There are few things more annoying than Hollywood types like those snarky prigs over at Entertainment Weekly constantly harping about great television shows that no one's watching. In this post, we're going to find out if it's any less annoying when the person saying it is an odious megalomaniac internet nobody with a pathetic blog of a soapbox (Namely: me).
ASIDE: Now, some of you may find it odious that I tell you what to watch and what to think all the time. In addition to the standard Life Despotic response, I would remind you that this is not the Life Democratic. I don't know, maybe one day UNICEF will get into the blogging business, but until that day, you're stuck with me. NOTE TO SELF: The Life Democratic would make for a good April Fool's Day site makeover.
Back to the main point, the show in question today is How I Met Your Mother. Now I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. I've been watching the show for a good three seasons now, and while I think it's one of the funniest shows on (network) television, I've yet to meet one other person who watches it. So why should you? Well, let me tell you. And yeah, I know, the title sucks.
ASIDE: Now, some of you may find it odious that I tell you what to watch and what to think all the time. In addition to the standard Life Despotic response, I would remind you that this is not the Life Democratic. I don't know, maybe one day UNICEF will get into the blogging business, but until that day, you're stuck with me. NOTE TO SELF: The Life Democratic would make for a good April Fool's Day site makeover.
Back to the main point, the show in question today is How I Met Your Mother. Now I know what you're thinking, but hear me out. I've been watching the show for a good three seasons now, and while I think it's one of the funniest shows on (network) television, I've yet to meet one other person who watches it. So why should you? Well, let me tell you. And yeah, I know, the title sucks.
REASON ONE: Running jokes. If it's one thing that separates a great comedy from a mediocre one, it's the ability to deftly handle recurrent jokes that reward regular viewers and only get funnier over time. There's a reason why Arrested Development is widely considered one of the best comedies of all time and also had more running jokes per minute than any other show in history, and it's name ain't coincidence. HIMYM does this better than any other show I've seen on television right now.
REASON TWO: Neil Patrick Harris. That's right, folks, he of the tiny stethoscope has created Barney Stinson, possibly the best sitcom character since AD's own G.O.B. Bluth. Also, for those of you who read that as 'gob' as in 'gobstopper,' shame on you! Check thyself before thou wreck thyself and click here immediately. (I know that's only the third season, but it's better than nothing, and the Captain has heard rumors of less-than-ethical ways of accessing the first two seasons via that magic box called the internet.) Where was I? Right, Barney Stinson. While the likable Ted Mosby is the show's main character, it's Barney that steals it. He is the consummate ladies man. He once put on the greatest worst one man show in the history of great bad one man shows. And most importantly, he appreciates the importance of a good suit.
SIDE NOTE: There is one aspect of the show that's a little weird. The premise of the show, as indicated by its title, is that the main character Ted is telling his kids about how he met their mother twenty-three years earlier. What's weird about it though, is that the guy doing the voiceover (Future Ted) is Bob Saget. The credit for this goes to Peter Griffin from Family Guy, who totally nailed the commentary: "I've only seen that show once but I gotta tell ya, what's really weird to me is, why is the voice of the guy from the future, Bob Saget? I mean, the guy on the show...he's already an adult. Ya know, so it's not like he's gonna grow in to Bob Saget. Doesn't make sense."
REASON THREE: You know, when I started writing this post I had a reason three, but then I started watching Barney Stinson highlights on Youtube and lost my train of thought. Basically, if you watched those clips and your interest wasn't piqued, I don't think anything more I could say would convince you. Call me lowbrow, but I think the Slap Bet gag is hilarious. So you kids can keep your loud music and your Dan Fogelberg records, and I'll await with baited breath the day that Slapsgiving once again rolls around.
Until that day comes, I'll leave you with the awesomeness of Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel spontaneously singing "Confrontation" from Les Miserables on daytime television:
From the virtual desk of Ivan Zissou
dictated but not read
cth
REASON TWO: Neil Patrick Harris. That's right, folks, he of the tiny stethoscope has created Barney Stinson, possibly the best sitcom character since AD's own G.O.B. Bluth. Also, for those of you who read that as 'gob' as in 'gobstopper,' shame on you! Check thyself before thou wreck thyself and click here immediately. (I know that's only the third season, but it's better than nothing, and the Captain has heard rumors of less-than-ethical ways of accessing the first two seasons via that magic box called the internet.) Where was I? Right, Barney Stinson. While the likable Ted Mosby is the show's main character, it's Barney that steals it. He is the consummate ladies man. He once put on the greatest worst one man show in the history of great bad one man shows. And most importantly, he appreciates the importance of a good suit.
SIDE NOTE: There is one aspect of the show that's a little weird. The premise of the show, as indicated by its title, is that the main character Ted is telling his kids about how he met their mother twenty-three years earlier. What's weird about it though, is that the guy doing the voiceover (Future Ted) is Bob Saget. The credit for this goes to Peter Griffin from Family Guy, who totally nailed the commentary: "I've only seen that show once but I gotta tell ya, what's really weird to me is, why is the voice of the guy from the future, Bob Saget? I mean, the guy on the show...he's already an adult. Ya know, so it's not like he's gonna grow in to Bob Saget. Doesn't make sense."
REASON THREE: You know, when I started writing this post I had a reason three, but then I started watching Barney Stinson highlights on Youtube and lost my train of thought. Basically, if you watched those clips and your interest wasn't piqued, I don't think anything more I could say would convince you. Call me lowbrow, but I think the Slap Bet gag is hilarious. So you kids can keep your loud music and your Dan Fogelberg records, and I'll await with baited breath the day that Slapsgiving once again rolls around.
Until that day comes, I'll leave you with the awesomeness of Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel spontaneously singing "Confrontation" from Les Miserables on daytime television:
From the virtual desk of Ivan Zissou
dictated but not read
cth
1 comments:
epic clip.
2 baseketball references in one post, i tip my hat to you, sir.
well, it looks like i'm going to have to start watching HIMYM.
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