While watching the brief, 40-second teaser for HBO's new half-hour crime-comedy Bored to Death, I got the vague impression of deja vu. Wes Anderson troupe member Jason Schwartzman plays a struggling Brooklyn writer who uses his detective-novel book smarts to become a private detective. Hmm…that sounds pretty reminiscent of Nathan Fillion's character on Castle, right?
Similarities aside, I'd say Bored to Death looks like the most promising HBO show in ages. (Showtime has steadily been trumping the network in both comedies and drama.) I like the show's retro look and sardonic tone, and I love that Zach Galifianakis will play Schwartzman's wingman. How awesome is it that the offbeat comic is finally breaking out in a major way this year? (Answer: Very.) Let's hope the bearded fellow can replicate his Hangover success and steal every scene in Bored to Death too. And if Schwartzman and Galifianakis aren't enough to sell you, Parker Posey, Ted Danson and Kristen Wiig (!) are all set to appear on the series as well. Watch the teaser below and tell us: Will you watch Bored to Death when it debuts in September? And does the show look like a trendier-version of Castle to you, too?
This looks good in a kinda distubing way – though that might just be from seeing Zach Galifianakis playing the voice of reason.
I’m not sure about the Castle thing, though.
Still, I will definitely be checking it out [you can never have too many quality, quirky mysteries out there...].
It looks great. None of the false cute cheese of Castle. I can’t wait.
This is supposed to be funny, right? Then why doesn’t it seem funny?
it’s “smart comedy” Even though I hate pseudo-intellectual wittiness like this, I actually like this series of some kind of reason….
Well, seeing as Castle is a ripoff of many shows itself, Bones, The Mentalist, Californication, etc and so on, I guess it is only fitting that someone should come along and rip them off too, right?
Looks good. Love the cast. Kind of the same concept as Kickass. Person who reads way too many comic books and decides to actually try the superhero thing. In this case writer/reader reads too many novels and decides to become a detective. I’m there.
I will watch Zach Galifianakis is ANYTHING. I’ve been a fan since his ill-fated VH1 talk show and have been following him ever since. I’m just glad more people are getting a chance to see his genius. I firmly believe he could do anything in film/TV, even dramas. Let’s not pigeonhole this guy.
I will watch Zach Galifianakis in ANYTHING. I’ve been a fan since his ill-fated deconstruction of talk shows on VH1. He was way ahead of his time. I’m glad to see him get some mainstream attention and hope he doesn’t get pigeonholed into the wacky comedy roles. He’s too interesting for that. I think he’s one of those comedians that could excel in dramas, too. I think the show looks good, and it might even draw me into signing up for HBO again, which I swore off of after it canceled Deadwood and Carnivale.
bored to death yes! Castle big no no!
This looks fantastic. I can’t wait.
I love the Schwartz and this concept. I, too, read a ton of detective novels and have said on more than one occasion that I probably could be a pretty successful PI. Can’t wait!
Jason Schwartzman’s hair looks ridiculous so, no.
I’ll definitely give it a shot. The cast is excellent–Parker Posey is usually enough to get me interested in anything.
No offense to Schwartzman and Galifianakis, but Ted Danson FTW. (I’m loving me the post-”Damages”, silver fox incarnation of Ted Danson.)
Also, this show “looks like a trendier version of ‘Castle”, if by “trendier” you mean “better.”
This looks…bad. And saying that it’s “trendier” is really something to laugh at. Castle is and looks about 500x better than this. “Bored to Death” just looks relatively stupid.
A PI solving crimes based on what he reads in books? I saw this when it was Tenspeed and Brownshoe about 30 years ago…(yikes, that long!)