Ty Watches "Party Down" Season Three

My wife and I just got caught up on "Party Down". We watched the series when it first premiered and loved it. When they announced this reboot or remake or re imagining or whatever you call it, I was a little skeptical. The main characters on the show have all gone on to have pretty solid careers. They are all working in show business in some form, mostly acting. But when the crew gets back together, good things usually happen. That was what happened with "The Simpsons Movie", and while "Party Down" is no "Simpsons", it is not a bad idea to have the original cast and crew come together.

What I liked so much about the original run of the show was the slow burn comedy style they put forth. Some episodes would go almost all the way to the end before revealing the biggest joke, and it always hit. The writers of this show have an incredible hit rate when it comes to joke writing. But they did not have to hit you over the head with joke after joke after joke. Sometimes that works, "30 Rock", but sometimes I like to wait for it and be stoked when it happens. That is where "Party Down" succeeds.

Luckily they have done the same with the first three episodes of the new season so far. There are jokes, but you really have to wait. The third episode has a great joke that ends the episode, and the wait totally paid off. I was cackling when it landed. And the actors are still doing a bang up job here in the revival, or whatever. Adam Scott is perfect in his role. I cannot picture anyone else playing this character. He is so good at it and crushes when on screen. Ken Marino may be even better, returning as Ron Donald. He is so put upon and pathetic and plays it to perfection. He is the clear comic star here and he is crushing it. Megan Mullaly and Jane Lynch have been on here and there, but when they are on they are great. They have both moved on from the catering company for different reasons, but the writers have found a wonderful way to include them here. Ryan Hansen is still crushing it as the wannabe star who is a little more dopey than he realizes. His journey so far this season has been a joy to watch. Martin Starr hasn't done too much yet, but you can tell it is coming, and the stuff he has had to work with so far he has nailed. Lizzy Caplan didn't come back for this, but the people they got to replace her have been doing very good work. Tyrel Jackson Williams is great as the person trying to be the next viral video star. He is a very funny actor and is doing great work here. And Zoe Chao is excellent as the pretentious chef who makes the craziest food I have ever heard of in my life. We also have Jennifer Garner who is superb and doing some of the best work in her career in my opinion. She is excellent in this role.

The show still has the overall feel of the original, it is just updated to modern times. They have touched on the pandemic and proud boys and superhero movies, among other things, and it has all worked to this point. After we finished the third episode last night I told my wife that I was thrilled it was back on and not much has changed. She agreed and we both said that the third episode made us even excited for what is to come.

"Party Down" was a great, underrated show when it first aired. Now it is back and as good as it was before. I'm stoked and I recommend this show for anyone. It is as well written and acted as any show on TV right now. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "The Other Two"

A show I really enjoy just wrapped up their second season, "The Other Two".

When this show premiered two years ago I was immediately on board. I'm a big Drew Tarver fan. I have followed him on all the podcasts he appears on, and he is always one of the funniest people. He has a true comedic gift and I was glad he was getting a shot to do that in a co-starring role. I didn't know who Helene Yorke was prior to this show, but I have since become a fan. She is funny, she has great timing, she can do dramatic stuff and she is my absolute favorite on the show. Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, Case Walker, Wanda Sykes and Josh Segarra all add great stuff, but this show is all about Yorke and Tarver.

The premise hasn't changed much since season one. Tarver and Yorke are still living in their little brother's shadow and now their mom is the biggest daytime talk show host. But things have gotten a bit better for them. Tarver hosts a lot of short internet talk shows. This is one of the best parts about this season. Seeing Tarver's character doing a job he hates is pretty hilarious, but also relatable. Yorke ended as Chase's, her little brother, manager in season one, and now this season she takes over as her mom's manager and she becomes a much wanted manager in TV. Both of the kids are doing better, but they are still not as big as their brother and mom. I really liked how they skewer Hollywood and acting and managing and everything that goes into a job like that. The managing stuff was great. Yorke is always working, always tired, always sick, but never stops working. She can't for one, but she also seems to like the responsibility. She also is looking out for herself. But she does have quite a few moments of realization that are perfect. When she buys a humongous apartment but is lonely, I loved that. Her feelings for her ex were excellently played by both actors. When she realizes she has pushed her mom too much, that was heartbreaking. Yorke is masterful in this role. She is perfectly cast. She does her job so well. I love her acting in this show.

