Blackbox - Three out of four new comedies on the telly get the Blackbox stamp of approval.
TV comedies, like good drama, need really good writing and at least one cast member with exceptional skills. Comedy, though, also needs the ability to hook you in from the very beginning. Audiences will forgive a lumbering drama, conceding that a complex backstory needs to be put in place. But when it comes to comedy, if it doesn’t make you laugh by the first ad break, you ain’t going back. Ever. Fortunately New Girl (SCTEN, Sun, 8pm) had Chez Blackbox in stitches by the time the opening credits started. Zooey Deschanel stars as Jess, the geeky flatmate of three guys. The schmaltzy moments are still funny and Chez Blackbox has already adopted the douchebag jar. The only thing SCTEN could do to improve its Sunday lineup is drop the irritating cross promos from The Project people.
Outland (ABC1, Wed Feb 8, 9.30pm) looks promising in an absurd kind of way. The John Richards penned comedy (with Adam Richard co-writing the first three episodes) about a gay science fiction fan club is a comical farce in the great British-Australian tradition of over-exaggeration.
Coincidentally one of the best British examples from the late ‘80s returns this fortnight – Absolutely Fabulous 20th Anniversary Specials (ABC1, Wed Feb 8, 8pm) revisits Eddy and Pats over two weeks, for a few bolly stolly cocktails. If you haven’t seen the original, get thee to the DVD store now.
Also back from the dead is Minder (ABC1, Sat Feb 11, 6.10pm). Britain may have moved on but the dodgy businessman from the East End is a stereotype that’s hard to shake.
Chez Blackbox knows that with all your fave series returning you only have room for a couple of new shows. Don’t waste it on Suburgatory (Go!, Sun Feb 5, 8.30pm) – a fish out of water comedy about a NYC teenager who moves to the burbs. Desperate Housewives (Prime, Thu, 8.30pm) and Weeds (GEM, TBC) have already done cartoon suburban pastiche.
Series returns include House (SCTEN, Sun Feb 5, 9.35pm), Talkin’ ‘bout Your Generation (SCTEN, Wed Feb 8, 8pm), Glee (SCTEN, Fri, 7pm), An Idiot Abroad: Bucket List (SCTEN, Sat Feb 4, 7.30pm), CSI (WIN, Thu Feb 2, 9pm), Adam Hills in Gordon St (ABC1, Wed Feb 8, 8.30pm), Dexter (SCTEN, Tue, 9.30pm), The Office (SCTEN, Tue, 9pm), How I Met Your Mother (Prime, Mon, 9.40pm), The Tudors (ABC2, Mon Feb 13, 9.30pm) and Damages (WIN, Tue Jan 31, 1am).
Docos to check out include the four part Putin, Russia and The West (SBS1, Wed Feb 1, 9.30pm) which looks at the world’s favourite action hero, Dancing with Dictators (ABC2, Sun Feb 12, 10pm) about Burma’s only media company, Singapore 1942 – End of Empire (SBS1, Fri Feb 10, 8.30pm), the four part History of Celtic Britain (SBS1, Sun Feb 5, 7.30pm) with the incredibly intense Neil Oliver who could probably look at joining the cast of Minder if archaeology doesn’t work out.
Movies on offer include Star Trek (2009) (SCTEN, Wed Feb 8, 9.30pm), The Sound of Music (Fri Feb 10, 8pm), The Towering Inferno (GEM, Sat Feb 4, 4.10pm), When Harry Met Sally (GEM, Sun Feb 5, 8.30pm) and Dracula Prince of Darkness (GEM, Mon Feb 6, 1.50am).
Chez Blackbox has joined the twitterverse. Look out.
tracyheffernan@bigpond.com
Twitter: @ChezBlackbox
