Taskmaster

This past week I started watching Taskmaster, the British comedy/game show. It is available to stream full episodes on YouTube. The show immediately felt familiar to me, yet I am unable to pinpoint what else I’ve seen that makes me feel that way. It has a host (the Taskmaster) who asks a panel of five comedians/celebrities to complete tasks. The Taskmaster then awards points (1-5) for each round based on how those tasks were performed. The show is live with all of the comedians sitting together in the same room with the taskmaster, but the footage of the completion of the tasks was all recorded ahead of time. 

This is a funny show! I enjoyed it right from the start. I started with the most recent series; 16 I believe. I have watched the first couple of episodes then randomly jumped to another series from earlier on to see if it was different. It was the same. 

My favorite part about the show is how the panelists personalities come out as we see them complete the tasks. Most of the things are ridiculous. They are put into all sorts of bizarre situations that they have to figure out how to deal with. It is a unique premise that I find entertaining. 

I’d recommend checking it out. Everybody has access to YouTube. It is free to watch. You just have to put up with a ton of ads. 

David Spade - Almost Interesting

David Spade is one of those celebrities that everybody knows about, but hasn’t ever been huge. I clearly remember him from SNL, Tommy Boy, & Black Sheep[1]. My early perception of him was a grouchy sidekick to the uber-positive & extremely dopey Chris Farley. I had completely forgot that Spade was in the television series Just Shoot Me, but as soon as it was mentioned in the book I recalled the weird little slime-ball from that show. Then of course we have Joe Dirt. I definitely knew the star of that movie was the same guy, but for some reason I refused to associate him to the guy from Tommy Boy.

Anyway, Spade’s movies helped form the comedy sensibilities of my youth, yet I couldn’t tell you anything about him. I really enjoy reading memoirs and auto-biographies. I saw this book on the ebook deals list so I decided to buy Almost Interesting.

This book was an easy read. I enjoyed it. There wasn’t much to it. It was nice to hear about Chris Farley. It was interesting to understand more about the dynamics and expectations of being a write on SNL. Beyond that I didn’t take much away from the book. I think I bought it for $1.99. It was worth that. I think the book is accurately titled. 

1: As a middle-schooler I actually got tricked into going on my first date with a girl to see Black Sheep.

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1. As a middle-schooler I actually got tricked into going on my first date with a girl to see Black Sheep. ↩

Only Murders in the Building Season 3

I recently caught up and finished the 3rd season of *Only Murders in the Building* on Hulu. I think the first season was the strongest and it has degraded since. I think the show is fine. I enjoy watching. It is a joy watching Steve Martin & Martin Short act together in this series. I haven’t loved Selena Gomez’s acting efforts quite as much. 

There is a lot to like about the show. If they keep making them I will keep watching. It has settled in to this comfortable series with no real stakes. There has become a sub-genre of the murder mystery… it is the *cozy* murder mystery. There are books and movies that use the common mystery setup, but remove the tension and replace it with comfort. Only Murders fits squarely in this genre. It is a show that is easy and enjoyable to watch, but probably won’t have you begging for the next episode to find out what happens. 

I honestly don’t have a lot to say about this show. There isn’t anything deep or meaningful about it to me personally. It is a vehicle to bring stars together and deliver compelling scenes. It succeeds at what it sets out to be. Beyond that, I don’t know that it does anything extremely interesting. 

It has been confirmed that the show will get a forth season. I will be there to watch it. 

Welcome to Wrexham Season 2... So Far

The first season of Welcome to Wrexham was a big surprise for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of a documentary about movie stars buying a football team from Wales. I assumed the show was going to be mostly about Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. It wasn’t. It was about the people of Wrexham, and why the football club meant so much to them.

I think the show did an amazing job making the story of Wrexham into something extremely compelling. There were a couple episodes that didn’t land as well, but overall it was very strong. The second season has continued where the first season left off.

What is interesting now is that I already know what happens with the football team this season. It doesn’t factor into my enjoyment of the show at all.

So far the highlight of Season 2 is the episode about autism. It is short. It is hardly about the team at all. It didn’t matter. I loved it. Hearing the parents of autistic children talk about the guilt they feel totally broke me up inside. Parenting is difficult. It is typically a very humbling experience no matter what. I have felt plenty of guilt because I am not prepared, willing, or able to provide my child with what she needs at every moment. When extra challenges are added to that dynamic it creates an immense test of character & patience for parents.

I don’t know how long Welcome to Wrexham will go, but they definitely have something here. I continue to be impressed by the style of the show. They have done a great job telling personal stories that are easy to connect with despite the extraordinary nature of the situation.