Tarver's character has quite a leap this season. He has his first real boyfriend, who he eventually splits with in a very sad scene. He has the hosting jobs, but as I stated earlier, he wants more and he strives for more. He gets himself back into the dating scene pretty hilariously. He gets and loses and gets an acting job in a movie all within three episodes. The way he gets the role finally is so funny and so poignant to modern times and the internet. Tarver, much like Yorke, is simply perfect in this show. He gets to do more wildly comedic stuff, but he also shows depth and drama chops.

I love that these two young actors are finally getting a chance to really show what they've got, and they are crushing it right now. I was also very happy with the switch to HBO Max. The show used to be on Comedy Central, but for whatever reason they moved over to HBO Max. This has allowed them to be more blue. The comedy can be broader. They can use profane language. You can get real reactions to tough situations. And HBO does make and produce quality TV shows. It was a solid and smart move.

Look, I love this show and I highly recommend it. Watch it anyway you can. It is definitely worth watching. HBO Max also has both seasons on, so you can binge it whenever you want. Watch "The Other Two". It is the hidden gem you've been waiting for.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Black Monday" Series Premier

Yesterday I watched the premiere of one of the shows I was looking forward to in 2019, “Black Monday”. I’m a David Caspe fan, so when he has his name attached to a show, especially one he’s co created and written, I’m in. “Black Monday” was no exception. I have been looking forward to this show since I first heard about it, almost a year ago.

And it did not disappoint. When I heard the names being cast, and that it was going to be on a premium cable channel, Showtime, I just assumed it would be good. Not only did we have Caspe on board, the actors are great. Don Cheadle, Regina Hall and Andrew Rannells are the three main characters, and they’re wonderful. Hall is a total badass, that can more than hold her own in the male dominated world of the 80’s stock market. That’s when the show takes place, right before a humongous market crash in 87. Back to Hall. Not only is she a badass, but she does have a heart. She cares about her job, and some of the people she works with. She also is clearly the smartest person in the room. She knows better than everyone else, and has a good head on her shoulders. She’s terrific. Rannells is the fish out of water, trying to impress his girlfriend. He plays a genius trader that created this “perfect” algorithm. But, the scene in the premiere when he tries to double 50k in 4 hours, shows he is in way over his head. The way Rannells portrays his character is so good. He’s too nice. He’s too smart. He’s too gullible. He lets others control what he does. But, when he needs to, he can stand up for himself. When he storms into the office to demand a job, that scene was pretty wonderful. I am also a big fan of his, because of “Book of Mormon”, the only thing I’ve seen him in. So to see him play a totally different character is always fun for me as a viewer.

Then we have Don Cheadle. He can do no wrong. He is one of the best living actors. His character is slimy, mean, does copious amounts of cocaine, spends money just to spend it and acts like he’s the greatest dude ever. And you know what, I found myself openly rooting for him by the end of the episode. Cheadle exudes confidence, and he does that tenfold on “Black Monday”. When he berates his team for being the 11th ranked firm in New York I found myself agreeing with him. When I saw the painting of him doing coke I thought, that’s pretty dope. When he tries to hit on Hall, only to be rebuked by her boyfriend, I wanted Hall to go with him. When he brags about his Lamborghini Limbo, and Rannells says to him,”so you have a slow uncomfortable car?”, and he responds, “ I got it because it was the most expensive!”, I thought, hell yeah you did. Even when he first bumps his robot butler, you read that right, after doing more cocaine, I just found myself rooting for him more. Cheadle is so awesome.

Outside those three, the rest of the major cast is filled with improv actors. Paul Scheer, who I praised yesterday, is on this show. So is Eugene Cordero. Kurt Braunholer plays a dude named Ty, so I’m in on him. Yassir Lester wears a full head garb, and calls himself Yassir X. Ken Marino plays twin brothers, who may or may not be romantically involved. And Casey Wilson plays Rannells girlfriend. And when she slaps him twice in a row in the episode, it was hilarious.

