tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post116835179736545485..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Talkin' comedy with Ricky GervaisAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1169070248686994532007-01-17T16:44:00.000-05:002007-01-17T16:44:00.000-05:00Just finished watching the second season. I do th...Just finished watching the second season. I do think it was more solid than the first, overall, and it's a very funny show. But I can't avoid the conclusion that it's an inferior version of Curb Your Enthusiasm (with more celebrities). It tries to go for the same basic effect as Curb but feels a lot more forced in doing so. There was a lot of formulaic and lazy writing-- how will Maggie's big mouth and/or Darren's antics gets Andy in trouble this week? (The awards show episode was when this formula really started to grate on my nerves.) And I think you do get to the heart of it, Alan, when you point out the difference between Brent and Andy. Brent (and Larry David) always sow the seeds of their own demise, and that's just more funny than big-mouth Maggie or crazy Darren doing it to doom Andy. <BR/><BR/>It was really Darren's whole character that annoyed me most because he clearly is the source of so many Andy's problems that there's no reason for Andy to keep him around, except that he's a funny character who can get some easy laughs. At least Maggie has some redeeming characteristics-- her character's so genuinely endearing that it's forgivable when she's used as a plot device to get Andy in an awkward situation.<BR/><BR/>That seems overly negative, so let me just mention some of the things that I did really love in the show: Maggie, that hysterical Patrick Stewart scene, the "Racism test" ("who would you rather have waiting for you in your house when you get home, Johnny Depp or OJ Simpson?"), Chris Martin's guest appearance, and everything about Andy's hilariously awful sitcom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1168807766807101312007-01-14T15:49:00.000-05:002007-01-14T15:49:00.000-05:00Good interview, but I disagree when you say the se...Good interview, but I disagree when you say the second series of Extras is improved. It's terrible. The first series had the novelty of celebrities, the second series totally relied on them, and offered nothing new. It was an embarrassment. <BR/><BR/>I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais, but I think he should try to write/direct something without him in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com