, the “Goody Two-Shoes” newbie. We learn through her how rotten and dark this superhero world is. She has been pretty much the only moral compass throughout the entire show. I like Jack Quaid and Karl Urban and their “big brother/little brother” energy they have throughout the show; I love Laz Alonso and his character (do I want to know why they call him Mother’s Milk, considering the kind of show this is…?) and all the other side characters but, throughout the three seasons, there have been two standouts. Yes, one of them is probably expected (Antony Starr, aka Homelander), but the other standout performance has been Karen Fukuhara and her Kimiko.

Let’s start with Homelander. I was sceptical because I still remember the movie Brightburn (2019, my review here), which had pretty much the same premise (what if Superman grew up to be a dick), and it was executed poorly. Luckily, The Boys did this well, not because it’s a show, so we get to spend much more time delving into that character (even though that is one of the reasons), but because we see exactly why he is the way is, we can occasionally even see glimpses of some sort of consciousness, but these are only glimpses. The series has made it quite clear that there is no saving for him, and sometimes, you must reap what you sow. It’s not his fault he ended up like this, a crazy maniac with mommy issues and an unhealthy desire to be beloved by everyone, but there is pretty much nothing that could skew him from this unfortunate path, as by now, he’s far too gone. It will be interesting to see this character’s journey and ultimate ending.

When Karen first showed up on the screen, I was intrigued. When we learn more about her past and powers (no spoilers), it is heartbreaking as she has a rich and complex character arc throughout this show. But it is Karen’s performance making it all work together, with no words. I am a sucker for characters who are either mute or don’t speak at all because of different reasons (like in this example) because it’s much more challenging to convey all the emotions, let alone not blend into the background. But Karen understood the assignment and her character and made her sing. Sometimes, literally. Kimiko is one of those “side characters” who don’t feel like they are side characters. She kicks ass, but there is a depth to her character; there is a big struggle, trauma, and Karen’s understanding of all of that and delivering it with no words is sublime. In a show full of many standout performances and a lot of craziness, she didn’t blend in and quickly became my favourite.

As far as the show is concerned, I enjoyed myself a lot. There were many memorable scenes, characters and moments to choose just one; I also enjoyed the social commentary on everything from superheroes to corporate America. The show manages to show us what it would look like if superheroes were real, and in a twisted way, how the art mimics the real world by this show being produced by one of the largest corporations that the world has ever seen. My only issue is that I have not had that “wow” moment yet that separates great shows like this from those of pure excellence. Also, by the end of season three, this show started to get a bit “tropey” (characters considered dead are coming back alive, and nobody seems to stay dead forever), but it’s not anything that would spoil my enjoyment at least yet.

I will definitely be tuned for more seasons and also check out the Gen V (2023 – ?) show that is taking place in the same world. I wonder how many seasons we will get, how far this show will go and push the envelope and most importantly, how Homelander will end up. I hope this show doesn’t cave in at the last second and tries to redeem this unapologetically unredeemable character. And who knows? Maybe when this show is finished, I will post another review and may change my rating to the highest one if they deliver. I really hope they will because this show is a wild, crazy ride with some sneaky awesome performances and has many clever (even though many times on the nose) things to say about our current culture.

Overall, The Boys is all bets are off kind of a show that if you want to enjoy, you need to be on the same wavelength as it, at least regarding the violence, nudity and snarky comments on our culture and society. And even though it might not hit the highest peaks for me (at least not yet), I would strongly recommend this show to anyone, even if you struggle with anything superhero-related. This show knows its stuff, and that’s why it works when they make fun of superheroes while delivering some truly great superhero scenes, characters and moments. I can’t wait to see how this will finish.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I need to be honest here – I don’t really watch documentaries. I know I should, and I understand that now we have more quality documentary movies coming out than ever, but… I prefer narrative films. I always thought about it this way – watching movies and TV shows is my way of switching off and relaxing. And I would much rather do that watching something dramatic that I know is fictional than something dramatic about this injustice that happened that one time or another documentary about how we are all slowly dying/destroying the Earth. But even I have heard of Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) and her Cunk on… show. And when the latest one landed on Netflix, my girlfriend decided we should give it a shot, so we did, and I couldn’t be happier.

If you are not sure what Cunk on Earth is, or you have never heard the name Philomena Cunk, I can’t blame you. In the simplest terms, think of Sacha Baron Cohen and how he does a variety of characters (Ali G, Borat), interviews people and reveals their… sometimes naiveté, sometimes stupidity, and many times both. Diane Morgan invented Philomena Cunk, but she is trying to serve you some basic information in a hilarious form, where Philomena asks all sorts of questions to various experts while relating the historical events to when Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic was released. Which was in 1989, which is one thing you will never forget until your death.

