Better Off Ted, "Lust in Translation": Ooooh, the Germans are mad at me!
Last night's "Better Off Ted" combined bagel-related tomfoolery with schnitzel-related foreplay with Phil's voice-related sexual awkwardness. In other words, it was very funny, as per usual.
Insert "why can't [insert network name] pick up this show once ABC cancels it?" comment here. A shame we won't get to see more of BOT, because I think it's probably been the most consistently funny show on TV this past year.
I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did when Phil's voice was used in foreplay.
Why does no one watch this show? Is it getting play in Hulu, etc.? Might this influence the decision for another network to pick it up? I feel like it would go great with NBC's Thursday night line-up of workplace comedies.
Last night's episode of Better off Ted may have been the funniest episode of any show this season. I laughed so hard that I was gasping for air. ABC needs to do a better job of highlighting this show. The show is too funny to go this unnoticed by the public.
And kudos to Alan for referencing a great Simpsons episode in the title. It's always a good day when I can remember Germany as "The Land of Chocolate".
I think that may have been the funniest episode of BOT to date. Jay Harrington has proven that he can be more than a straight man, and like Tina Fey, has transformed into a comedic performer. Between the Phil-voice foreplay, bountiful German jokes and Three Stooges coda, Better Off Ted just cemented itself on the "Tragically Canceled Too-Soon" list.
@Anonymous (first poster): It's actually "Das Schnitzel macht dich glücklich!" (Schnitzel is neuter). :) Yeah, we German speaking people have three articles with a couple of cases. "Den" would be masculin, accusative. Weird. I know.
Honestly, if you gave me the choice right now between reinstating Conan at The Tonight Show and getting another full season of Better Off Ted, I'd choose the Better Off Ted. ABC is nuts for not putting this in their Wednesday lineup between Modern Family and Cougar Town.
That would appear to answer my question about whether Jonathan Slavin actually speaks German.
Oh, I think his pronunciation answered that question in about one second. And I'm not trying to be picky about exact shadings of vowels or anything -- he flunked on the most basic points.
Which doesn't hurt the fabulous episode of course; we can just take it as part of the joke that Phil, despite having taken the trouble to get his voice recorded, hasn't a clue about German.
next week is the last scheduled ep - ep 11. Now if they were just burning them off, they could have aired them instead of the BOT reruns taht ran last night and last week. Am I being naive to think they will use the final 2 on a Wed. Do you have any insight from ABC insider? Thanks
I started watching Better Off Ted this year after reading about it here. I LOVE it, and will be so sorry if/when it's gone. It's one of the few shows the husband and I agree on! :)
Yeah, both Greta's translator and Jonathan Slavin definitely don't speak German. On the other hand, the actress playing Greta spoke nearly accent free German. Though, this isn't much of a surprise, her name being Stefanie von Pfetten and, according to imdb, her parents being German and she lived in Austria and Germany... Anyway, it was an other really great Better Off Ted episode. So much to laugh. I laughed hard all the time.
Well Alan after all of your plugs for this show my wife and I taped 2 of them a few weeks back. We didn't laugh once at either episode, basically unwatchable. I was a bit surprised as Portia DR was one of our favorites in Arrested Development - she seems way too stiff in this role (maybe that IS her role here) My guess is she just plays dumb blond better than corporate anal retentive.
But not to give up too soon here as too many critics seem to like this show, I went over to Hulu this morning and watched the Translator episode and found it very very funny. I though the bagel competition was very stupid but the "evil" scientists and the relationship btw Ted and the german woman was hilarious. The sex jokes and language barrier stuff was played perfectly.
Not sure if this show is uneven or not but if other episodes are as solid as this one then maybe I need to watch more - but the show only batting .333 so far based on the 3 episodes I have watched.
Sorry lovers if ABC pulls the plug on you - it sucks I know when the networks don't promote a solid show and give it time to find an audience. Thats why the cable model has got it right. You can have 2 or 3 million viewers and have a huge it. Hope they move it to a new home for you all.
As always, I loved any and everything to do with Phil and Lem. They really are mad scientists, and Phil's laugh was just amazing. And the tag at the end was hilarious.
And as an art-history major, at first I was offended... then... not so much.
Maybe I just dont get it. I've tried to watch this show numerous times and I just think it tries way too hard. This and Big Bang Theory are two shows people love but I just can't get into. The only person I really ever find funny is Portia De Rossi (then again, it could be that I love ANYTHING the cast of Arrested Development does these days)
I loved this episode. It was downright hilarious on so many levels.
