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Reviews
St. Denis Medical (2024)
So much talent wasted
One of the things you can depend on in the world of television is that, if a particular show succeeds, there will be multiple attempts to copy it in the hope that it's the formula that makes it a success. Unfortunately, formulas don't work by themselves, they need good writing. The mockumentary formula that made The Office, Parks & Recreation, and Abbott Elementary succeed falls flat on its face here thanks to abysmal writing.
When I first saw the cast list, I was looking forward to this show being released. But then I watched a trailer and was left shaking my head.
I love many of the actors in St. Denis Medical, but I can't believe they signed up for this after seeing any of the scripts. Or maybe they didn't read any and it was blind trust on their part. At any rate, they have no chance of saving this mess thanks to the clunky writing and ham-fisted directing. The fact that some viewers like this disaster is actually scary.
So Help Me Todd (2022)
So annoying
I really do not understand how this show was greenlit for 31 episodes and has received as many positive reviews as it has. There is over-the-top comedy, which is fine, and then there is this show, which is OTT to the point of insulting its audience, unless they assume their audience will laugh at anything.
The bursts of manic behavior and the bursts of characters talking over each other are too obvious and forced. I'm fine with suspending disbelief for comedy and science fiction shows in general, but there needs to be at least a small attachment to reality, especially if you're trying to pass off some bits of the show as drama.
Hardin's and Astin's characters come off as more rude/obnoxious than funny in too many scenes, and it is completely unbelievable that she would be a top-level attorney with the way they have her character constantly jump to conclusions or get flustered at every twist or turn her cases take. The court scenes are unrealistic and lazy, with everything dependent on pieces of paper constantly being passed around at the last minute. And many of the other episode premises are equally lazy in their writing and/or have been done before in too many other shows.
Hardin has a good reputation and Astin was decent in Zoey's. Extraordinary Playlist, but they both try too hard to sell the poor writing and cliched plots in this show.
Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda (2024)
Decent comedy sampler
As with any showcase introducing a number of comedians that were largely unknown, there were hits and misses. Overall, though, I enjoyed it. As others have pointed out, there appeared to be some enhancement of the audience reaction, which seems a bit odd. Perhaps the audience was not advised that it was a recorded performance, or perhaps the venue was not a great fit - you'd expect that loyal local fans of the comics on display would make every effort to attend and be naturally enthusiastic. At any rate, that didn't really impact my reaction to the show. Since this special prompted a batch of hate-downvoting (which seems to be more and more common these days) I looked at a few of those reviewers and found that all or nearly all of their reviews were 1/10. They must be really poor at selecting what movies/specials they decide to invest their time in watching if they continually sit through performances they hate.
Do Not Disturb (2016)
Just ... not too good
Not sure what this one-off was supposed to be - much too short for a standalone film, but not set up to be a TV pilot. I guess it's just a very long drawn-out comedy sketch without a punchline. Sian Gibson and Steve Edge do their best, but the writing doesn't give them much to work with. Catherine Tate is miscast and delivers mostly a clunker of a performance. There's nothing clever in the presentation of an awkward series of events - similar has been done in hundreds of other comedies (and done better). It's not a completely horrible time filler, but it shouldn't be difficult to find something better.
Welcome to Wrexham: Shaun's Vacation (2023)
Are we trying to script a sitcom here?
I'm a fan of Ryan and Rob, and have enjoyed Welcome to Wrexham up until now, especially the mix of football clips and real life interaction with fans and players behind the scenes. But the show doesn't really need contrived gags to try to make it more lively.
As for Shaun Harvey, my one wish would have been for Ryan and Rob to talk to some longstanding Leeds United supporters when they were vetting Harvey, so they would have been aware of how he was regarded during his tenure at Leeds. Obviously, it is crucial for foreign owners to have local expertise when buying and running a sports enterprise, but certainly Harvey isn't the only football exec in England that would have fit the bill. The love-in with him is cringeworthy. This is an episode that many (if not most) Leeds United fans will likely skip.