Back in 2006 Louis C.K. took a stab at the traditional sitcom with his HBO show Lucky Louie
There is actually not much in the way of a plot here, instead what you have is Louis C.K. doing a bit stand up before cutting to a short vignette, a little more than a sketch, but a lot less than actual sitcom. Based loosely on his own life we are introduced to Louie who is a divorced father of two, in the pilot we see him with kids on a school trip and a failed date. Both show his difficulties in the situation as he tries to take control of the situation on the school bus, but fails in every way with his date.
I can’t hide my disappointment, I really liked Lucky Louie and Louis C.K. is a great stand-up with a strong voice and a unique take on the world. Here however I feel we lose a lot of the controversy of his comedy. From what I have seen before he has the ability to take you to a dark place before pulling you back out; For example there was a stand out episode of Lucky Louie where he called his wife a cunt, or his stand up idea on why we should not be so angry a paedophiles (see below). This show seems to lack heart, in both vignettes he doesn’t make the tough choices that would make his life better, played more for laughs than story we see no desire to improve himself that was so clear in his previous sitcom.
Created / Written by: Louis C.K.
Directed by: Louis C.K.
Starring: Louis C.K.
Date premièred: 29th June 2010
UK Details: TBC
and new entry Memphis Beat. Since these last two have more than little in common I will review both now.
the pilot sets up that all too familiar police dynamic and while Raylan maybe more gentleman than brute force, his unconventional methods still rials up his boss. With 
finishing on such a high last year, it was great to see the return of the brilliant Walton Goggins to the TV screens, he manages to infuse real character in what could a horrible stereotype in other hands. The pilot serves to set up the interesting characters and dynamics, but as a result feels a little back story heavy with many key events taking place prior to the first episode. With a setting that takes us out of the cities we have become use to in other cop shows, there is certainly scope for fresh storylines. However, although bold in the early stages highlighting the consequence of a policeman shooting his gun, by the end you get the feeling that as long as it is a bad guy getting shot, that is all the justification needed.
. Law enforcement will always be a popular choice for drama, like medical shows it allows for an easy, self contained story each week, but it is such a well trodden path that you have to throw in something new to win me over.
. Such a success was this multi generational look at one of life’s greatest challenges network TV rushed out to make a small screen version. Ed Begley Jr, David Arquette and Leonardo DiCaprio took on the roles of their big screen counterparts, unfortunately for Leo, the series followed the fate of other 80s and early 90s movies turned TV shows (
, 
, 
and Baby Talk (based on the film 
)) and lasted only on series.
star Peter Krause. Originally intended for a September airing it pushed back to the mid-season as actress Maura Tierney was diagnosed with breast cancer, as a result Mercy was brought up in its place. Tiernay went on to leave the series due to her treatment and Lauren Graham took her place.
, but since 
and 
, it stars Courtney Cox (
and 
) the show is certainly packing some veteran talent, even relative new comer Dan Byrd (Aliens in America) delivers a confident performance.
, which itself was based on the 
of the same name by John Updike. This is not the first time someone has tried to make The Witches of Eastwick into a TV series, the first attempt was in 1992, a pilot was shot and aired, but NBC failed to be picked up. Things then went quiet for 10 years, but in 2002 FOX tried again, with Marcia Cross who, when the show failed to be picked up, went to on star as Bree in 
in 2008 and the stage musical probably helped raise the profile of the source material, making it a slightly more tempting offer for the commissioners.
, 
or not… the show was quite forgettable.
and Ricky Gervais’ quirky friend in 
), Billie has recently broken up with her boyfriend since he was not going to propose and now 37 she is feeling a little over the hill. Then she gets hit on by young 20 something chef Zach (Jon Foster), they go back to his bachelor pad and make babies on his mattress on the floor.
looked like a desperate attempt to grab the cinema going audience who enjoyed 
and when ITV tried that with 
it didn’t work that well. Since the pilot had been hanging around since it was tested after the American Idol finale in May, I thought I better get around to reviewing it.
and 2000s
, this is an ambitious show but easy to see why it will be a hit. The characters are sterotypes, but the writing is tight with a tongue firmly placed in the cheek. At Comic-Con someone was heard to describe it “as if High School Musical had been punched in the stomach and had its lunch money stolen.”This might me taking it a little too far, but the appeal is certainly wider than the tween audience who enjoyed those films. While there are shades of light and dark, the shows primary purpose is to entertain and well make you gleeful and at this it is a 100% successful guilty pleasure.
left the airwaves and not doubt this was spotted by studio execs as 2 possible replacements are heading to a screen near you in the near future. Malcolm in the Middle creator Linwood Boomer has his new family comedy series The Karenskys, while former Malcolm in the Middle star Justin Berfield (Reese) has turned his hand to producing (alongside Jason Felts, Harvey Myman & Todd Holland) in the upcoming “Sons of Tucson”.
, but currently doesn’t look surpass either of these hits. I’ll be watching but my hopes for a new Malcolm in the Middle are now be rested on The Karenskys.
struggled on Fox for a couple of seasons before the execs decided that it wasn’t doing well enough and cancelled it. But all was not lost as public outcry got the show back on the air, but it short lived and the show was cancelled again in 2002. For next few years DVDs continued to sell and the show syndicated on Adult Swim was still performing well. Fox said lets have some more and Seth has been the darling of the channel ever since. 
followed shortly after and then began rumours of a spin off show about Peter Griffin’s neighbour Cleveland.
has finally arrived. Cleveland leaves Quahog with son in search of his dream in Hollywood. On the way he passes through his home town and meets the girl he loved in high school who is now a single mother with a teenage daughter and smart alek toddler. Romance blossoms and Cleveland decides stay. While American Dad has a talking fish, Family Guy has a talking dog, The Cleveland Show has a talking bear. Other neighbours include the local racist redneck, a middle aged hipster who lives with his mum.
just got cancelled leaving a gap in the market) but this show plays so heavily on stereotypes it boarders on offensive. They don’t hide this fact and even go as far as hanging a hat on it, “I hate it when white folks make a show they think black folk will watch.” Cleveland is not a character who excites very much, he kinda just goes with the flow, which means the people around him have to be over the top to generate the comedy. Even Stewie comments “What the hell, he’s getting his own show!”
