Few television characters have entertained me so thoroughly as Ted Danson's character in HBO's thirty minute detective comedy Bored to Death. The show has just entered its third season and still remains incredibly originally and hilarious. The offbeat show is led by cult favorite Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman (of the famous Coppola family) in the role of Jonathan Ames. The show was created by the real life Ames, but his character is purely fictional. Schwartzman is a writer (primarily mystery) who decides to moonlight as a private detective. He is often backed by his two best friends, crude cartoonist Ray Hueston (played by The Hangover's Zach Galifianakis), and rich restaurant owner and uber stoner George Christopher (played brilliantly by CSI's Danson). Danson steals the show, which is hard to do with Schwartzman in the picture. He may be stoned most of the time, but he is always around to bail Ames out of whatever thirties noir-type fiasco he has gotten himself into.
Fantastic casting aside, Bored to Death will appear to fans of mystery noir, Bogart, and offbeat humor. The show still sticks to the tone of the HBO network (home to The Sopranos and True Blood) as it has adult humor. However, it is neither tasteless nor inappropriate for its genre. The supporting cast is also superb, with Miss Congeniality's Heather Burns, Mac commercials' John Hodgman (Hi, I'm a PC), The Big C's Oliver Platt, What's Eating Gilbert Grape's Mary Steenburgen, Moonstruck's Olympia Dukakis, and SNL's Kristen Wiig, to name a few. Galifianakis' character is the weakest part of the show, with mostly unlikeable story lines and an unchanging character. However, Schwartzman makes up for it with his signature offbeat style and effortless charm as he follows potential murderers around the city of New York. New York, as in most films and shows featuring the city, is a character in itself. Many people think of New York when they think of the style of shooting that Bored to Death is going for and achieves. The goal of the show seems to be to capture that Thin Man vibe (William Powell and Myrna Loy), while still appealing to modern viewers and including contemporary culture references.
Again, the real treasure of this show in Danson. His childish and soft mannerisms mixed with his hippie interests and adventure seeking is endearing. Watch the show for him, if for no other reason. The murder mystery part of the show is not an overwhelming and continuous part of the general plot, which is interesting. What I mean is that each mystery will only last for four episodes at the most. The show is definitely light, with major character problems only lasting briefly. This makes the show easy to watch, and allows for a lot to be going on without overwhelming the viewer. I have never seen another show like it, which really appeals to the viewer in me that longs for something original. Bored to Death relies heavily on the city of New York, as it is very setting dependent. The show deals with a lot of modern styles of exercise, therapy, and trends.
There are a lot of new age references and a lot of white wine (not to the level of Cougar Town where the cast spends entire episodes drinking red wine, but still). Generally, this show is just fun. The theme song is performed by Schwartzman (the front man of band Coconut Records and brother to Rooney lead singer has plenty of experience singing). Bored to Death is thirty minutes of pure entertainment and oddity that you won't want to get back. You're in for a treat.
Pictures courtesy of Flickr.
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