That's My Jam

I tend to not watch broadcast network shows anymore.  I can’t remember the last one I really liked.  I’m not into franchises or Smackdown Wrestling.  But with the football games these last two weekends I’ve seen lots of network promos for shows I’ve never heard of.  So I thought I would check in on the networks and re familiarize myself.

So last week I watched three multi-cams on two different networks.  The laugh box sure loved them.  I don’t know why.  A number of really good actors were pushing hard — desperately hard — to wring laughs out of this tepid material.  Let’s just say, if I were a showrunner on any of these three shows and these were run-throughs, I’d go back to the writers room, tell the staff to put up a big pot of coffee because we’re going to be here all night.  I’d throw out the script and just write a new one from scratch.  I can’t believe how far this genre has sunk.  Multi-camera comedies when done well is an art form.  Strive higher.  Please. 

Then last night on NBC I suffered through something called THAT’S MY JAM hosted by laughing boy, Jimmy Fallon.  I guess it’s a compilation of schtick from his TONIGHT SHOW, but it’s karaoke snippets sung by two teams of meh celebrities.  And it’s supposed to be a competition of some sort, Jimmy Hyena kept throwing out 50,000 points as if that meant anything.  I have no idea who won or what they won or what it all meant. The celebs last night were Kate & Oliver Hudson and Brent Morin & Jordana Brewster -- A-list celebrities all. 

They had to do uproarious things like sing lyrics to one song over the music of another.  Okay, first off, Jordana Brewster can’t sing.  Why did she subject herself to this?  Unless she thinks she really can sing, in which case it’s very sad.  Kate Hudson and Brent Morin at least could really sing.  So for a few brief moments the show was professional.  Of course, for a show on NBC primetime, 3 professional minutes out of 30 is not a good average.  

In the big finale, the two teams are put in separate booths and if they screw up a song they get sprayed with water.  Oh that’s hilarious.  So hilarious we were treated to a slo-mo instant replay.  I thought Fallon was going to have a stroke he was laughing so hard.  Is there anything in the world funnier that Jordana Brewster holding up her hands and turning away from a blast of water spray?   Jimmy didn’t think so.  What a tool.  

What this says is NBC is desperate.  They’re now at a point where they’ll put any stupid thing on the air as long as it’s cheap to produce.   And they’re not alone.

Between this show and the three sitcoms I watched three of the four networks.  If all they’re offering is this and six longtime franchises (oh boy, CSI is back) then I’m gone until next football season.

COME ON!  DO BETTER!
 

from By Ken Levine