This HBO series was very short lived and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that a great deal of the plot was designed around musical numbers that the two main actors had developed over the years in their stand-up comedy.
In my opinion, this was one of the best comedy series ever made and not very many people are aware of it, which is a shame.
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The show follows Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who are New Zealand shepherds that come to America to seek fame and fortune in the music industry, although they do not experience a great deal of success.
With the help of their hapless friend and manager Murray Hewitt, they get a series of "gigs" that are a little underwhelming to say the least.
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Murray is one of the best characters on the show and in his day job he works at the New Zealand embassy. The bookings he gets for the boys feature such wonderful environments like playing in an elevator or in private residences and events that are completely "sold out" because there is only room for one person - which normally ends up being "Mel," who is their only fan and also their stalker.
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What makes this show funny is the dry humor that Jemaine and Brett deliver their humor in such a dry manor and there is no laugh track (thank goodness.) The highlight of each episode is a song they perform that is tied into the storyline in one way or another. One of the most famous ones is "Business Time"
The series only lasted 2 seasons, and although i disagree with the critics it is generally agreed that season 2 is better than season 1 (I feel the opposite is the case.) The show was popular enough to keep going for season 3 but it was decided by Jemaine and Brett to not do so simply because "It wasn't fun anymore."
Oh, what i wouldn't do to be able to change jobs just because the one I have stopped being fun.
I came across this duo just a few months ago. Love their brilliant and at times scathing wit.
After doing a bit of research, I found out about their TV show, and watched a few episodes on YouTube. The humor was often better than that in their songs.
And I fully agree that the lack of a nauseating laugh-track was truly refreshing. I could never understand why any comedian worth her / his salt would ever stoop so low as to include a laugh track.
Thanks for the excellent post. It's a fine intro to a show that should have had much more exposure.
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their stand-up was incredible and continues to be. Their efforts to separate from one another have not been terribly successful (although it did get one of them in Lord of the Rings) and i think the world wants to see them together, for obvious reasons.
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I have heard of this before, but never watched it. Probably because I can't afford to have HBO! I know that they are putting a lot of their older stuff on Netflix now though. I always thought this was just a band when I heard people talking about it and didn't realize it was actually a show.
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