I’m pumped to see where “Black Monday” goes from here. It has a tremendous amount of promise and intrigue. I highly recommend everyone check it out. It’s so good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He remembers the high energy time of 1987 not because of the cocaine but because of the joy any 5 year old would have getting ready for new episodes of the original “Duck Tales”.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later"

As I promised on a recent podcast, I did finish all of "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later" this past weekend. I may not have mentioned it as a show that I was looking forward to, but believe me, I was highly anticipating this release. I was able to watch the first episode last Friday when it was released, then I watched 2 on Saturday, and finished the final 5 on Sunday.

It was great. I loved it. I was predestined to love it. I'm a fan of the movie, and I adored the prequel, "WHAS: First Day of Camp". I love how oddball and goofy the show and movie were/are. It is like classic oddball comedy. Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain are perfect at making this type of comedy. They all wrote, with help for some other writers, and I think that I am correct in assuming that David Wain directed all the episodes.

If I had one gripe about "WHAS: Ten Years Later", it would be that it was too short. But, the same can be said for "First Day of Camp". I think they only do 8 30 minute episodes on purpose. It makes the fans want more and more. I have already gone back and started "First Day of Camp" again. I'm also going to be watching the movie again, and after that, I will revisit "Ten Years Later". I just love how off the wall everything is. I think it is great that in "Ten Years Later" all the main actors keep saying that they are "in their mid 20's". It is so obvious that they're much older, but that adds to the allure of the comedy of the show.

The main cast is all there, with one exception. Paul Rudd, Zak Orth, Janeane Garrofolo, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Jon Benjamin, Nina Hellman, Marguerite Moreau, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Marissa Ryan, AD Miles, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Meloni, Amy Poehler, they are all there. Bradley Cooper couldn't be in this due to a scheduling conflict. To combat this, they got Adam Scott to play the role of Ben, and they kept talking about how no one would notice him due to his "nose job". It was played for a great amount of laughs. In "Ten Years Later", they also had some of the people from "First Day of Camp" back. Camp Tiger Claw's residents, played by Rich Sommer, Eric Nenninger, Josh Charles and Kristen Wiig were all there, and all high falutant, what with their popped collars, scarves and fancy clothes.

There were some "new" characters introduced as well. Sarah Burns and Mark Feuerstein played campers Claire and Mark. What I loved about their additions was, any time they flashed back to the movie, they had scenes placed in that showed that these 2 were at the camp. It was so funny how bad, on purpose, it looked. Samm Levine showed up as the camp's radio host all grown up, Arty. He sounds just like the original actor, but this time, he had a real radio show. Alyssa Milano was great as Renatta, Ben and McKinley's nanny. She was psychotic and very funny, and there was a big twist with her, but I do not want to spoil much. Lake Bell returned, and her character Donna and Yaron(David Wain), are now married and looking for a surrogate. That is another great bit I do not want to spoil. Maya Erskine has a great role as Coop's fiancé. Jai Courtney was awesome as Susie's love interest/movie star co worker. John Early, who I become more and more a fan of every time I see him in something, is hysterical in his return as Logan. Side note, his shirt may be one of the best things in this whole series. Jason Schwartzman and Chris Pine return, and they are now government made killing machines. That is the only spoiler I will give with their characters. They are also hilarious, especially Pine. Skyler Gisondo, as basically the new Andy, is funny as hell. His showdown in the "King of Camp" competition with Andy is excellent.

All those names I mentioned should be enough alone for people to tune in. There are some big names in Hollywood, and some big names for comedy fans. The premise this season is about growing up and still being unsure of what to do with your life. I loved how well their professional careers were going yet they still needed to get back to their summer camp reunion that they planned 10 years earlier. All of the revels when they showed up to camp were great, but Poehler's was the best. Elizabeth Banks had a great scene too, when she finally showed up 12 hours late. Andy's journey was hilarious. The back and forth between Susie and Logan was tremendous. Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter playing dual roles as McKinley/George HW Bush and Coop/Ronald Reagan, was riotous. Jon Benjamin as Mitch, the can of vegetables was awesome. Coop and Katie's relationship throughout was wonderful, and very reminiscent of the movie. Even David Hyde Pierce's 2 minute scene was worth the wait.

