Long Story Short is a Netflix adult animated comedy-drama created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, his first new animated series since the acclaimed BoJack Horseman. Trading Hollywood satire for something more intimate, the show is a warm, melancholy, and very funny portrait of a single family told across the sweep of its members' entire lives.
The series follows the Schwooper family, jumping freely and non-chronologically through the decades, from childhood and adolescence to marriage, parenthood, and old age, so that a character might be a squabbling kid in one scene and a weary adult in the next. This restless time-hopping structure lets the show explore how families carry their history with them, how old wounds and inside jokes echo across generations, and how small moments accumulate into a life. Its voice cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Ben Feldman, Lisa Edelstein, Paul Reiser, and Nicole Byer.
Rooted in Bob-Waksberg's own Jewish American upbringing, Long Story Short earned strong reviews for balancing sharp comedy with genuine emotional depth, the same alchemy that made his previous work resonate. It is streaming on Netflix.
The National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle is now in force so we can feel much safer"¦ right? Well maybe. This clandestine team includes government agents who are working to protect California's San Diego from all those threatening terrorists who want to destroy that great little peaceful sea side town. Evil countries such as Mexico, Guam, and even Canada are plotting against the U.S. according to the NTSF: SD: SUV. And even though this highly trained team of operatives is determined to save our fannies from death and destruction from the "up to no good" terrorists, we the people of San Diego doubt the group can live up to the hype. This hilarious comedy, filled with yelling, action, suspense, drama, cliffhangers, more yelling, and plenty of suspense was created by and stars Paul Scheer (Children's Hospital, Happy Endings) as Trent Hauser, Brandon Johnson (Children's Hospital, Conan) as Alphonse, and Kate Mulgrew (The Black Donnellys, Admiral Janeway from various Star Trek series). Guest stars include Jeff Goldblum, Moon Bloodgood, Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell, and JK Simmons. They go about their business using a fleet of SUV's, absolute gas guzzlers
An Australian TV mockumentary, Angry Boys has what it takes to make reality television fun to watch. Take a set of teenage twin brothers from Australia, a rapper from Los Angeles, California, a young Japanese boy who wants to become a champion surfer, and an assortment of other characters who drift in and out of the weekly shows and you have a strange combination that somehow works in the "reality TV" format. It's about the typical issues faced by young males in this, the 21st century. The peer pressures, the hopes and dreams all young people have to begin with. Some see their dreams come true, some simply go another route to find happiness. Twins Nathan and Daniel live with their mother and step dad and lead average lives but Nathan happens to be almost entirely deaf. His brother, Daniel decides to give him a great going away present (before Nathan goes off to a school for the deaf) and invite a few of their heroes to attend. Those include a rap artist from LA, S mouse, a surf pro, Tim Okazaki, and a bikini clad model named Emily Chase. Some unusual character combinations make this fun and interesting viewing.
So does that make this a reality show or a TV sitcom with a personal touch? Louis C.K. is well known in comedy circles as an award winning comedian, writer, and producer and that's what he does on his own self titled show, Louie. The show has been named on numerous top ten television show lists for 2010 and garnered Louis C.K. a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series on the Primetime Emmy Awards. Somewhat loosely based on Louis C.K.'s real life as standup comedian, Louie plays father to two girls and has occasional girl friends (referred to as playdate friends) like Pamela who keep life interesting for the world weary Louie. Look for some stand up comedy skits as well as conversations between Louie and his therapist. Not one to be bashful when it comes to treating sensitive material gingerly Louie covers a wide variety of subjects including Catholic guilt, sexual orientation, sex, depression, as well as divorce (which he is very familiar with). A comedian's life is never boring or without complications.
YouTube sensation Affion Crockett has plenty to offer in the way of comedy and uses a lot of ideas "borrowed" from Saturday Night Live as well as In Living Color to make the laughs flow. Impersonations of such notables as Dave Chappelle, Tiger Woods, and even President Barack Obama are considered spot on and they come to us weekly as the sketch comedy format that brings the laughs on quick and frequent. Guests like Damon Wayans, Jr., Russell Simmons, and Samuel L Jackson provide additional ammo to the shows format and the laughs just keep on coming! Crockett got his first notice through the media now popularly used known as YouTube and with plenty of exposure on there he now presents his brand of humor to us on television. With Jamie Foxx as producer and help from Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz along with Kim and Eric Tannenbaum from Two and a Half Men there may be no stopping In the Flow with Affion Crockett now.
My Life as Liz star Liz Lee is a breath of fresh air to reality TV As with all reality based programming today My Life as Liz goes for the dramatized lifestyle and follows along in daily routines. Liz finds life tough at the Pratt Institute where she attends college classes with television cameras following her every move. My Life as Liz cannot simply be called a sitcom because it's not. It also cannot fit the "dramatic" shoes of others like Survivor or America's Got Talent because there is no actual competition involved here. Liz Lee finds life in college a challenge whenever she is around others her age like classmates but when she's alone the show gets "stylized" and down to the details of a young woman's lifestyle. Music from Faded Paper Figures is often in the spotlight, particularly at the ending credits and within various episodes. Burleson, Texas is home to Liz and it's her conservative suburban home that she feels most at home. Liz is a "geek" who's proud to be one and her friends actually like her for that. Tori Langley and Taylor Terry are her best friends, Cori Cooper is her arch nemesis and a young man named Bryson Gilreath is her main love (at this point) in her life.
Take a bit of dramatic comedy from TV show The Wonder Years from the late 80's then add in some Superbad from the 2007 movie and you may begin to see what The Hard Times of RJ Berger is about. Nearly everybody had a rough time in their high school years. Between puberty and peer pressure to excel in everything but scholarly efforts, we had to compete for every little bit of attention but Berger, who is an unpopular high school sophomore attending a fictional Ohio school called Pinkerton High School has a rather unusual problem. He has an enormous penis! Paul Stanley Iacono (Fame, Return to Sleepaway Camp) is RJ Berger, whose two best friends are Miles Jenner (Jareb Dauplaise from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and Lily Marin (Kara Taitz of The Suite Life of Zack) each befriend him for different reasons. Miles feels competitive ambition and needs to one-up Berger at every turn and Lily has lusted after RJ for years now. RJ Berger is in love with Jenny (Amber Lancaster from Entourage and Community), school cheer leader. She however only has eyes for the school jock, Max Owens. The typical high school romantic comedy.
With a wide assortment of talent including John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, Alan Thicke, and Zach Galifianakis showing up as guests and plenty of satirical humor and special effects with editing tricks included this show is one to definitely catch whenever possible. The creators of Awesome Show, Eric Wareheim and Tim Heidecker also control the reins on this fun show, which is often surrealistic, satirical, and always entertaining. Watch for the faux-commercials for they are bizarre and often poke fun at the industry. It has been described as a nightmare version (as seen by us the audience) of the television industry itself. Wareheim and Heidecker's previous offering to television, Tom Goes to the Mayor, provides several of the comedy skits as well as repeat characters borrowed from their original show. A news channel correspondent, played by John C. Reilly, and "Weird Al" Yankovic, who's gravelly voice add humor to skits like the "Uncle Muscles Hour" and it's all done in fun"¦ truly hilarious!
