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

This is… it? After eight seasons (each reviewed individually here), we have arrived at the end of the Jack Bauer saga. Except, is it the end? I am not trying to be cryptic on purpose; this half-season just goes against most things Jack Bauer is known for. It feels strange to end your show with something that doesn’t resemble the show whatsoever. Did I still have fun? Yes. Does it make that any less weird? No.

First, we need to address the elephant in the room, and it is something I have mentioned already. 24: Live Another Day is only a half-season with 12 episodes instead of the traditional, you know, 24 episodes. I did some digging and found that this season came about as a “limited-run, special event”. I can understand in that vein why it would be only 12 episodes, but then is it the ninth season? Half of the ninth season? Because it must be, given the show itself counts this, and Fox billed the eighth episode as the 200th episode of this show (more about everything here). Sure, this might seem like a tiny gripe, but it matters because that ties into my next point.

The UK setting. As someone who lives in the UK (albeit in Scotland, not England), I have nothing against the UK. But, for the last season of 24, about this almost super-spy Jack Bauer, a good old-fashioned American boy, who always fights against the “evil forces” no matter where they are attacking from, it feels off for his send-off to be in the UK. Now, I know lately, there have been some talks about bringing him Jack Bauer back, even Kiefer Sutherland would be open to returning as Jack Bauer (read it for yourself here), but until that happens, we need to work with what we got, and as it stands now, this is the last season. And not only it’s half as long as any of the previous seasons (while keeping the same “real-time” gimmick alive), it takes place outside of the US. We don’t get CTU, we get some of our old favourites back, but the times were rough for them.

What this season had in store for Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is rough, and despite there being a hint of hope towards the end, we don’t want to see Chloe that low. I get why we had to see her like that; the season justified it well enough. It just added to the shock of this season and the message: “Well, we are no longer in Kansas, Dorothy.” And I get making your limited season (that’s kinda season nine) into something different, but one could argue if this has any chance of being the very last season; is that idea that great? I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to end this show in a more familiar setting.

What Live Another Day did well was, yet again, casting. From Michelle Fairley, Stephen Fry to pre-Star Wars John Boyega, I enjoyed seeing great people in new roles that had an impact on the story. Especially Michelle being one of the villains, was the cherry on top of that cake. From this point of view, at least I could find something enjoyable from the UK setting being so vastly different; casting some of the finest British actors is always a good move.

The entire season was still fine; it had the usual 24isms you must be used to by now. There is always a spy who infiltrated the “good guys”; there is yet again somebody else working against Jack… We know. But more than ever, this season felt rushed; it wanted to tell one story, but it felt all over the place. And the ending… Did they think this won’t be the last season? I guess; somebody must have believed this would do so well that people would demand more; otherwise, I can’t explain that ending. And that brings me to my last point about this entire show.

It is fitting that the last season doesn’t know how to end because that’s been a bit of a trademark of this show. I have touched on this before, but 24 is one of the unfortunate best examples of the saying: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain”. I believe that had it finished after the fourth season, we would have a near-perfect show. Especially considering that the fourth season was the only season that has had a really satisfying and closed ending, or at least that was the close we ever got close to it. But you know how they do it in Hollywood if something works, run it to the ground until it doesn’t. 24 could have been that unicorn of a show that managed to pull the impossible and made such a gimmicky show work (each episode being in “real-time”), but instead, it ran for way too long. It is ironic that the show’s finale mirrors the show so well, never truly understanding how to finish with dignity. No cliffhangers, no hints at other things; just close the book.

Overall, 24: Live Another Day is a fine last season. It feels weird at times because of its length and setting, but (paradoxically) thanks to the UK setting, we get some decent actors in supporting roles. We still have some great action sequences, Jack being invincible and an ending that seems like people behind the show really thought audiences needed even more 24 in their life. I am not sure about that, but I am certain about knowing when a show should end. And unfortunately, this show missed that chance more than 100 episodes ago.

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

Until next time,

Luke

When I said in my review for season five (here) that the end of the season is where the decline starts, I wasn’t kidding. Look, I won’t say season six is bad; it’s not. It’s just more ludicrous than ever; the threats feel more manufactured than ever, and most of all, this is why I mentioned TV tropes. There are a few that can tell you whether your show might have run its course when you manufacture tension by introducing family members that we haven’t even heard of, let alone seen, over the past five seasons! As with my previous review, I have to go into spoilers from the very beginning to discuss this season in any meaningful way, so…

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

Remember the main bad guy behind president Logan from the last season? The writers felt it wasn’t enough for him to come back or that the company obviously had a much greater role in everything no. They made him into Jack’s brother. Can I ask, would it be less impactful to have him back without that? Couldn’t we simply have this company (if that is the route we are going down) that’s influencing everything and has influential people on the board without them having a family connection to Jack Bauer? And if the fact his brother was behind that wasn’t enough for you, do I have another family member for you?! James Cromwell, who is always a great addition to anything, portrays Jack’s dad. And, of course, he is also involved because fuck everything. But what makes these “additions” even more worthless is neither of them survives this season. I could see these choices make some sense if at least one survives and becomes “the big bad” for the rest of the show or at least one more season. But nah, both die this season, making them part of Jack’s family absolutely pointless, and that family tie has no compelling impact on this season or the show overall. And this is what makes this “Oh no, a few of the bad guys are part of Jack’s family!” move so cheap and ultimately meaningless. There is some shock value (but most of the shock stems from him never referencing either in the show), but that is it. No “repercussions” and no emotional damage for Jack because he’s already broken from the Chinese prison…