One complaint though. Sometimes I really wonder who comes up with foreign language dialogue on US TV shows. Do they just ask around and the first person who claims to have a basic command of the language gets assigned the task?
Why is it that the foreign language is always so terrible. THere are hundreds of german actors in Hollywood and a lot more who could write a decent german dialogue and a good translation.
The dialogue in the current episode used german words but was nowhere near anything resembling decent german at all.
As a german this always bothers me a little. If Tarrantion can do it so could anybody else
I know you have tons of articles to write, Alan, and that you can only dedicate so much time to each show, but I don't understand how Chuck consistently gets pages and pages and B.O.T. gets "it was very funny". Especially considering this show will be gonzo soon, it would be nice to see some more dialogue on it; Chuck has a whole season of plot holes ahead of itself to be analyzed..
Alan, you always make me fall in love with shows doomed to fail! I watched Season 1 of Better off Ted this summer after hearing everyone rave about "Racial Sensitivity" and the show quickly joined my upper echelon of tv comedy. After consistently hilarious episodes like this and "Change We Can't Believe In," I am going to be extremely upset when it inevitably gets canceled.
Last night's "Better Off Ted" combined bagel-related tomfoolery with schnitzel-related foreplay with Phil's voice-related sexual awkwardness. In other words, it was very funny, as per usual. 
Den schnitzel macht dich glücklich!
ReplyDeleteHilarious, as always.
ReplyDeleteInsert "why can't [insert network name] pick up this show once ABC cancels it?" comment here. A shame we won't get to see more of BOT, because I think it's probably been the most consistently funny show on TV this past year.
I am really going to miss this show. It's one of the funniest shows on right now. The number of jokes per minute rivals 30 Rock.
ReplyDeletePhil & Lem are the best with Veronica coming in 3rd. But they are all great!
I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did when Phil's voice was used in foreplay.
ReplyDeleteWhy does no one watch this show? Is it getting play in Hulu, etc.? Might this influence the decision for another network to pick it up? I feel like it would go great with NBC's Thursday night line-up of workplace comedies.
Please ABC... give a chance on Wednesday's. Zombie Scrubs is dead. Lets save Better Off Ted.
ReplyDeleteLast night's episode of Better off Ted may have been the funniest episode of any show this season. I laughed so hard that I was gasping for air. ABC needs to do a better job of highlighting this show. The show is too funny to go this unnoticed by the public.
ReplyDeleteAnd kudos to Alan for referencing a great Simpsons episode in the title. It's always a good day when I can remember Germany as "The Land of Chocolate".
"We Germans aren't all smiles and sunshine."
"OK, first, 'Mustache' and 'Glasses' are the same guy..."
ReplyDeleteThat just killed me, because it seemed genuinely original in some radical way.
I think that may have been the funniest episode of BOT to date. Jay Harrington has proven that he can be more than a straight man, and like Tina Fey, has transformed into a comedic performer. Between the Phil-voice foreplay, bountiful German jokes and Three Stooges coda, Better Off Ted just cemented itself on the "Tragically Canceled Too-Soon" list.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous (first poster): It's actually "Das Schnitzel macht dich glücklich!" (Schnitzel is neuter). :) Yeah, we German speaking people have three articles with a couple of cases. "Den" would be masculin, accusative. Weird. I know.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually "Das Schnitzel macht dich glücklich!"
ReplyDeleteThat would appear to answer my question about whether Jonathan Slavin actually speaks German.
"Eat me."
ReplyDelete"Let's go to dinner and I'll teach you how to use 'with'." (Or something close to that!)
I was laughing so hard that I had to immediately rewatch the show to catch all the stuff I missed.
Honestly, if you gave me the choice right now between reinstating Conan at The Tonight Show and getting another full season of Better Off Ted, I'd choose the Better Off Ted. ABC is nuts for not putting this in their Wednesday lineup between Modern Family and Cougar Town.
ReplyDeleteThat would appear to answer my question about whether Jonathan Slavin actually speaks German.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think his pronunciation answered that question in about one second. And I'm not trying to be picky about exact shadings of vowels or anything -- he flunked on the most basic points.
Which doesn't hurt the fabulous episode of course; we can just take it as part of the joke that Phil, despite having taken the trouble to get his voice recorded, hasn't a clue about German.
