The male consciousness, in all its neurotic, demanding, self-deluding glory, runs amok in Bored to Death, an unusual and charming sitcom from HBO. Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman, Rushmore) is supposed to be working on his second novel, but instead he places an ad on the Internet, offering his services as an unlicensed detective. The promise of reasonable rates draws in cases: a kidnapped sister; an unfaithful boyfriend; a blackmailing one-night stand; a stolen skateboard; a long-lost love. His investigations are sometimes helped, sometimes hindered by his best friend Ray (Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover), a sexually frustrated cartoonist, and his boss George (Ted Danson, Cheers), a successful editor who's questioning the value of his career. Bored to Death is steeped in literary slacker quirkiness--hardly surprising, given that it's created by comic writer Jonathan Ames (whose novel The Extra Man is being turned into a movie), who's named the main character after himself. But while the show has a bit of a shaggy dog quality, it's more endearing than arty or precious. Schwartzman's nebbishy intelligence fits his role perfectly, and both Galifianakis and Danson have a field day with the contrasting narcissisms of their characters. The female characters aren't so well drawn, despite the presence of such engaging actresses as Olivia Thirlby, Kristen Wiig, Parker Posey, Bebe Neuwirth, and others. (Male guest stars include Patton Oswalt and Jim Jarmusch, which is about as hip and New York as you can get.) While male self-obsession can be intolerable in real life, as a subject for comedy it's rich material. --Bret Fetzer
Community hits an ingenious balance: it's both a top-notch sitcom about a gaggle of misfits at a community college and a satire on the very nature of sitcoms. Jeff (Joel McHale of The Soup), a fast-talking suspended lawyer seeking an authentic undergraduate degree, forms a Spanish study group for the sole purpose of wooing Britta (Gillian Jacobs, Choke), a former political activist trying to move into mainstream life--but to his dismay a handful of other students show up as well. As happens in sitcoms, they turn into an alternate family, including Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), a Christian housewife; Abed (Danny Pudi), a business/film student with Asperger's Syndrome; Troy (Donald Glover), a former high school football star; Annie (Alison Brie, Mad Men), an overachieving ex-drug addict; and a former moist-towelette magnate (Chevy Chase, Saturday Night Live, Foul Play). Community's plots occasionally revolve around classes--most often abusive assignments from their volatile Spanish teacher, Señor Chang (Ken Jeong, The Hangover)--but more often the show veers into daffy social territory, such as female bathroom etiquette, excessive political correctness, sexually transmitted disease prevention, the true meaning of Christmas, bullies, and teacher-student affairs. The characters are delightful, the dialogue swift and clever, and the stories skillfully orchestrated. But the secret pleasure of Community is its sneaky commentary on sitcom mechanics, from the whole concept of an alternate family to the manipulative nature of will-they-won't-they sexual tension to any number of subtle but affectionate digs. The show's pop-culture awareness extends even further in two of the best episodes, one that turns a craving for chicken fingers into a GoodFellas-esque Mafia tale and another about a paintball competition that escalates into a quasi-apocalyptic action thriller. Fans of Arrested Development will enjoy the rich, layered humour and fans of How I Met Your Mother will take similar pleasure in the clever stories, but Community should appeal to anyone seeking smart, high-energy comedy. --Bret Fetzer
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