That is something that I wish we would have explored more, Jack’s mental state. This season is his first one where he doesn’t want to be involved and even says he can’t do this anymore. But we only see that for not even two episodes, and then, back to the action! And I understand it’s his show he “needs to” be the guy who kicks all the terrorists’ butts and all, but… They had a chance to do something interesting here, especially after Jack kills Curtis (a great performance by Roger Cross); I wish we switched to somebody else taking the reigns for a bit, and we would see Jack struggling with everything. But no, we can’t have our American hero suffer too much and kick fewer butts, so of course, his patriotism prevails, somehow, and he is back at it, what feels like in no time.

What I thought was handled well and added some realism to this season was Morris’ storyline (portrayed by Carlo Rota), whose character I liked in the previous season and grew to love in this one. I think the point of his character was to show us somebody more like “us”, the “normal” viewer. Sure, Morris is a CTU agent, but he isn’t indestructible or unbreakable like Jack, and his arc of him helping the terrorists (well, being tortured to help them) and having that cloud over his head for the rest of this season was haunting. The same went for the racial profiling of all Muslims, including the CTU agents; the show touched on something that is still more than relevant today. And this might be as good a time as any to go over one of the main criticism I keep reading about when discussing 24.

One of the main complaints I have seen in a few tidbits on the Internet is that this show is heavily conservative with its views and politics (that is true) and is anti-Muslim. And I don’t think that’s necessarily true. In the second season (my review here), which was the season right after 9/11 happened, the show showed some anti-Muslim rhetoric. But here is where people didn’t watch that season thoroughly, as in that season, the vigilantes who hunted down and killed an innocent Muslim were the wrong ones; the show even condemned them. A fun fact, the main racist vigilante is played by young Nick Offerman. And the same applies here in this season; throughout it, all the profiling policies and tendencies come from people who are either revealed behind everything or proven wrong at the end. There is a difference between showcasing racial profiling and condoning it, and I never thought the show even hinted at any of these things as being “the correct things to do”. At the time of writing this, I have, yet again, future knowledge of what’s ahead of me (as I just started season eight) and that supports my view even firmer as the terrorists in that season want to pin down everything on Muslims. Again, 24 isn’t a perfect show by any means, I think the main criticism should be justifying torture as a valid interrogation method, but regarding any racial profiling, I think they have (at least from what I saw) always landed on the right side and never tried to justify it.

Back to this season, another thing I didn’t care about was the White House scenes. Because yet again, we have a traitor there, and we have a very random president (I like D.B. Woodside as much as the next guy, but the show’s justification of “Well, his dead brother was popular.” didn’t ring true). And since he also goes away quickly, his character leaves no impact. And talk about random, did you know Palmers had a sister? And as much as I love seeing Regina King in anything, I wish she would have played a character that mattered, not this disposable “Hey, I am president’s sister.” character that, yet again, has little impact on this season except for getting him out of his coma. And it pains to write about both of these actors that they were disposable, but I didn’t write this season. The writers made them into paper-thin characters whose entire purpose was to move some plot points further and disappear when their role was done, with no explanation. We don’t know what happens to him after this season. Did he die in the coma, or did he recover? “Fuck you for even asking”, the show says. And the same with Regina’s character, who just disappears.

And that was my ultimate problem with season six. The action is still great, and there are some tense moments, but if a bunch of your characters are paper-thin, disposable pieces of nothing, the stakes feel much lower, which is a shame, given this show could have been amazing. Also, if you are watching this show for the first time, make sure to watch 24: Redemption (2008) right after the end of season six because that is a prequel to season seven. That was something I didn’t know, and nobody pointed it out, so I will watch it retrospectively to see what I missed. But this also goes to show how there are some fans of this show but not enough to point these things out to new watchers like me. When I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003) a few years ago for the first time, I knew of the watching order from the fanbase. If you don’t know, when Angel (1999 – 2004) got his show, the episodes would often overlap or reference each other, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. So people created a timeline; on how to watch them both back to back for the best viewing experience. Same with Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 – 2020, my review here), since the show is an anthology, there is a list (here) for watching the entire show in chronological order if you want to, and again, I have learned about it from the fans. But nothing like this for 24, proving my point that this show has been forgotten about. And it’s mainly due to things that happen over this season, where they jump several metaphorical sharks at once; whilst having characters that don’t matter.

Overall, the sixth season of 24 was a messy frustration mixed with occasional glimpses of great stuff. The action sequences are still mostly fine, and some plotlines were superb, but mostly, this season dampens the legacy this show could have had. It’s still an ok watch, but you might roll your eyes more than once. 24 might inadvertently be the best example of why streaming, despite its flaws, is the superior way to produce new shows and how it makes sense to tell the story you have in mind, not task yourself year by year to come up with more insane things for Jack Bauer to go up against.

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

Until next time,

Luke