I immediately could sense Philomena was my spirit animal because my sense of humour is the same – dry, chaotic, nonsensical, and it may take you a while to get used to it. Sometimes, it might be almost infuriating because what Diane perfected with her Cunk character is the “bait and switch” technique. That’s when she asks a few normal questions, only to land some comedic knock-out punches. And when she does it with a straight face, in a very professional fashion, it’s hard not to laugh.

The concept of this documentary is to cover the entire history of Earth… in five episodes, each being 30 minutes. That on its own might be the funniest thing about this show when you think about it, but she explains everything, from how cave paintings were boring to how the pyramids were made (“Did they start from the bottom or did they start from the top, making their way to the bottom?”) and answers the most important question of all – which was more culturally significant, the Renaissance or Single Ladies by Beyoncé?

If you go to the IMDb’s trivia page, you can read that the experts are “in” on the joke and are instructed to answer as seriously as they can, but you can still tell every once in a while how they are trying desperately hard not to laugh. And when occasionally, they crack, Philomena Cunk does not and calls them out on it. And that would be my only, very tiny criticism – how great would it be to have some bloopers during the closing credits? To see whether or not the experts cracked, alongside Diane, would be just the cherry on top of the hilarious cake. That and also, I need more. I need more episodes because this only has five 30-minute episodes; so you can watch all the episodes in… *does some math…* in a very short time. And that’s not enough for one of the most brilliant question-askers of our generation. We need more Cunk in our lives, we need someone like her to ask much more hard-hitting questions, and we could all need more Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic in our lives. Did you know that song was released in 1989?

Overall, Cunk on Earth is a blast. It made me smile and laugh out loud, and it made me appreciate Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic a bit more, but most importantly, it made me aware of Diane Morgan. I need to watch more of her. And I am talking about what she has done besides her Cunk character; I want to see more of her because her unique sense of humour is extremely charming. But of course, we need more Cunk. Can you imagine her in space? If Fast & Furious 9 (2021, my review here) can go to space; Philomena Cunk can go too. And unlike the F9 movie, we would learn more from her than the importance of “family”.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

When this show came out in late 2021, I completely missed it. Part of it must have been the fact I have never played the game this show is based on (League of Legends), and the other part might have been that almost nobody I follow said much about it except for one person (if you end up reading this, hi Jake ;-)). But this doesn’t say anything about the show’s quality because there are so many things to watch (I hate using the word ‘content’ for movies and shows) that many awesome things get noticed later on. But slowly, this show started to get mentioned as one of the best video game adaptations, especially with the success of The Last of Us (2023 – ?, my review here), so I finally decided to check it out. Plus, it’s currently rated 9.0/10 on IMDb, making it the #26 TV show of all time, so this should be nothing short of spectacular, right? Well…

I won’t say Arcane is bad, not by a long shot. But it might be one of the most overrated shows I have seen in some time, maybe ever. And before you pull out your imaginary pitchforks, let me attempt to explain where I am coming from. I will start with the positives because I did like the show overall, and I will check out season two when it comes out. There were a couple of things that made write the word ‘overrated’.

I liked the show’s unpredictability, how we were introduced to many characters, and you think you know where this is going, only for quite a lot of them to die early on. I won’t mention who, nor will I spoil this show, but this aspect reminded me of the best seasons of Game of Thrones (2011 – 2019), where you can never be sure and don’t want to get too attached to anyone. I also loved the sister dynamic between Powder and Vi; I wish the show had time to spend a bit more time on it, as we have so many characters to establish or keep track of, it felt like that was supposed to be the emotional core of this show, and it worked, for the most part, just not 100%.

Now, let’s discuss some things holding me back from being on board with this being “one of the best video game adaptations of all time”. You can argue it is (I presume) if you played the game. I can only guess that most avid gamers rated it highly because they loved how this world got converted from the game to this animated show. And all power to you. In that instance, it might very well be the best video game adaptation. However, I can tell you as someone who has not played the game and hasn’t seen any playthroughs, I wanted to know more about this world, and I don’t think this show does a good job of explaining things. For example, I understood that Hextech was effectively, a combination of magic and technology, but if you (like me) want to know more about it, you are shit out of luck. How did they combine it? What can be done with it, and what (if any) are its limitations? Everything Hextechy felt like the most coinvent MacGuffin, where it does what they need to do at that scene.

