The first season was the best, the 2nd season was so-so and having finished the 3rd season it was awful. It seems like Maron got it in his head to be angry all the time and it makes one feel uncomfortable. Whereas Larry David pulls off his anger and we can laugh at it, Maron does not. It just does not come off as funny. Actually, very depressing. I am thinking he is emulating people like Mr. David and it just does not work. He needs to stick to his podcasts.
shareHmmm.... And yet it got renewed for it's 4th Season. So, obviously, the people who control Fox and IFC think differently.
shareI've been a fan of the show and thought it seriously hurt last season too. Rather than being honest his character often got so ugly that it was too unpleasant to enjoy those episodes at all. It seemed like he was trying to ruin the show.
shareThe people are not always right. Most thought the world was flat and that the sun revolved around the earth at one time. Most still believe there is an imaginary friend in the sky. The show has slipped , but he still has awesome podcasts that I listen from time to time.
shareThe people are not always right.
The show has slipped ,
I don't even need to see it to know what you are talking about.
That middle aged American white man rages against the world, even when laced with apparent irony, is a really tired old US comedy trope now. I don't know who it impresses but it doesn't translate well here (the UK).
Since when was miserable/entitled/angry all the time funny?
Larry David always had that edge of impish buffoonery and self awareness to make it wash. He's the only one I can think of that really pulls it off (to the extent that I don't think his comedy could be characterised this way).
It is Maron's act. And there is surprisingly little irony. It all makes more sense when knowing his history and listening to his podcasts. You would be astonished how honest this show is. Larry David has a clear fictional version of himself and everyone involved. He is in the save position that nobody thinks that this is really him. Maron does not create that space. He uses real life situations which play out like real life situations and creates fictional situations which play out like they were real life situations, and his character does not get away unharmed.
And for that to be a trope, there should be other shows like that. But there are not. There are shows showing midlife-crisis situations (Men of a Certain Age), there are shows which take an artistic approach (Louie) and there is absurd comedy which does not even try to be realistic (The Office (US)), all with middle aged white americans who are angry. But Maron's approach is still unique and feels completely original, once one gets what it is about. Which is quite a task. Before listeing to his podcasts and seeing his act, I am sure I would have hated this show.
This guy gets it.
I get the fact that people are angry at this show because it doesn't fit into a mould of expectation that they might have for it, just because so many other shows take the easy route and/or follow a simple story line.
It's a very unique show in the way it presents itself. It's not just a comedy, and it doesn't have to be, it's also about people dealing with real life situations. While it's not relatable to everyone, it's certainly relatable to a certain demographic which is growing. He's drawing from his real life experiences, so while he might say it's a fictional show that's not entirely true.
How would you feel if you'd been through a series of relationships that mostly didn't work out, you were in your 50s, divorced, childless, felt like your life had no direction... you might not react the same way, but not everyone is going to sit and take that way of life.
I believe the reason this show isn't as popular as it could be is people don't want to look at that side of life, they want to watch TV as a form of escape and don't necessarily want to see reality. I personally sympathise with Maron's character, and see it as a form of therapy in a way.
Yes, Season 3 was very difficult to watch, but there are some nuggets of gold here and there. This new season has its moments as well.
It does not need to be funny to be interesting.
shareI only started with this when I caught sight of the episode title "Sobriety ..." while perusing a list of TV shows and so have only seen the series 4 episodes. I have 32 years of 12 step recovery so I tuned in, and it was seriously darkly authentic. A former crisis line co-worker and I toyed around with an idea like this about 8 years ago after we had spent a whole slow evening shift recounting all the absurd stories we had heard over the years. We of course couldn't pitch it because we respect the anonymity of the rooms too much. Maron is safe because the insanity he has written into the script depicts events which are somewhat common among recovery personalities, whereas our stories were really specific and it would be a truly scary world where two or more people could have committed those acts or had those thoughts. ;-)
Were I to encounter Mark's character in the program, my reaction would be similar to that of his sponsor who is also tired of the constant pity party. I'd say. "hey, here is some cheese to go with your whine." I don't have enough time or patience for those who want help, so I'm sure not going to waste much of either on those who don't. There are literally dozens of ways to make a point that the efforts will be hopeless as long as the individual has no willingness to change, and these I am sure will appear as dialogue bits in series 04 episodes. Ep 09 was great. Mark is truly sitting on a fence, miserable where he is but completely unwilling (or full of fear) to make even a basic change for the better. Oh to have teamed him up with my 1983 sponsor Jack D., a disbarred attorney who was old school brutal when it came to recovery, and who uttered lines still relevant today. Back then, before all the 12-step offshoots, pretty much everyone with an addiction problem came to AA. One night a particular newcomer was being assessed, and when asked what he thought, Jack said "one golden shower is too many, ..." But 10 years later when I returned to that town for a visit, Golden Shower boy was the only face I recognized. You just never know who will make it.
"I was hoping I wouldn't like this" could be the funniest line spoken this year.
I can be around someone like Mark for the 20+ minutes it takes the episode to air, but in real life it would be very hard to give them my phone number without a number hard and fast ground rules attached, with "ignore" being the only option if they were violated. His character is very far from having any concept of what a healthy boundary is, and people need those to be in my life these days. But then, I recognize that the people around me today are the very same people I would have avoided in my using days
My Chimp DNA seems to have lost its password temporarily. Sluggr-2
That middle aged American white man rages against the world, even when laced with apparent irony, is a really tired old US comedy trope now. I don't know who it impresses but it doesn't translate well here (the UK).
if you think the 3rd season is depressing he goes full dark in season 4 only to end with some syrupy schmaltz, very disappointing on both accounts
shareThe ending of s01e02 of Pure Genius was even worse as to the timeline acceleration of making everything perfect again, like 5 years compressed to 5 minutes.
My Chimp DNA seems to have lost its password temporarily. Sluggr-2