I searched and couldn't this thread anywhere....

I have always been a fan of Jason Schwartzman. He stars in this new HBO show along with Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis.
The pilot airs this Sunday but is already showing On Demand. Jonathan Ames is a writer in-between novels, suffers from no inspiration, can't give up pot and wine and that's why his girlfriend moved out. Jonathan is bored so in rediscovering his love of mystery novels, he places an ad on Craigslist as an unlicensed private detective. His first client soon answers the ad.

Very promising comedy, IMO.

HBO

I thought it was charming, and they really make Brooklyn look beautiful. Jonathon Ames is one of my favorite authors, so he was the main reason I tuned in.

I liked the soundtrack as well. Anyone know what the first song that went "You're my favorite song" is by?

Actually, I would have liked it better - I certainly would have taken it a bit more seriously - if it hadn't used all of that music. I could have done without it.

Despite mixed reviews, I found myself really liking the pilot. I like the cast and there's something about the vibe of the show I can find myself really falling into. I just hope it's not one of those HBO shows that falls by the wayside (especially when Hung can get a second season).

I'll give it another week, because this by necessity involved a lot of setup, but I found the title disappointingly apt.

I know a bunch of the music is Jason's Coconut Records, but does anyone know exactly what song were used in the pilot?

Oh, and I, too, am fascinated by Stockholm Syndrome.

Favorite Song by KaiserCartel is the song that played after the girlfriend left.


When The Night Turns Cold by Tobias Froberg plays when Jonathan goes to meet George (Danson) at the party.


Halfway Home by TV On The Radio plays over the end credits.

I didn't like this at all. I don't like Jason Schwartzman as the lead, and I wasn't a fan of the humour.

Felt the same way.

It could be that a lot of my problem was constantly thinking, I hate Tom Cruise, why the hell is he on my TV?! The resemblance between him and Schwartzman freaked me out.

I'll second that emotion. The show seemed way too insular and pleased with itself, and I certainly didn't experience any pleasure or feel in on the 'joke'.

But apparently it gets better.

Next week's episode is much funnier. There is more Zach G. airtime.

I agree with the people who felt it was a little insular . . . there was a slight smugness and sense of self-satisfaction to it, kind of reminded me why I could never quite love Flight of the Conchords. Maybe I'm not hip enough?

Also--I used to live in Brooklyn, and this show is exactly why I left.

I didn't hate it, I was lukewarm to it. Will give it another chance because Zach is so funny, and I've always loved Ted Danson.

Also, though, unrelated, the tied up girl kind of freaked me out. I had no idea if it was consensual and with all these attacks against women in the news lately (Annie Le at Yale, the poor woman murdered at the Essex Hotel) I was actually really horrified.

See, now I find FoC to be exactly the opposite. FoC want the audience to be in on everything - especially how un-hip and -cool they are (though Murray would have them believe otherwise). But this show (Bored to Death) seemed to only want the "cool kids" to get what it was trying to say.

Well, I saw the first episode, and I'm still not sure what this show is about, really. Only the scenes with Zach G. held my interest, really, and I'm seriously not buying the detective stuff at all yet.

I'll give it another few episodes...

Thank you Fisher King.

You are most welcome, Gracelessly.

I downloaded 'Favorite Song' and I must say it is one of the most infectious happy tunes I've heard in awhile.



And I see the opposite. FoC just screams "We're so hipster cool" to me because they are trying so hard. They're so cool because they sing lovely songs about the most absurd things. So the irony oozes hipster to me.

But BtD seems earnest. Jonathon just seems like a sensitive guy who got dumped and is finding an outlet to get over it. I can see where the soundtrack and Brooklyn setting may make it seem like a show that's trying too hard, but I don't sense any irony from it. It all seems sincere, which is complete anti-hipster to me.

I read a lot of reviews that said that Bored had a "too cool for the room attitude" and I did not see that at all. I watch and like movies/TV shows with that so-called alternative comic/hipsterness but did not pick up on that from this show. I'd say that Flight of the Conchords (which I loved) had that a lot more than Bored did. At least for me, Bored did not have that sort of smugness.

