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Hercules Has Seen ABC’s New Sitcom BETTER OFF TED, From The Creator Of ANDY RICHTER CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE!!
I am – Hercules!!
“Better Off Ted,” from “Andy Richter Controls The Universe” mastermind Victor Fresco, follows the employees of highly diversified industrial conglomerate Veridian Dynamics, which appears to be the comedy version of “Fringe’s” Massive Dynamic.
It is by far the best sitcom ABC has launched in years, winging out sharp gags and instantly engendering affection for a number of its characters.
I can’t imagine that fans of “Arrested Development” won’t love this series, and not just because Portia de Rossi is given the Nina Sharp role.
Entertainment Weekly gives it an “B-plus” and says:
… certainly the most original sitcom to come along in a while. …
USA Today give it three stars (out of four) and says:
… Amusing lines fly back and forth, delivered with skill by a first-rate cast. And after tonight's good-enough start, things improve. Next week's second episode is better. The third — as the company installs motion sensors that can't detect black people — is the best of all. …
The New York Times says:
… charmingly offbeat …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… "Better Off Ted" is funny, it's just not as funny as it might be, or should be, or, with any luck, will be. Absurdity-satire is difficult to establish and takes time to find its rhythm, especially when it only has a half-hour to work with. In the first two episodes, there is a self-consciousness about the various setups and relationships that even the lightest comedic touch cannot smooth away. While Anders' Laura is hilarious when caught with a drawer full of stolen coffee creamer, the stolen creamer itself is not. When Slavin's researcher allows himself to be frozen because Veronica wants to see "if it's possible," the actors carry out their various tasks of outrage, complacency and nerviness perfectly, but still the freezing, even with its nods to "Sleeper," isn't funny. The banter, however, is terrific, with a nail-gun-staccato precision that brings to mind the exalted "His Girl Friday," and both De Rossi and Harrington are masters of the modern micro-double take, that slight pause (hitched eyebrow optional) mid-joke that acknowledges the absurdity of the situation, the audience's awareness of it and the actor's awareness of the audience. It's a dangerous stunt to pull on TV, but De Rossi in particular elevates it to an art form. …
The Washington Post says:
… it isn't great, it isn't brilliant, it isn't even uncontrollably funny. But it also isn't about what a terrifying shambles the economy has become, and by default it offers a half-hour's respite from otherwise incessant worry. … sly, dry and very stylized. Fresco tried to cut away anything that seemed the least bit extraneous. The frequent interruptions for comments to the camera disrupt the flow and make "Ted" sometimes seem like scraps of a show rather than the real thing. But if it isn't pure gold, it still has bright, shiny moments …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… more funny than not, rushing into absurdity with abandon and playing at stylized comedy in a completely fearless way. The pacing doesn't allow for regret.…
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… the funniest show ABC has birthed in quite some time. …
The Newark Star Ledger says:
… For the seven of you who remember "Andy Richter" (which finally comes out on DVD on Tuesday), "Better Off Ted" isn't quite as good -- in part because star Jay Harrington isn't as innately funny as Richter (and he's mainly used as a straight man), and also because Fresco ditched the fantasy scenes that were often the most memorable part of the earlier series -- but it's still a breath of fresh air in the present stale environment for TV comedy … Slavin, the one cast holdover from "Andy Richter," brings his usual nervous energy and gets most of the premiere's biggest laughs while displaying the side effects from Phil's brief cryogenic freeze. …
The Boston Herald says:
… Breezy, slightly demented, this comedy is the perfect tonic after a hard day at work. “Better Off Ted”? We certainly are.
The Boston Globe says:
The writing has some of the gonzo wit that fuels the General Electric sendups on "30 Rock." And there are glimmers of the cubicle-culture surrealism that has flourished on "The Office" and on one of Fresco's earlier series, the excellent "Andy Richter Controls the Universe." … would be sharper if it were a little meaner - something like what we glimpse next week, when we see how Veridian's day care center is actually doubling as a child labor outfit, and how Rose actually has a flair for some rather unappealing business tasks. Small glimmers of the show's forces of good, rather than bright rays of virtue, would better serve the comedy. …
Variety says:
… Based on the promos I wanted to like "Better Off Ted" significantly more than I did. … a promising concept inconsistently executed, and perhaps a trifle miscast. That isn't to say the very big corporation behind it with the mouse ears has a complete lemon on its gloved mitts, but "Ted" would have been better off being sent back to the lab for a little extra R&D.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… has an instant comfort level and chemistry one so rarely sees. … It's the clever satire for which we've all been waiting.
8:30 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
Shipping Right Now!!
60% Off GALACTICA!!
Season One: $23.99
Season Three: $23.99
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who care? where's the Lost TB?
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it will be canceled in 4 weeks max
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Didn't realize the Andy Richter pedigree.
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Nothing happened. I didn't win anything. My life didn't get better and nobody saw me in a new and impressive light. Oddly enough nobody fucking cared or even remembers it.
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the commercials look decent and its sandwiched between Scrubs and Lost, 2 shows i watch anyway so least there's something to do in between. unless of course it sucks then it'll be like sunday when i kill time while king of the hill is on.
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Did they hate it and you just took a short out-of-context quote to make it look positive?
Anyway, it sounds good. I hope it delivers. -
on checking this one out.
nice that they put it on just before Lost -
Mar 18, 2009 3:49:24 PM CDT
"the company installs motion sensors that can't detect black peo
by itrainmonkeys
that's the line that hooked me. I wouldn't have given this sitcom a chance but now I HAVE to know what this is all about. I can't imagine why they can't sense black people.....or the things that will happen because of it.
i'll try it -
I don't know why but I have a feeling this one might have some viewers.
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was the funniest thing I've read in a very long time, especially for an ABC comedy, which keeps being well intentioned but far off the right path.
http://www.dipassaggio.com/ -
but knowing that Fresco's attached made it a must watch. I thought I recognized one of the secondary cast members (the frozen guy) from Richter.
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Whatchagonnado?
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This should have been partnered with Pushing Daisies. It's intelligent and creative. It doesn't last a chance.
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It's gone. Get over it. The same thing for Firefly, Journeyman and everything else that gets brought up all the damn time.
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i'll give it a few more eps
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Didn't really do much for me. There were some sorta funny gags, but really didn't make me laugh. And in all those comparisons to other shows, I'm surprised no one mentioned it's lead-in, Scrubs. Some of the style of the humor, right down to the main character narrating, seemed similar.
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I actually liked it. For A Pilot in Comedy it was pretty funny.
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I watched. I laughed. I'll watch again.
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The script was good, and the acting was great... especially for a pilot. Hopefully people watch.
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like I do with most sitcoms now, so that's a good sign. ...but I liked ARCTU.
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Not bad,filler to watch before Lost is on if I can't find something better.
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Horrible ratings, only growing about 10% out of Scrubs (which is only there for syndication purposes). It'll be gone within a few weeks.
http://www.dipassaggio.com/ -
Not the good kind of bomb. Some of the actors here are talented and likable, but the pilot was overwritten for people who might miss the gags. (The jokes were constantly being explained by the characters - e.g. "the creamer" - a verbal explanation delivered when silence would have sufficed). Besides trying too hard, the soundtrack had a forced whimsy, what with all the constant festive music. Yes, we get it, you're irreverent and wacky. Also, the shots between the bedroom, the hallway monologues, and the plot proper were confusing. It had no anchor. On the plus side, it only takes a half-hour spot.
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Liked it. I especially like the BASF on crack concept. I'll give it a few eps.
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