Alan,
ReplyDeletenext week is the last scheduled ep - ep 11. Now if they were just burning them off, they could have aired them instead of the BOT reruns taht ran last night and last week. Am I being naive to think they will use the final 2 on a Wed. Do you have any insight from ABC insider? Thanks
I started watching Better Off Ted this year after reading about it here. I LOVE it, and will be so sorry if/when it's gone. It's one of the few shows the husband and I agree on! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, both Greta's translator and Jonathan Slavin definitely don't speak German. On the other hand, the actress playing Greta spoke nearly accent free German.
ReplyDeleteThough, this isn't much of a surprise, her name being Stefanie von Pfetten and, according to imdb, her parents being German and she lived in Austria and Germany...
Anyway, it was an other really great Better Off Ted episode. So much to laugh. I laughed hard all the time.
Well Alan after all of your plugs for this show my wife and I taped 2 of them a few weeks back. We didn't laugh once at either episode, basically unwatchable. I was a bit surprised as Portia DR was one of our favorites in Arrested Development - she seems way too stiff in this role (maybe that IS her role here) My guess is she just plays dumb blond better than corporate anal retentive.
ReplyDeleteBut not to give up too soon here as too many critics seem to like this show, I went over to Hulu this morning and watched the Translator episode and found it very very funny. I though the bagel competition was very stupid but the "evil" scientists and the relationship btw Ted and the german woman was hilarious. The sex jokes and language barrier stuff was played perfectly.
Not sure if this show is uneven or not but if other episodes are as solid as this one then maybe I need to watch more - but the show only batting .333 so far based on the 3 episodes I have watched.
Sorry lovers if ABC pulls the plug on you - it sucks I know when the networks don't promote a solid show and give it time to find an audience. Thats why the cable model has got it right. You can have 2 or 3 million viewers and have a huge it. Hope they move it to a new home for you all.
Arent there enough real Germans in Hollywood to have native speakers speak German?
ReplyDeleteAs always, I loved any and everything to do with Phil and Lem. They really are mad scientists, and Phil's laugh was just amazing. And the tag at the end was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteAnd as an art-history major, at first I was offended... then... not so much.
"You really need that much butter?" Screw you, frying pan."
ReplyDeleteYou tell 'em, Phil
Portia de Rossi should have made a chicken dance though
ReplyDelete@Art Fleming: Yeah, especially in that episode she really reminded me of Lindsay Bluth-Fünke. I loved her chicken dance in Arrested Development :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I just dont get it. I've tried to watch this show numerous times and I just think it tries way too hard. This and Big Bang Theory are two shows people love but I just can't get into. The only person I really ever find funny is Portia De Rossi (then again, it could be that I love ANYTHING the cast of Arrested Development does these days)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys enjoy it though.
I loved this episode. It was downright hilarious on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteOne complaint though. Sometimes I really wonder who comes up with foreign language dialogue on US TV shows. Do they just ask around and the first person who claims to have a basic command of the language gets assigned the task?
Why is it that the foreign language is always so terrible. THere are hundreds of german actors in Hollywood and a lot more who could write a decent german dialogue and a good translation.
ReplyDeleteThe dialogue in the current episode used german words but was nowhere near anything resembling decent german at all.
As a german this always bothers me a little. If Tarrantion can do it so could anybody else
This killed me:-
ReplyDelete"Ich weiss. Ist das nicht erotisch?"
(pardon the spelling mistakes)
Watching Jonathan Slavin run makes me laugh. Actually, all the "running" physical comedy bits on the show have been hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI know you have tons of articles to write, Alan, and that you can only dedicate so much time to each show, but I don't understand how Chuck consistently gets pages and pages and B.O.T. gets "it was very funny". Especially considering this show will be gonzo soon, it would be nice to see some more dialogue on it; Chuck has a whole season of plot holes ahead of itself to be analyzed..
ReplyDeleteI watched this show for the first time. I guess I'm in the minority thinking it's completely stupid, lol!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm missing something because I haven't watched previous episodes?
After reading about it, I really wanted to like it. I just don't.
German jokes? Really? I believe WWII ended 65 years ago. I think we have heard every
ReplyDeleteGerman joke we need to.
Alan, you always make me fall in love with shows doomed to fail! I watched Season 1 of Better off Ted this summer after hearing everyone rave about "Racial Sensitivity" and the show quickly joined my upper echelon of tv comedy. After consistently hilarious episodes like this and "Change We Can't Believe In," I am going to be extremely upset when it inevitably gets canceled.
ReplyDeleteHilarious Episode! Hearing Phil's voice was about as funny as Phil the lemur. Phil and Lem are so funny, im gonna miss them so much...
ReplyDelete