I thought the debut episode showed tons of potential. Jonathan and Ray both came off as really likable characters, and I am interested to see what direction the show goes in, given that the premise could easily be played out fairly quickly. Also, and it probably goes without saying, but points to the show for looking awesome, as the cinematography is great.

The Veronica Mars fan in me wanted to love this, but I ended up just liking it. It has a fantastic look, and it's appropriately noir-ish in places. I didn't find it too smug, but I like FotC too.

I really liked the sister of the tied up girl. My favourite gag was when Jonathan said "That's not old. I'm 30", and she just stared at him. Hehe.

I wish I had a better idea of the direction it was going, and some kind of ongoing mystery and more detective work would be great, but it's hooked me enough to keep watching.

Every episode title after episode 2 begins with "The Case of....." Giving me the impression that Jonathan Ames will continue with his unlicensed investigations---although not every episode will involve a someone responding to his ad.

Kristen Wiig plays his next client who suspects her boyfriend of cheating in "The Al Anon Case."
It's only an episode description but spoiler-tagged just the same.

I've never once thought of myself or have been called "hip", and I liked it a lot. From the very first "Hey, isn't that Olivia Thirlby?" to the first client, to Ted D and Zach G, it all just worked and clicked for me. I didn't expect gunfights, car chases, side-splitting humor, or anything too deep, and wasn't disappointed.

I'm a little confused about the Ted Danson character and how he fits in, exactly. He always seems to make the most of a supporting role, and really seemed to nail this one. Looking forward to more of him.

As George (TD) said, he's lonely and bored with things. It looks like Jonathan is the only friend he has outside of the corporate world he tries to escape. I think he's just looking for a running buddy, and from the look of things, he may team up with Jonathan and Ray on some 'investigations'. The show is only going to get better, IMO.

Much better second episode. It's the first time I haven't been annoyed by Kristen Wiig. It was a little slow in the beginning, but once we got to the colonic's office, it really hit its stride. I just hope every episode doesn't center around Jonathon telling someone his girlfriend just dumped him.

I agree that this episode was much better. They should have opened with this one so we had more of a sense of who this random odd duck of a guy is before he then starts tilting at windmills.


Unfortunately, I think that's going to be the running gag. That his girlfriend just dumped him blah blah blah... "I don't want to hear about your girlfriend. I want to you to ________."

I watched this because I like Jason Schwartzmen and Zach Galifianakis, but I thought it was okay at best. So far Ted Danson's character seems pretty pointless. Without him, a lot more time could be spent delevoping Jason's character and his relationship with his girlfriend. I hope it gets better because I like the concept and the Brooklyn setting.

I'm finding this show boring. The second episode was definitely better than the first, but it made me smile or chuckle quietly at best.



See, his character's the redeeming feature of this show for me. The random punching and blaming him for it amused me.

The pining for his ex-girlfriend is boring two episodes in. Heartbreak can make for funny comedy, but I have trouble laughing at a lead character who is that mopey.

I'm done with this show. Jason Schwartzman's character is such a pathetic loser.

It's a very dry show, but the writing is clever enough and the characters are genuinely likable. And how can you not love a pot-smoking, womanizing Ted Danson?

Definitely a creeper. I found the first episode a bit meh, but enjoyed the second. I loved the headline about herpes riddled George.

I agree. I can definitely see how some people can be turned off because it's a slow build, and the main character is a bit of a loser. But having read most of the real Jonathon Ames' books, the show captures his style quite well.

Tonight's episode was a little disappointing. It didn't feature Jonathon solving any mysteries in "private eye mode" unless you count him acting as his own client. Also, the Polanski line was a little ironic since this episode was probably in the can long before his recent arrest in Switzerland put this case back into the limelite.

I actually liked that they mixed it up and we saw some of Jonathon's personal life outside the detective work. Although the last shot with Jarmusch bicycling around Ames was trying too hard to be artistic for my tastes.

I thought the last scene was a little precious too. And yeah, the Polanski joke was a very weird coincidence.

I actually liked this episode better without the detective stuff.

Polanski references never get old. And now, thanks to his recent arrest, they never will!

I'm liking this show much better now with a little more dimension to the characters. I'm not going to make a point of watching it or anything, but I'll definitely stick around if it's on.

