Daily Archives: April 29, 2023

TV Tidbits

 

Jury Duty

 

I watched the first two episodes of this Amazon Freevee “mockumentary” and thought they were hilarious. Unlike so many reviewers, I do not use the word “hilarious” lightly, because in my experience very few comedies deserve it.

But Jury Duty, in which a clueless nice guy is unknowingly surrounded by fake jurors, lawyers, bailiffs and a judge, had me laughing out loud — another term I rarely use. This good-natured juror is appointed foreman and participates in a fake trial and fake everything else, all while a supposed documentary crew films the proceedings. Think The Truman Show in a sitcom format.

But a funny thing happened somewhere in the third episode, when situations and characters began to seem contrived to me, a bit too made-for-television. Is the real dupe on this show just its audience?

Say it ain’t so.

 

The Diplomat

 

I was a big fan of The West Wing, a lauded show that, in retrospect, sugar-coated what liberals hoped Bill Clinton’s administration was actually like.

Yeah, dream on, liberals. Me included (at the time).

So now, some 25 years later, we have The Diplomat on Netflix, which is written in part by West Wing alumnus Debora Cahn. Like its CBS predecessor, Diplomat features lots of “walk and talk” banter, clever dialogue, and charming characters we are meant to admire.

It is an entertaining show, albeit one that tilts more humorous than the often-heavy-handed drama on West Wing.

But if The Diplomat’s showrunners are hoping that viewers will see their show’s politicos as an enhanced, idealized version of the Biden administration, uh, I have three words: “Let’s go, Brandon!”

 

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LeBron James got nut-slapped by another player during a playoff game.

Yes, I realize it’s not very nice, but I enjoyed seeing the moronic NBA superstar writhing in agony on the floor.

 

 

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Yes, I get it. Tucker Carlson will do just fine after getting unceremoniously dumped by Fox News. He will find another outlet and make lots of money.

That’s not the point. That’s not what makes Carlson’s canning a bad thing for conservatives.

Like it or not, Fox is a primary source of news for millions of (mostly) conservatives. Many of them will not likely find Carlson on whatever Web site or channel he turns to. Fox will not replace him with another strong, anti-establishment voice.

Nope, it’s bad news all around. Turns out Rupert Murdoch is just another crocodile in the swamp, and the swamp has claimed another victim.

 

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From the Department of “Some Things Never Change”

 

 

When I was ten years old, I would have thought this video, in which a hacker jacks off during a Zoom meeting of some local officials (blurred at top left in the picture), was funny as hell.

I still think it’s funny as hell.

(Apparently, board member Adam Sammon in the bottom-right square also has a case of arrested development.)

 

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If this chick is representative of female cops in New York City, it’s little wonder that crime has gone up in the Big Apple. The bad guys probably want to get arrested.

 

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