Family Dysfunction

'Family Guy' has been on the air for over ten years now; one of the few tv series to have literally been brought back by popular acclaim, 'thetvreviewguy' has decidedly mixed views about the whole thing. On the one hand, he enjoys the wise-cracking and general smart-assery that fills each episode; on the other hand, he gets tired of the constant need to shock or offend. He also gets a little weary of the programme's cutting edge cynicism. Peter Griffin is no Homer Simpson; there never will be another. But he does lack the roundedness (yes, 'thetvreviewguy' knows we're talking about cartoon characters here) that Homer displays in spades. The thing about clever-dick comedy is that after a while, it wears thin. Making people laugh takes more than a string of sick jokes (albeit some very funny and spot-on ones). 'Family Guy' is a perfect cartoon for the Gamer Generation: Crude, funny, superficial and repetitive. 'Stewie' and 'Brian' the dog are stand out characters in an otherwise very hit and miss comedy show. 'Family Guy' lacks the invention of a good to middling 'Simpsons' episode. ‘South Park’ has already riffed on the Springfield Set’s superiority; ‘thetvreviewguy’ thinks they’re on the money here.‘Family Guy’ gets seven laughs out of ten.

Faded Dreams

'Fade Street', Ireland's version of 'The Hills' gets 'thetvreviewguy' thinking. What is reality? Has TV extended the dramatic art form? And, above all, why? Why 'Fade Street'? The IMF may be running the country, we have daily political turmoil in our parliament and there's a palpable sense of anger and fear out there. But the reality in 'Fade Street' is whether a girl called Vogue (huh??) can get a modelling shoot or if the unintentional anti-hero of the drama, Louise, can flick her hair the right way and remember her lines, sorry, 'reality drama' reactions, or, most importantly, who scores who. It's a definite fugazzi, but even 'thetvreviewguy' has been tempted to switch over from Recession News and not just for the obvious reasons. He needs laughter as much as everybody else and if that has to come from having his jaw drop and shaking his head as these actors/real people (?) lead their post-bust 'glamourous' lives, then so be it. Maybe 'thetvreviewguy' is looking back from approaching middle-age and wistfully longing to recover his early 20s. More likely, he likes feeling a bit smug by thinking; yes, they might have their lives laid out before them but do they read books and appreciate irony. He would probably swap the latter for the former though...

Well Worth a Peep

If 'thetvreviewguy' were to invite a few comedy characters to a dinner party, he'd be really interested in having Mark, Jez, Super Hans, Sophie and Dobby over for a highly entertaining, if somewhat unpredictable evening. They are, of course, all part of Channel 4's 'Peep Show', easily one of the funniest comedies on television right now. It's stream of consciousness format, its rich group of characters and an hilarious script make for indispensable Friday night viewing. Mark Corrigan's internal insecure monologue, '(Can't do it. It's too much. I'm not American; I can't date.)' contrasts brilliantly with Jez's empty vessel persona '(Useless...all useless. I wish they were all robots...I wish I were a robot...maybe I could punch through a wall...)'. And then there's Dobby, the loved one, who Mark loves and lusts after; to Mark, she's like Mrs H...she's gorgeous, she's quite a lady. Yet, 'Peep Show' is based on a very simple premise; its a variation of 'The Odd Couple' - incompatible flat mates finding their way through life in different ways. The writing standard has stayed consistently high over the duration of the series and 'Peep Show' will doubtless go on to be rated as one of the great comedies of the last twenty years; gets 'thetvreviewguy' seal of approval