Community

I know I've been quiet, and I have no excuse. I'm just not very verbal or vocal these days. But I have, naturally, been busy watching plenty of TV. Of course, I'm watching HBO's Boardwalk Empire. I don't know what to say about this show. I love Steve Buscemi in the lead role, as he brings the gravitas and the only bits of much needed lightness. The sets and costumes are fucking amazing. All the production is top-notch, and the acting is great, too. But I'm just not in love with the show. I want to fall for it. I really do. But when this week's episode ended and they started the next week's previews with "Only Three More Episodes To Go" and I was like, "Thank God!" I realized I probably wasn't going to fall in love with it. But it is good. Just not great. Lacking in some humor. Chiaroscuro, HBO.

What I did love on HBO was Bored to Death. Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, and Zach Galifianakis are comedy gold, and the wacky, pulp inspired writing is just zany and self-aware enough. Well done, Jonathan Ames. I hope Zach G doesn't get to be too big of a star to return for another season of this show.

I also enjoyed Showtime's The Big C, mostly because Laura Linney is absolutely luminous. There's just something lovable about her, and when she smiles, it makes me feel good.

But what I really want to say a few words about is NBC's Community. Mostly, I want to talk about it because I'm concerned that no one is watching it and it's going to get cancelled. That'd be a shame, because although the show is admittedly uneven, when it's at its peak, there is nothing better. It's extremely strong on characters, sometimes reminding me of the classic Taxi. Troy and Abed are the best bromance on TV, and Joel McHale really does anchor the show with the perfect mix of arrogance, apathy, and, when needed, heart.

There are throwaway and even crappy episodes. But then there are ones that are almost legendary, such as the Goodfellas chicken finger episode, the paintball episode, this Halloween's zombie-fest, and even this past week's "bottle episode," which proved that Community's cast of characters and the writing is sharp enough to hit brilliance even without the stunt episodes -- although I guess a bottle episode is a stunt in and of itself.

In closing, don't order HBO just for Boardwalk Empire, but do tune in to NBC and help keep Community enrolled. Thanks