Rewatching again
Still funny as hell.
So many great gags.
I am not looking forward to season 5 though. :( I hope I like it this time.
I just rewatched the first 53 episodes from the Fox days. No matter how many times I've seen them, I always feel like it's fresh everytime I see it. I still discover hidden jokes or sight gags I never noticed before. Now I'm reviewing the Season 4 Remix. Even though Hurwitz and his editors have meticulously tried to recreate the manic vibe of the original Fox incarnation, there's still something noticeably off about it. The major flaw would be that it just isn't funny except for the occasional clever joke. The first 53 episodes have served as instant Prozac for me for years, but I can't say the same for the Netflix seasons. This season 4 (in its original 2013 form and its remix) is way too plot-heavy. If not for Ron Howard's narration, audiences (even die-hard devotees)would be totally lost on the plot--a 180 degree shift from the original Fox days where, no matter what may be happening in the story, the plots don't ultimately matter and we don't have to pay too much attention to them. It's still smart television but you can see the series beginning to wheeze, a bit like if you compare the Woody Allen of "Love and Death" with his later "Wonder Wheel".
shareI think the biggest downfall of season 4 is the fact that, due to scheduling issues and everything, it wasn't all of them together like in the first three seasons. I love all of the characters, and they're all funny, but they're hilarious when they're together, playing off of each other, which we didn't really get to see in season 4.
Seasons 4 and 5 definitely have some hilarious moments/jokes/scenes, but yeah, the first three seasons are the legit gold.