We’d seen ads for this show (who hasn’t?) but we weren’t that interested. It’s on Starz for crying out loud, and it’s a summer fill in show. Then we found out the credentials of the show: The auteur behind the much missed Veronica Mars (Rob Thomas) is a producer/writer/creator. (As is Paul Rudd! And Dan Etheridge (who has worked with Kevin Smith quite a lot).
The show stars a number of great actors: Ken Marino, Jane Lynch!, Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas from Veronica Mars), Martin Starr (playing a major jerk), and two actors who get pretty high billing that I didn’t know: Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan.
The show features a whole host of guest stars: Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars herself), Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars’ dad), Jaon Dohring (another VM alum), Ed Begley Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, and many more.
The show is funny, but it is also dark, and as such it is far more than a sitcom. It reminds me in many ways of Robson Arms, a great Canadian show. Not for the content–there’s nothing similar about them. But for the fact that when I first watched them, the first episode was very funny. But the more I watched, the more drama was added, and the more engrossed I became in the characters.
Don’t get me wrong, the show is funny (the constant references to each character’s past (the bartender was an actor from a commercial with a famous catch phrase) to their futures: aspiring writers/actors all, and Ken Marino wants to open a Soup or Crackers franchise (the episode with the rapper Dro Grizzle was hilarious).
The first season is available on the TiVo Instant Queue (and thank you, TiVo, for that Instant Queue). It’s a great way to see shows if you don’t pay for premium channels.
A quirky show like this wouldn’t stand a chance on regular TV, so cable is really the best place for it (it also allows for cursing and mild nudity (gasp). And if Starz is happy (and it seems to be), the show should run strong for several seasons.
I Just Read About That... 
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