Judging by the first two episodes of the second season of “Flight of the Conchords,” there will be no sophomore slump from the New Zealand folk duo struggling to make it big in New York City. In the second-season premiere, “A Good Opportunity,” Bret and Jemaine fire their manager, Murray, because he’s too busy dealing with another (more successful) band. They immediately get a gig writing a jingle for a commercial and hilarity ensues. Literally.
The second episode — “New Cup” — might have been the best yet. It focuses on all the repercussions of Bret’s decision to purchase a $2.79 mug so that the duo could both have a cup of tea at the same time.
Thus far, it appears that there is a bigger focus on the writing and less of a focus on the music in the second season. The humor was always there, but the writing seems sharper and more directed. While in the first season the musical interludes were quite memorable, they’ve been sort of an afterthought this season. Murray seems to be getting more screen time, and given the hilarious dynamic between he and the duo, it’s definitely not a bad thing. Hell, I chuckle whenever he says the word “Bret.”
If you haven’t checked out “Flight of the Conchords,” the first season is available on DVD. To me, it just may be creeping up on “The Office” as the best comedy on TV.
Already a sensation in its native land of Australia (where the show is the best-selling TV-DVD in the country’s history), it’s probably best to go into “Summer Heights High” knowing as little about its various accolades as possible. After all, “Kath and Kim” was also supposed to be an Australian critical darling, and while that may be true of the original series, the American remake starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair is so terribly unfunny that we can’t imagine that’s the case. That isn’t to say that “Summer Heights High” isn’t completely deserving of its rave reviews, because even though it isn’t technically produced by HBO, it could very well become the network’s surprise hit of the fall season.
Discussions will no doubt take place over which of Lilley’s characters are their favorites, but the great thing about “Summer Heights High” is that they’re all so unique that it’s virtually impossible to favor just one. It’s actually a little scary at just how good Lilley is (especially as Ja’mie, whose girlish mannerisms are spot-on), and his work here is nothing short of genius. Lilley isn’t the only star of the show, however, and though a majority of the other characters are played by actors, the fact that they’ve been mixed into a real-life environment (the series was shot at an actual Australian school) really helps the validity of the documentary style.
