Crashing: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Road” (B-)
I don’t find this show particularly appealing, but there is something about it which manages to be entertaining. When we saw T.J. Miller as the other comedian going on in Albany with Artie, I wasn’t sure who he would be playing, and it turns out that he was playing himself. This show could become a weekly parade of different well-known comedians providing a couch for Pete to stay on, but I think that Artie is meant to be a regular and will stick around. As usual, the stand-up comedy routine parts of a show about a comedian represent its best parts, since Pete Holmes is more comfortable in front of the microphone than acting around other people. That makes him very awkward in other scenes, purposely of course, but it’s not very appealing. To me, the notion that he was so happy with Miller’s brief words of encouragement and his $250 check give this show a real sense of optimism and personality, but it’s not found consistently throughout the entirety of the episode. Gina Gershon showed up to play someone other than herself, a woman looking for a nice night on the town who was foolish enough to unleash pepper-spray in a closed car so that she suffered just as much as Pete did. Their home encounter was difficult to watch, and I do wish that, if Pete was still going to be obsessed with his wife, Lauren Lapkus was given the chance to appear and help enhance this show. I think I’m okay not revisiting this one.
Showing posts with label Crashing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crashing. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Pilot Review: Crashing
Crashing (HBO)
Premiered February 19 at 10:30pm
HBO is an enormously successful network that has produced a number of hit comedies. A few years ago, some of its best shows were axed to make way for the likes of “Girls” and “Veep,” both of which turned out to be huge. Now, with both of those shows well into their runs, HBO is using them as launching pads for new fare. Lately, a popular comedian or an established talent who previously headlined a series has served as the anchor. The former is true for this show, though I don’t have any familiarity with Pete Holmes. I’m actually very distracted watching him since he bears a striking resemblance to Ike Barinholtz, an actor I found mostly annoying but sometimes funny on “The Mindy Project” back when I used to watch it, and I kept picturing him and expecting him to sound the same every time he spoke. I’m also not too familiar with Artie Lange, and therefore pairing the two together doesn’t do much for me. I’m much more excited about seeing Lauren Lapkus in a regular TV role after watching her on “Orange is the New Black,” and her two brief scenes in this pilot were the highlight of it for me. This reminds me in a way of “Enlightened,” a show that set itself up as chronicling someone going through a huge breakdown and then turned into something completely different. I’m not optimistic, but maybe it can follow that model. I might be willing to give it another shot.
How will it work as a series? I’m not sure where it’s headed and whether Pete is just going to move on with his life and not go back to try to be with Jess after encountering Leif the last time, and I suspect that Artie will lead him on plenty of misadventures along the way. It could be appealing, but I’m not all that enticed.
How long will it last? Reviews for this show look pretty good, and it did well in comparison to other shows on the network that launched recently without a major star or buzz. I don’t know that I see this one being all that enduring, but HBO may be up for investing in it for at least a little bit.
B-
Premiered February 19 at 10:30pm
HBO is an enormously successful network that has produced a number of hit comedies. A few years ago, some of its best shows were axed to make way for the likes of “Girls” and “Veep,” both of which turned out to be huge. Now, with both of those shows well into their runs, HBO is using them as launching pads for new fare. Lately, a popular comedian or an established talent who previously headlined a series has served as the anchor. The former is true for this show, though I don’t have any familiarity with Pete Holmes. I’m actually very distracted watching him since he bears a striking resemblance to Ike Barinholtz, an actor I found mostly annoying but sometimes funny on “The Mindy Project” back when I used to watch it, and I kept picturing him and expecting him to sound the same every time he spoke. I’m also not too familiar with Artie Lange, and therefore pairing the two together doesn’t do much for me. I’m much more excited about seeing Lauren Lapkus in a regular TV role after watching her on “Orange is the New Black,” and her two brief scenes in this pilot were the highlight of it for me. This reminds me in a way of “Enlightened,” a show that set itself up as chronicling someone going through a huge breakdown and then turned into something completely different. I’m not optimistic, but maybe it can follow that model. I might be willing to give it another shot.
How will it work as a series? I’m not sure where it’s headed and whether Pete is just going to move on with his life and not go back to try to be with Jess after encountering Leif the last time, and I suspect that Artie will lead him on plenty of misadventures along the way. It could be appealing, but I’m not all that enticed.
How long will it last? Reviews for this show look pretty good, and it did well in comparison to other shows on the network that launched recently without a major star or buzz. I don’t know that I see this one being all that enduring, but HBO may be up for investing in it for at least a little bit.
B-
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