MagneticMediaFed

The second the Black child (not to be confused with “the black child”) said, “Where’d my gerbil go?” I think just about everyone watching Curb’s sixth season finale immediately said to themselves, I know where this is going. Luckily, by the time it got there (about halfway through the episode) we realized that it didn’t so much matter, other factors were all ready in play. While the episode (which ran about 40 minutes) couldn’t compete with season three’s sucker-punch of a finale (the restaurant opening) in terms of providing a perfectly themed exclamation point for the entire season, I still found it quite good. More after the jump…

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Knowing me, knowing you.

Curb had me right off the bat this week. It wasn’t due to any particular gut-busting comment or scenario (though the funny was brought) so much how Larry’s description of “New Larry” basically mirrored my recent descriptions of “New Rick.” I don’t know if I should be concerned that my life so closely mirrors that of the TV-Larry-David, but as of right now it does. More after the jump…

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Curb has always had an interesting relationship with reality. Most of its funniest moments are derived from Larry David’s specific view of how the world should operate. It is because of this that most of the show would be classified as “realistic” (quotes included). The series is rarely cartoony, doesn’t rely on parody or out-there premises (except for a few episodes this season) and is comprised of characters that one could expect to find (if they looked hard enough) in the real world. That Sunday’s episode was “unrealistic” (with quotes) is perhaps one of the reasons why I thought it worked so well. More after the jump…

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I finally finished my roundabout viewings of the “Alan Partridge” BBC series. Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge was created in 1994 and was followed a few years later with two seasons of I’m Alan Partridge.  Steve Coogan plays the titular character, and does so brilliantly. KMKY, which sets into motion more or less all of Alan’s motivations in the later series, is basically a straight up talk-show in the vein of Larry Sanders (minus the behind the scenes antics). The key difference being Mr. Partridge’s ineptitude at just about every aspect of his job. What I find so surprising about all of these shows was how Coogan and his writing partners managed to tap into the whole “awkward” comedy genre about six or seven years before everyone else got in on the gag. Larry David is clearly a pioneer in this field, somewhat in Seinfeld but mostly in his later work. Sure, Seinfeld had its fair share of awkward moments, but as good as it was (and it was good. It’s strange, in a way, to watch a straight up sit-com that was just so relentlessly funny) Seinfeld was at its core joke-based. Obviously the current front-runner in awkwardness is The Office. Ricky Gervais has said Curb Your Enthusiasm greatly influenced his show, which isn’t much of a shock, but certainly helps fill out the family tree. Most of this can be traced back to Andy Kaufman, it seems, but what’s interesting is how long it took for that style of comedy to work its way from the stage to an actual series (and not the other way around).