Judging by the blooming cherry trees and forsythia in Brooklyn, I would guess this ep. was filmed in April of last year. So, yeah, a bit early for current Polanski references.

I really enjoyed this episode. The psychotherapist was hilarious ("Next issue!"), emitting one of the funniest (and, alas, probably true) lines about therapy: "We don't get better -- we simply grow more comfortable with our inner misery."

Jonathan's new haircut is very becoming. And I want an office like Jarmusch's!

I found this show by accident and I love it.. Love the dry humor, and Ted Desion just gets better and better.

I love Denis O'Hare, so it was great to see him as the psychotherapist. I think the club scene where they met Jarmusch was filmed in a place I've been to a wedding on the Lower East side & it's a very cool location. It used to be a synagogue but now it's for events & art exhibits.

Looks great in HD. That club was beautiful.

This and Ugly Betty are the only current shows I know of filming in NY. Hope to see some more backdrops, especially wideangle shots.

What about all the Law & Orders? There's also 30 Rock & Sherri (Lifetime). And though it's not in production right now, Damages is a NY show.

I'm loving this show! I have to say that each episode I like it more and more. I have no idea why Jonathan and George are friends but I'm glad that they are - George is fantastic in every scene.

Loved the ending this week with "Hey, big nose!" before the cut to black.

I really want Parker Posey to step on my back. Not necessarily because Parker Posey is hot, but because I love a good back cracking.

And FYI, the show got renewed.

It is getting better and better every episode, I am really liking it.

Was really iffy on this one after watching the first episode but now I'm really hooked. This last one was by far the best episode. Glad it got renewed!

What does George do for a living? Love me some Ted Danson, he is hysterical!!

Agreed--he steals every scene in which he appears. I believe he is the editor of a big-time New York publication, something along the lines of New York magazine (I imagine it to be a fictionalized amalgamation of New York, the New Yorker and the Paris Review). This is why he is always going to swanky private clubs, cocktail parties, art exhibit openings and the like--with which he is "bored to death" and one of the reasons why he needs Jonathan to entertain him and regale him with tales of life in Brooklyn. Jonathan is, I believe, a sometimes writer for George's magazine.

Although I really disliked the pilot, I had the occasion to see a few more episodes (the skateboard, and half of the episode guest starring Kristen Wiig), and now actually really like it. It's charming and something of a trifle--fluffy, sweet and endearing (much like Schwartzman's character), and I enjoy Ted Danson above all as well as Zach G.'s character, although Schwartzman is very good as a foil to both of them and all the other nutty characters he encounters. Despite his character's own oddities and issues, he emerges as a genuine sap rather than a serious, big city writer, and it's a nuanced portrayal. The supporting/guest casts--Parkey Posey, Kristen Wiig, Heather Burns--are outstanding, too. Unexpectedly finding myself enjoying the show and appreciating it as a light and pleasant diversion, but it's also clever and witty--which didn't, IMO, come across well at all in the pilot (which was trying too hard to be hipsterish rather than what it is: an imaginary, dream-worldish take on life in New York), but is much more subtle and successful in subsequent episodes. Glad to hear it was renewed--it slowly grows on you.

I like the idea of the show, but it's utterly failing to grab me. Ted Danson's character is only funny when he says, "I want to do Random Thing!"

And every time Jason Schwartzman says "white wine," it just makes my skin crawl.

Loved seeing Romany Malco ~ Conrad from Weeds ~ as the gay male escort.

I wouldn't mind seeing Jonathan trying to forget about the girlfriend and moving on.

Thought the plotline with the Russians was pretty weak.

Still enjoying the show though.

Having recently watched Murder, My Sweet, it seemed to me that this week's A plot derived very heavily from that old film noir. Which I actually kind of appreciated.

Yes, this makes perfect sense: the film Murder, My Sweet is based on Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely,which is the book that supposedly inspired Jonathan on Bored to Death to become a private detective. Jonathan is seen reading Farewell, My Lovely on the Bored to Death pilot and he models his "private detective" career on Chandler's Philip Marlowe...that is, if Marlowe were a slight, Park Slope-based, white wine drinking novelist nursing a broken heart and suffering from a bad case of writer's block.