Crashing

As he championed "the new journalism" in the late sixties, Tom Wolfe suggested no one ever would write anything truly compelling"”fact or fiction"”about the suburbs; he asserted, "There is no life there." During the New Depression, however, the suburbs have gone ghetto, suddenly teeming with life and depravity; and television writers are producing all kinds of compelling stuff about what they have discovered beyond the white picket fences. Witness Showtime's smash-hit "Weeds," the life and times of a "proper" suburban widow keeping-up appearances while she deals more dope than a six-pack of Mexican cartels. As in "The Office," the basic premise for "Weeds" is an import from Great Britain, adapted from the British film Saving Grace which showed a widow and her gardener conspiring to maintain the widow's lifestyle by supplying the locals with their favorite herbal refreshment. Critics frequently compare "Weeds" with American Beauty for its exploitation of the idea "Normal is the face we wear to cover how f***ed-up we are." By contrast with "Desperate Housewives," Nancy Botwin, our entrepreneurial heroine, has far more good reason for desperation than her difficulty achieving orgasm; she has a house, a mortgage, two sons, and a reputation. Since Bonfire of the Vanities tanked and "Weeds" flourished, Tom Wolfe may have to consider the distinct possibility that there is no life in Manhattan.

"Home Improvement" was a popular American sitcom that aired from 1991 to 1999. The show followed Tim Taylor, a handyman and host of a fictional TV show called "Tool Time," as he navigated the ups and downs of family life. Tim's wife, Jill, and their three sons, Brad, Randy, and Mark, were often the source of comedic mishaps as Tim tried to balance his career and family responsibilities.

"Dollface" is an American television series that premiered on Hulu on November 15, 2019. The show was created by Jordan Weiss, who also serves as an executive producer. The series stars Kat Dennings as Jules, a young woman who must reconnect with her former female friends after her boyfriend breaks up with her. The show also stars Brenda Song, Shay Mitchell, and Esther Povitsky in main roles. The show explores themes of friendship, relationships, and self-discovery. It received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its comedic elements and performances, while others criticized its lack of originality. The show was created by Jordan Weiss, who also served as an executive producer alongside Stephanie Laing, Margot Robbie, Brett Hedblom, Bryan Unkeless, Scott Morgan, Nicole King, and Kat Dennings. In addition to producing, Laing was also set to direct the pilot episode. Production companies involved with the series included LuckyChap Entertainment and Clubhouse Pictures. On November 2, 2018, Hulu ordered a first season consisting of ten episodes and additional executive producers were reported to include Ira Ungerleider, Tom Ackerley, and Matt Spicer. Ungerleider was also set to serve as the series' showrunner and Spicer as the director of the first episode. The series premiered on November 15, 2019. The series was renewed for a second season on January 17, 2020. "Dollface" received mixed reviews from critics. The first season holds an approval rating of 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's consensus reads that the show has "all of the right parts: a talented cast, a promising premise, and plenty of surreal intrigue—if only its shallow vision of feminism didn't undermine them." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 13 critics. The second season of the show has an approval rating of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 4.8/10. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Sharon Horgan's brilliantly dark Apple TV+ comedy-thriller follows four Irish sisters conspiring to kill their monstrous brother-in-law while investigators close in from the other direction.

Their friends acknowledge it always has been this way: Tina Fay gets lots of headlines and personal appearances while Amy Poehler does the majority of the comic heavy lifting. The trend continues in NBC's high-powered Thursday night comedy line-up as Fay continues driving "30Rock" to the top of Nielsen's charts and Poehler brilliantly busts-out gut-busters with her new sit-com "Parks and Recreation." In much the style of "The Office," Poehler's "Parks and Recreation" TV show works the popular mockumentary format; and her character, Leslie Knope, willingly gives voice to her relentless optimism as she speaks directly into the camera. Leslie serves as the Deputy Director of the parks and recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana, where she considers herself a rising star in the local political firmament. Think of her as the female equivalent of Steve Carrell's "Office" character, prone to pretzelating the truth with observations like, "These people are members of a community that care about where they live. So what I hear when I'm being yelled at is people caring loudly at me." Professionals devoted to the sad enterprise of explaining the jokes stress that Poehler's genius lies in her ability to make an obvious ditz both funny and sympathetic rather than just plain weak. Women may not feel inspired to vote for Leslie, but they cannot help loving her.

An accidental car-and-pet incident sparks an unexpected romance in this witty, warm Australian comedy from real-life couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall.