Just when I was about to put in the call to cancel HBO, they go and reel me back in with something I have to watch. Chris and I have come to the mutual decision that this is currently the best thing on tv. So far, only 5 episodes have aired.
Premise: Two average guys from New Zealand move to Manhattan in the hopes of making it big as "rock stars". The two NZ guys are a "band" called, "Flight of the Conchords". Four main characters only in this show: 1. Bret - he is one of the NZ guys/band members. 2. Jermaine - he the other NZ guy/band member. 3. Murray - he is the band's manager and fellow New Zealander. Total goof and very "David Brent"-esque. 4. Mel - American women who the the President and only member of the band's fan club. She is obsessed with them (despite the fact that she is married).
The show is very funny in a ridiculous/absurd/nonsense kind of way. Each episode features several musical numbers by the guys in the band. The type of humor is VERY Canadian. I really don't know how to explain it better than that. VERY Canadian-esque humor. Some things that I love about the show: Bret's t-shirts! He always wears some ridiculous, cheezy shirt from the 80's. Also, the posters in Murray's office. Every episode, he has a new set of "tourism" posters for New Zealand up on his wood-paneled walls in the background. Favorite posters include: "New Zealand -- Don't expect too much -- you'll love it!" and "New Zealand - just like Lord of the Rings!".
All episodes are available anytime on HBO on-Demand. Numerous clips of the show are available on HBO's website and also YouTube and the entirety of Episode 4 is also available to watch on HBO's website free to all.
If anyone has comments on the show, feel free to share...
we watched the hbo episode they have online and i would have to agree that the humor is very non-american - no sarcasm, no money making ventures, no making fun of others. just a couple of goof balls who make fun of themselves. it is well made, but i have to wonder how long a show like this can last. without the traditional american humor, are we watching a football match? Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:46 pm
I also watched the 4th episode on HBO's website. There's something nostalgic about the show and I can easily see myself becoming addicted to it. Is the series is serialized, do they use more of an episodic formula like "Monk", or is it sort of a hybrid like "Sex in City"?
I can think of a specific generation that is going to identify really well with this show. Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:29 pm
Hmm...interesting observations. I watch it from a more simplistic viewpoint: the guys are next-door, reasonably likeable guys; lovely dead-pan humor, and everything else on tv right now is absolutely unwatchable. Basic story-lines do, weakly, continue from week-to-week but you need not watch the entire series from start-to-finish to appreciate the humor or story-line. Personally, I just like it for exactly what it is, not that it's going to change my life, or is ground-breaking, or revolutionary but it offers me a fun laugh on Sunday nights that I appreciate. Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:16 am
Last nights episode "what goes on tour" was the best ever. These three goofballs (Bret, Jermaine and Murry) are so clueless you cannot stop laughing. Murray made this episode as he takes himself so seriously and believes he is doing right by the band yet he is incompetent as the their manager. Best thing to hit TV in a long time.