The Hextech issue encapsulates my biggest problem with Arcane – I don’t think the worldbuilding was up to par. Again, if you played the game, I am sure you loved it because you have prior knowledge, but as someone who does not, I wanted to know more about everything. Because even I could tell this world is full of wonders, magic, steam-punk, and somehow talking animals who live amongst the humans too. That was another thing; this show consists of 95% of humans, and the rest are some sort of animals…? I guess mixed with humans? Or did they evolve so they could speak and walk? Or was it the magic or Hextech? See my issue? I wanted to love this world, this show, but it’s hard if you don’t understand the basic rules. And don’t get me started on the Hexcore, as that was another ordeal (is it alive)?

That brings me to another technical point, which is the animation style. I want to word myself carefully here because I do not want to offend anyone who has worked on this show (although I doubt the animators would read my blog :-D). For the most part, the animation was stunning, mainly when it came to showing us this steam-punky, magical world. But I couldn’t help but notice (or think) that close-ups of different characters didn’t “match” the rest of the show. It didn’t happen all the time, but in a couple of episodes, some character designs (mainly facial features) felt like the animators didn’t have the time to render them properly. I understood this show has its own aesthetic, so maybe I am a fan of that overall aesthetic, so perhaps it just doesn’t work as well on facial features. It was a minor problem, but I thought I should mention it, as I love different animation styles. But this one, at one point or another, just didn’t hit me “right”.

Also, there might have been too many characters, and I thought we could have probably “saved” some for later seasons. As I mentioned above, the show wants the core, the heart of it, to be about these two sisters. And you see both in all episodes, however… There were a few episodes where you barely spent any time with them because there were all the other ones to introduce or keep up with. And some are, I will say, more pointless than others. For example, without naming anyone, there was a death in episode eight, and one of our main protagonists was mourning their death. Yes, I will use they/them pronouns, not revealing the gender of who dies. But I had to pause the show to check something because I didn’t really remember their character; to be perfectly honest, and yep, before this character’s death, they only appeared in one episode before. So, this meaningful death wasn’t really that impactful or meaningful to me, the viewer, because I hardly knew them.

And again, I do believe that character has had some arc in the game or something like that, which is cool. But it just didn’t translate well enough into the TV show. And here is where I come back to my original point – is the best video game adaptation something that is made primarily for the fans or the general audience? If you subscribe to the first option and play(ed) League of Legends, you will 100% disagree with my opinion, possibly telling me something like: “Well, you can always Google the information you want, or better yet, play the game!” But should I? I don’t believe I should. The best example of why not and how to transform a video game or a book to the screen would be something like The Last of Us or the Harry Potter series. I was familiar with both before seeing the films, and I could see how the creators behind those movies and shows changed it for those movies to fit on the big screen or for the video game to play well on the “small TV screen”. You didn’t have to read any Harry Potter books to understand the films, neither did you have to have played The Last of Us to love the show. Arcane feels “incomplete”, not because the season ended on a massive cliffhanger, but because I constantly felt that there was so much untold.

But, and this important, big but, I enjoyed it. I know this might be weird to read after what I wrote above, but I still see the promise with intriguing characters, unique animation and kick-ass action sequences (albeit some were a bit too edited and choppy, but only some) that I will stick with it and will check out the next season. But at this stage, only judging the show on the knowledge it gave me is massively overrated. I honestly hope the next season will prove me wrong.

Overall, Arcane is a show like no other, that is for sure. If you are familiar with League of Legends, you will probably adore it. If you are like me and have only heard the title but never seen anything from the game, let alone played it, you might still enjoy it while hoping there will be more exposition about how this and that works. I always say I don’t have to be spoon-fed everything, but if you want us to feel welcome in this half-magical, half-steam-punky world where we mostly have humans; but also some talking animals, you should drop one or two lines about it. That’s all I ask for. I would still cautiously recommend this show because I think there are enough good things to be positive about, and maybe the second season will make me write a review, saying that I was wrong and that this is, in fact, a masterpiece. Currently, I do not see it.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

To answer the most pressing question first, the reason I watched this show is simple. My girlfriend and I usually watch a few shows simultaneously, and at least one must always be “easy to watch”. And I noticed that all six seasons were available on Amazon Prime (at least in the UK). I won’t pretend I don’t have a weak spot for Kat Dennings, but honestly, who does not? Anyway, I was surprised by some things (mainly how many jokes didn’t age well), yet, at the same time, I wasn’t surprised at all. I will try my hardest to explain.

