atari2600

bummer.

rabbit77

The thing about Louis CK's humor that I really enjoy isn't really sitcom type material. His observations about ridiculous situations are what really made him stand out to me... like his joke about waving hi to some guy across the street while eating an apple, or the type of sound you make when you go to push an elevator button that's already lit - it doesn't translate into a sitcom about a guy schlepping along in life.

Norton's character has potential, and since I'm a regular listener of O&A I was interested in seeing him on screen. Good job as a creep, but he's truly funny when he ad libs. There's no place where he can show off his scathing wit.

BassDude

I've never seen Louis CK live, but laughed at a few lines that sounded like they'd be from a routine. 'need ta raise 50 bucks to be broke', the afforementioned 'p*ssy of financial ruin' and some others. I wonder if I'll dig this a bit more having never seen his stand up or having never heard Norton.

My DVR didn't record the show. Will have ta catch a repeat to get the full half hour. (only saw 15 mins or so.)

I liked the stark sets and the video-tape look to the show. Real contrast to Entourage right before it, and makes it look/feel like an old sitcom.

Red Dog

While an Entourage episode feels like it flys by in about 10 minutes, this show felt like it was 210 minutes. Horrible would be a generous term to describe it.

PacMan2006

The shots in his apartment looked so fake. It literally looked like it was on a soundstage. And the room was so bare, too. I didn't understand that.

dvd182

That's the idea; they were going for that look. They are really trying to play up the "live" aspect of the show.

PacMan2006

So...maybe so...I'm honestly not sure. But if came off as really cheap to me. There was one scene in the bedroom where I could see the fading shadow of a painting that used to be on the wall. It was just weird.

fab

Not sure what the problem with the set is... I think it conveys a shit-ass apartment pretty accurately.

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fab

garmonbozia

i agree. i think it looks more realistic than the houses and apartments that we see most tv characters living in (that they could never afford on their below average income jobs). we've just been brainwashed into thinking all tv show characters with crappy jobs live in luxury apartments, so when we finally see a realistic looking one, it looks fake to us.

MasterCXtreme

It's not so much the set up of the apartment and what's in it... but how it looks on the screen... especially in HD. It either has to do with the lighting or the camera their using. HBO obviously isn't using standard sitcom equipment. And with a show like this where none of us are entirely sure in the direction that they're going with it.... the look's a big part of it.

Jadzia

The bleak 1970's look of this series reminds me of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

PacMan2006

It's not about having it look like a luxury apartment. On the show, it looked like they had just moved in a week prior. There was NOTHING on the walls...it just looked weird and very unrealistic.

Zwerchfell

Overall I didn't like the show too much. I didn't like the stage look and I hated the laught track. Especially on HBO it feels totally out of place. I will watch one or two more episodes before I quit but I don't have much hope.

dvd182

I think they are shooing it on video.

SPiRAL

I totally agree.

cupon

Exactly. The studio audience ruins it for me.

cracksky

It was okay but I give new shows like this at least six before I bail. I'd never heard of this comedian at all before he was on Stern this week promoting the show so I watched it On Demand.

I agree that most of the jokes were pretty weak but it can only get better as they get more comfortable performing together. The lack of censorship is a big plus. CK said on Stern there is an upcoming show where the word, c*nt, is spoken like 40 times and HBO had no problems with it.

As far as the differences between sitcoms, shows with studio audiences are called multi-camera, the others are called single-camera (which can have canned laughter added or not).

This may be the first multi-camera sitcom for HBO but I have on tape a George Carlin show called Apartment 2C that aired on HBO which I believe was a pilot for a sitcom. Can't remember if there was an audience or not. Early-to-mid-eighties. Very raunchy and very funny.

rabbit77

Eh, but vulgarity for the sake of being vulgar is never funny. Which reminds me:

Lucille: "Michael, I need to talk to you."

Michael: "Hang on a second, Mom. Gob, you have to get rid of the 'Seaward'."

Lucille: "I will leave...when I'm good and ready."

Turd Ferguson

The only way this show could suck more would be if Jonathan Silverman were in it.

spainlinx0

You would think comedians would have timing, but apparently that doesn't translate to acting. I'm a Jimmy fan, but what was with that delivery? Terrible. The only character I thought did well was that fat guy with the moustache. I have to look him up on IMDB to see what I remember him from though.

CPA-ESQ.

The set was soooo bad. Come on - In College I had no cash but you hang stuff on the walls - slap on a coat of paint. Het some nice light fixtures. The walls were so big and bare.

The show seemed to drag and was at a very slow pace - The War at Home seems to move at a faster pace and seems a little edgier (even without the cursing)

xx2000xx

You have to remember that 'lil Jimmy gets nervous sometimes.

Me007gold

Thats because 'lil Jimmy is a creep, a creep with aids none the less. Looking foward to more of lil Jimmy on this show and on Leno Tonite!

xx2000xx

That is the 2nd time in the thread that somebody said he has aids. I know he'll probably eventually get it :-), but I'm about 2 weeks behind on the radio show. He doesn't have it for real does he?

Charlie Goose

Finally caught this. It's fitting that I said I "caught" it, because this show is very much like a disease. Submoronic and every bit of it was offensive. Not offensive because of the raunchiness, but because it was raunch without even the smallest bit of humor. Even the reptilian, but usually funny, Jim Norton was unwatchable. I hated every worthless second and insipid line of dialogue.