Five Unfortunately Short-Lived Sitcoms Worth Your Time
I got a pretty decent reaction from my article on five sitcoms that are easy to catch up on, with the consensus seeming to be that people are usually looking for new stuff to watch but don’t want to have to make a huge commitment. With that in mind, I’ve come up with five short-lived comedies that are all (in my opinion) utterly excellent. Most of them were unfairly cancelled before their time, but all have more than satisfactory endings. As with before, there’s a strong mix of stuff here, so anyone should be able to find something they’d enjoy.
Better Off Ted: Victor Fresco, creator of current Netflix hit Santa Clarita Diet, has had some pretty bad luck with shows in the past, especially with this NBC workplace comedy, axed after just two 13-episode seasons. Set in the R&D department of cartoonishly evil conglomerate Viridian Dynamics, the series frequently tackled uncaring corporate culture in sharp and witty ways, such as the company’s new sensor system not recognising darker skin tones. Although the title character could be a little bland at times, the colourful cast of supporting characters more than made up for this, from Portia de Rossi as Ted’s assistant to hapless scientists Phil and Lem.
Clone High: The first project from LEGO Movie masters Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Clone High was an animated sitcom which aired one season on MTV and had the most irresistible premise — what if scientists cloned a bunch of historical figures 16 years ago, and now they were all attending high school together? One of the most genius moves the program makes is being largely a parody of teen dramas (every episode is “a very special episode”) rather than being full of historical jokes, while the leads play against their inspirations’ stereotypes in incredible ways — especially party animal Gandhi, who caused a literal protest in India. oops. Anyway it’s all on YouTube so go watch RIGHT NOW oh wait no the article isn’t done COME BACK
Enlightened: A much more subtle, somber show than the rest of the list, Mike White’s HBO dramedy starred Laura Dern as a woman attempting to pick up the pieces of her life after a nervous breakdown at her place of work. The series lasted for two seasons from 2011–13, and in my opinion it’s a goddamn crime HBO chose not to renew it for what would have been a third and final season. Dern — one of the greatest actresses alive — plays the earnest yet irritating lead perfectly, while White himself as her sad-sack co-worker Tyler provides one of the best depictions of loneliness in all of TV history. Many recent sitcoms have been inspired by this show’s one-off tales following a single character, which are some of the decades greatest TV episodes so far.
Party Down: An amazing show that would have been huge if it had premiered just a few years later, this 2009–10 Starz comedy revolved around caterers working in Hollywood while also trying to achieve their dreams, with each episode featuring a different event. It has one of the best ensembles ever assembled for a show — both character and cast-wise — with Martin Starr’s sci-fi screenwriter Roman and Lizzy Caplan’s Casey among the standouts. It also wasn’t afraid to be remarkably truthful about the struggle of trying to make it in show business. The show achieved critical acclaim, but a mixture of low ratings and cast members leaving (Jane Lynch for Glee, Adam Scott for Parks and Recreation) meant it only lasted two seasons.
Review: Okay, technically I’m cheating here, as this still has an abbreviated third and final season premiering next month. But it’s one of the most unfairly ignored shows of all time. Adapted from an Australian show, Review follows Forrest MacNeil (played by the show’s creator, the tremendously, unbelievably talented Andy Daly) as he reviews “life experiences” based on viewer suggestions, and subsequently completely destroys his life in the process. The reviews range from the relatively harmless, like having a best friend, to the outrageous and sinister, such as drug addiction and participating in an orgy, but no matter what MacNeil interprets it in the worst possible way while refusing to waver from his goal. Easily, easily, easily one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen, and I cannot WAIT for it to come back — the last episode aired over 16 months ago, and I’ve been jonesin’.
And if those aren’t enough, there’s also absurdist sketch comedy The Birthday Boys, genius 90s satire Brass Eye, sleek female Odd Couple sitcom Don’t Trust the B — in Apartment 23, down-to-earth dramedy Togetherness, and the dual literary parody miniseries’ The Spoils of Babylon/The Spoils Before Dying.