If there is one thing that dates your movie or tv show worse than old technology (pagers, faxes, phones as big as bricks), it must be jokes. Respectively, how edgy/dark the jokes are, compared to now. You will be surprised how many rape, suicide or sexual jokes this show has in store for you. And look, I know this won’t be a popular opinion, but I don’t mind those jokes. I think it depends on many things, like context, who made the joke and whether it’s just a cheap shot at getting some laughs or whether the writers mean something more. I understand this isn’t for everyone, so hey, if that’s not your cup of hot cocoa, feel free to skip this show, as this might be one of those last “edgy” sitcoms of its nature. I constantly thought of Married with Children (1987 – 1997) during it because it follows the same structure.

We have a few characters who (unlike Married with Children) have some growth throughout the show. But you know what to expect; mainly Beth’s character is forced to have some character development, given she came from extreme wealth and ended up in almost extreme poverty. 2 Broke Girls follows this sitcom structure to the T, rarely derailing from it. You have a story of the week, mostly involving both of our girls; there are crude jokes throughout and by season three, you know who will deliver this joke and when. I am not joking; this show is so “by the book” you know who will be the next to speak and what they will say.

Maybe now is the time; when you scroll down, see my rating and question me. Why am I rating it quite well if it’s so predictable? Because believe it or not, there were some comedic gems hidden here, but most importantly, if you have a sitcom that is strictly “by the book”, you better have perfect casting, and this show nailed it by making its stars Kat and Beth Behrs. I will talk about the supporting cast in the second, but we need to give credit where it’s due.

Everyone and their mum now know these two are best friends in real life, and luckily for this show, it translated to the screen. I liked how their characters have never been “typecasted” per se, meaning they both can do it all. Sometimes, Kat does more physical comedy, Beth is the butt of the joke, and sometimes, it is the other way around. Sure, the show tried to convince us that Beth is so unattractive (a running joke of the show about her character not having sex and she somehow repulses men), but that might be the biggest joke of it all. But most importantly, the chemistry between them is there, and it carries this show. I liked the decision to keep some shots of actors laughing at the jokes; in between transition shots to different scenes, as that is precisely what this show is about. It doesn’t take itself seriously, and neither should you.

Regarding the supporting cast, everyone has a role to play, and they rarely move away from their lane. Garrett Morris is an old, Black grandpa who, as the show progresses, gets more and more forgetful. Jonathan Kite plays a sex pest who would be sued and fired on his first day in every other job, and as the show progresses, he gets more unapologetic about it. I liked Matthew Moy because you could argue his character had the biggest growth out of our supporting characters. In the earlier seasons, he was always the butt of every joke, only for the writers to finally give him some ammunition back, and he became sassy. But in his case, it felt earned and realistic. After all, if you work with someone as sassy as Kat and Beth’s characters, you would quickly learn to have a comeback for everything they would throw your way. Last, but not least(ly), you could argue that Jennifer Coolidge wouldn’t have the renaissance she’s having now (due to the success of White Lotus (2021 – ?, my review here) if this show didn’t keep her on the screens until 2017. Her character is loud, “slightly” obnoxious and horny, and as the series progresses, she gets louder, more obnoxious, and hornier. Can you spot the pattern for most of the characters?

Honestly, this “let’s stick to these norms” was also the downfall of this show. I don’t think 2 Broke Girls have a particularly weak season, but that’s because they don’t have one that is comedy gold either. That is why I must repeat myself; it is a perfectly fine show, and what makes it slightly better is the cast chemistry and how well they interact with each other. For my money, seasons two and three were possibly my favourite ones. The third season was also due to Mary Lynn Rajskub (known mainly from 24 (2001 – 2014, my reviews for every season can be found here)), and her brief guest spot on this show, where she played this brilliantly awkward character, was gold.

But this is what I meant at the beginning of my review. 2 Broke Girls surprised me with its edgy, dark humour (then I discovered it was co-created by Whitney Cummings, so that tracks), but when it comes to everything else in this show, you will not be surprised with anything. Everything in this show follows the “sitcom standards” where if you saw one, you saw them all. And for a show that wanted to be edgy, different and daring, it felt counterproductive.

Overall, 2 Broke Girls might be worth watching if you understand what you are getting into. I can’t say it’s a peak comedy; I can’t even say it’s a must-watch show. However, what I can say is, if you feel like watching something light, something where you simply need to laugh here and there, and you are content with watching Kat and Beth in a variety of different, mostly flattering dresses, this show might be for you. It won’t change your life, but you might have a decent time with this show.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke