Hey, You Know What You Should Do?

Hey, You Know What You Should Do?

In which we tell you about awesome things that you must look into and enjoy.

Watch “Cheers”
Saying that the sitcom is dead is like saying slavery is bad. No one is going to disagree with you, and they were actually able to form that opinion long ago. They are cheesy. They play to the lowest common denominator. They have laugh tracks, for fuck’s sake, just in case you didn’t know when you were supposed to laugh. And in all honesty, if the laugh tracks weren’t there, you would probably just assume it was an oddly lit and shot drama, because it sure as shit ain’t funny. Well, what if I told you that there was a sitcom that had all of the same tropes and style of every other sitcom you’ve ever seen, but good? Do you think you could guess what it is? If you know how to read headers and look at pictures, then you probably did already. I vaguely remember “Cheers” when it was on prime time. I remember the final episode being a big deal. I remember catching a couple of reruns on Nick at Nite, back when it was less Nick, and more Nite. And whether I agreed with it or not, I knew it was regarded pretty highly. When I fired up the pilot episode after it became available on Netflix Watch Instantly, I figured it would make for a decent hour or so of traveling down nostalgia lane, like watching “Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie” (also available on NWI) or jerking off to magazine porn (sadly, not available). What I got instead was a show that seemed, on the surface, like all of the other garbage I watched when I was a kid, and old people continue to watch today, but was actually pretty fucking brilliant. It also holds up incredibly well today. Comedy is such a niche marketplace these days that, if you do your homework, you can find something that makes you, and no one else on the planet, laugh hysterically. But there is something to be said for good old-fashioned setup and punchline comedy that never dips into the absurd, cynical, or R-Rated. You don’t have to get into the Sam/Diane or Norm/Cliff “will they/won’t they” plotlines. You don’t even have to get as turned on as I do when you see a fake-pregnant Rhea Perlman moisten up for her boss Sam Malone, played by Harry, of “Harry and the Hendersons” fame. And you certainly don’t need to start at the beginning and burn through four seasons in two weeks like some psychopaths currently writing this article. Just pick a season or episode at random, hit play, and bank on my guarantee that at some point you will think at least one thing is mildly clever. Which, for most of us comedy elitist assholes, is pretty good. – RH
Watch “Summer Heights High”

Most of us have heard of Australia. It’s a large island filled with poison. There’s a beer and some sort of vegetable spread. I’m pretty sure some black people lived there that we’re not supposed to talk about anymore. What I personally did not know is that they apparently have television there. Huh. One of the shows they have there is a mockumentary called Summer Heights High, and it kind of puts American TV to shame. The man behind this show is Chris Lilley, and when I say he’s the man behind the show I mean he is the show. He created it, he wrote it and he stars in it. Not as the main character – as all of them. He plays three different characters: a (possibly) gay drama teacher, a young Polynesian boy and teenage private school girl, all attending Summer Heights High School (that’s where the name comes from!). What makes this show great – and what probably makes Chris Lilley insane – is that he plays all three roles equally well. I have made just about every person I’ve ever met watch this with me and a surprising amount of them don’t realize its actually the same person until about the end of 1st episode. I guarantee you will laugh at these characters. “Schoolgirls are bitchy! Gay people are snippety! Polynesians are…stuff!” You’ll think as you watch. What I also Guarantee – and what makes this show great – is that you’ll also be moved almost to tears at times. Can you find me another show where a grown white man can dress as an eighth grade Polynesian boy and make you legitimately sympathize with that character? If so, I’ll tell you that show is We Can Be Heroes, Chris Lilley’s previous show in which he plays no less than six different characters.-DT