This is a very exciting time for television. While movies are frequently hedging their bets and only putting money behind the most base and commercially accessible material television shows have been devoting themselves to risky material and character driven stories that are continually paying off for both audiences and creators.
Television’s golden age has its limits, with all its success it has yet to leave any real impact on network television. The big four (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX) hasn’t done anything that can creatively complete with what basic and paid cable have been producing for the last decade. This is true for comedies as well as dramas*. The Coen Brothers are hoping that they will be able to break this streak, producing a new comedy for Fox. It will be a single camera show with the Coens operating as creators and executive producers. Phil Johnston, who wrote Cedar Rapids, co-created the new show with the Coen Brothers and will be writing.
According to the Deadline exclusive the show, titled HarveKarbo, “follows the title character — an ill-tempered LA private investigator whose cases frequently involve the depraved doings of the Hollywood elite — and his deadbeat friends in Los Angeles’ El Segundo.”
Private investigators, depraved Hollywood types, and deadbeat Angelinos? This seems right in the Coen Bro’s wheelhouse. I can’t help but wish that the show was being produced on a basic or paid cable network where the Coens can be free to explore more of their colorful language and situations without any inhibitions. But the Coens have earned my trust, if they think they can get a great show made on Fox to their standards then I’m all for it. How about you?
*Except of course Community!
6 comments
“The big four (CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX) hasn’t done anything that can creatively complete with what basic and paid cable have been producing for the last decade. This is true for comedies as well as dramas”
Look, I love what cable shows have done for dramas, but I don’t think this is remotely true for comedies. What, other than “Louie” and “Archer”, are the great cable comedies? In the past decade, the big four have produced “Arrested Development”, “The Office”, “30 Rock”, “Community”, “Better Off Ted” and “Parks and Rec”. The big four haven’t created great dramas (“Friday Night Lights” notwithstanding), but there have been plenty of great comedies.
First of all: Parks is really great.
Second: the Coens are awesome and this sounds awesome.
Third: Sunny, Psych, Curb, Bored to Death and Weeds would all count, or at least be counted by someone.
Episodes was a great pay cable comedy.
*What about Arrested Development?!
Arrested Development is the best comedy to come out of TV in some time and is the show to point to when talking about the death of the three camera sitcom, they proved you don’t need laugh tracks or anything like that. I should have put a footnote with that statement because Arrested Development was an amazing show on network television, but it was not an appreciated or well cared for one while it was on the air. If anything Arrested Development’s development history concerns me more about comedies coming on network television (especially Fox) because Fox more than proved they didn’t really understand what kind of show they had. They were constantly afraid of being cancelled (and were cancelled for a time) and the show really only became truly appreciated when it was discovered on DVD by a greater majority than were watching it when it was originally broadcast.
Hi Everyone, I’m new so I hate for my first post to be so negative but….
I think maybe I’m just hard to please, or you guys are easy to please, because I don’t find Arrested Development funny…AT ALL. When I watch I just see through it, like you can see the writers/actors trying SO hard to be funny…but thats not funny
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