I just finished the six episodes of "Bored to Death" HBO sent as review copies and it's the best new show I've seen this year. For me, it's the new "30 Rock" because "30 Rock" has mostly been sucking this year. Leisurely paced and many of the jokes are not obvious. A lot of times it goes for smirks instead of big guffaws. Jason Schwartzman, who was so good in "Rushmore," is the introspective, morose writer at the center of the plot. Unable to write his second novel, puts an ad on Craigslist and makes himself available as an unlicensed private investigator. His cases range from dealing with a blackmailer to recovering a stolen skateboard. As the character Johnathan Ames (same name of the writer who created the show), he claims credentials because he's read so many detective novels. Schwartzman and the other other male actors are the strength of the show. Ted Danson is great as the narcissistic magazine editor for whom Ames sometimes writes. Danson isn't the kind of actor who disappears into characters like say Sean Penn or Meryl Streep, but he is a great foil for Schwartzman's Ames. The real surprise for me is Zach Galifianakis, who plays Ames' friend Ray. I liked Galifianakis in this year's comedy movie, "The Hangover." He plays somewhat of a similar character here, Ray is a cartoonist in need of money. And he's bossed around by his partner (I can't remember if it's a wife or girlfriend). I think of Galifianakis as a stand up comedian but he's got some great acting skills as well. The pace is leisurely, usually, as they wind through the stories. Ames is fretting over the loss of his girlfriend but on the prowl for other women. By the sixth episode the three of them gel into amateur detective team with its priorities in the wrong place. I like the subtlety of the humor. I think it will be a show that rewards multiple viewings. In looking in IMBD it appears there's only eight episodes. Since I don't have cable I'll have to Netflix the final two when they're ready. But it's nice to see something of quality making it onto the screen in these times of so many cutbacks.
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