Look, I am going to love anything that has to do with "WHAS". It was a classic movie, and "First Day of Camp", and now "Ten Years Later" have only added to the lore. I hope, and I think, they will do more stuff like this. They left it very open ended, and if everyone involved is willing to continue to do these, I do not see why this wouldn't be a viable show for, at least 2 or even 3 more series like these. "Ten Years Later" was awesome, and I highly recommend everyone checking it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is hoping the success of "Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later" will lead to "Saved By the Bell: The College Years: 10 Years Later". That will be awesome.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty is pumped for "Wet Hot American Summer" series.

Does this show have horsemen too?

In 2001 a movie called "Wet Hot American Summer" was released to very little fanfare.

The movie was panned by critics and made a very small amount of money at the box office. I don't remember seeing any previews for it and I saw little to no press before it was released. It just kind of came and went and I assume most people forgot about it.  

About two years later a friend of mine told me I had to see this movie she just saw called "Wet Hot American Summer" She said it was so bizarre and hilarious, and she knew that I liked wacky, humorous movies. I remember thinking, oh yeah I've heard of that movie, I thought it was supposed to be pretty bad. She told me to give it a chance, that she was sure I'd love it.

Boy oh boy do I love that movie. It was so off the wall and different than any movie I'd seen before. It was on the same level as "Pootie Tang" for me. I knew, after watching it, why critics may have not liked it so much. Critics, for the most part, are crotchety old men that usually only like documentaries and dramas. So, a ridiculous movie like "Wet Hot", they went into giving it no chance and decided before it even started that they hated it. I couldn't disagree more. This movie is a genuine "cult classic". I have friends strictly based on them knowing lines from the movie. That's how our friendships started.

"Wet Hot American Summer" was also the first place I saw actors who I love today. I had never heard of, or at least they didn't make any lasting impressions on me until after this movie, people like Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Michael Showalter, Bradley Cooper, Margarite Mareau, Michael Ian Black, Christopher Meloni and Molly Shannon. Judah Friedlander had a small, but very memorable part in the movie. In fact, the only two actors I truly knew were David Hyde Pierce and Jeanane Garafelo. They are excellent in this movie. The pure silliness and goofiness with which this movie was acted, written and directed with could only be done by David Wain. I, for the most part, have liked all of his movies, my favorite being "Role Models".

"Wet Hot" is great for someone that likes off the wall silliness in their movies. These guys do it to perfection. This movie should be shown in film schools, to show students how to truly make comedic movies. Another hilarious thing that I love about it, the actors playing the counselors and workers at Camp Firewood are much to old to be playing the age of their characters. This was obviously done on purpose because it's hilarious. I cannot say enough good things about it, "Wet Hot" is great.

Which brings me to what I'm truly writing about today, July 31st 2015. Netflix announced months ago that they were in contact with the original writers of "Wet Hot" on possibly doing a prequel movie or series. All of the fans hoped for a series because it meant that we'd get at least four new hours of "Wet Hot". Our dreams were met when they announced that they would do 8, thirty minutes episodes on Netflix. You can stream them right now and watch all 8 in a row if you want to. The only reason I haven't watched it yet is, I have a three year old and I'm a stay at home dad. My job is to watch him, but he's about to go down for a nap and I know exactly what I will be doing for the rest of my day. It doesn't hurt that all the original cast members are back for the prequel, but they've also added some more big time names like, Jason Schwartzman, Kristen Wiig, and Jon Hamm. Most of the people involved with the movie are huge stars now, yet they wanted to come back and do this show. That should tell you how good it is going to be. The addition of some major stars show how much people adore the "Wet Hot" movie. I'm so pumped to watch and 2 pm central time can't come soon enough. As I said, all eight episodes are currently streaming on Netflix, so you can watch it right now.

In fact, I'm probably going to move nap time up to right now so I can watch. Enjoy it everybody.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing. If the show is that good, he may have to extend nap time. Follow him on twitter @tykulik