TV Retrospective: Garfunkel and Oates - Season 1

Left to right: Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome

Music comedy is an underrated art form. Few can match with with a catchy beat without making it feel like a disposable novelty. That is why few icons like Tom Lehrer and Weird Al Yankovic continue to resonate with contemporary culture. Among the modern crop of performers is Garfunkel and Oates, whose eponymous IFC series just wrapped up its first season. The female duo who mix twee with crass usually with nothing more than a guitar and ukulele delivered a great representation of why they have been one of alternative comedy's most notable acts of the past few years. Thankfully, they're great performers too and turned in a great first season of a series that will hopefully continue to grow and spread their fan base.

The toughest hurdle for Garfunkel and Oates is that it had to distinguish itself from the competition. For the most part, it plays like a female version of Flight of the Conchords and deservedly so. Both feature high caliber duos who end up making meta commentary on their music through weird situations and creative music videos. By the end of its eight episode run, the series comes away feeling a little more confident and able to distinguish itself. If anything, it manages to fit perfectly alongside the other alternative comedy series on IFC, which continues to give the network a personality and a reason to realize that this network is the real deal. They can be funny and candid in ways that are edgier yet classier than Comedy Central.

A lot of the magic is rooted in the performances by Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome, who star as the duo living together and trying to get both their music and acting careers off of the ground. With random plots exploring the band's identity, gay puppet relations, and helping sick children, the series hits all of the familiar beats and applies their analytic sense of humor to the issues. It helps that despite playing into specific archetypes (Kate is short and cute, Riki is blonde and manipulative) and then continue to deconstruct them through very specific premises. With a slew of guest stars, the universe is well populated with personality that helps to play into the twee tone of the atmosphere while also being sort of creepy. It creates a mythology about the band and their viral beginnings and slowly deconstructs how it influences their careers.

Of course the series' biggest success, and defining feature, is the music videos. While a lot of the songs are familiar for those who listen to their music, the videos are entirely new. After starting off on viral videos, the group has moved into a bigger budget and more polished look. They're also as diverse as the song choices. They're influenced by everything from School House Rock to old 80's workout videos. During them, their personalities and well choreographed moves become something of a marvel for them. The videos manage to feel authentic while also being rooted in a joke that is oftentimes very one note. 

By the end, the series embraces its arts-and-crafts approach to the videos and ends up incorporating the obsession into the ids of the characters. The final episodes, a two-parter exploring Kate and Riki's inability to grow up, manage to reflect two people in crisis. Can they live the lives of responsible adults, or are they forced to deal with puppetry and bizarre instances such as sexist fans? The series lacks continuity and the boyfriend situations are often momentary and meant for a bigger joke. The series covers a broad array of topics, often for the benefit of a song, which isn't a bad thing. If there's any complaints, it's that the series only has eight episodes, which makes it join Silicon Valley as a series that barely got great as the finale approached.

Most of all, the series felt honest and authentic. It may have played the twee card in order to get to humor, but among the former band mates, getting yelled at by Weird Al, and having a pornographic clone, the series still had personality and challenged what a music-based series could do. While it was funny, it could dip into deeper truths through these moments. There were plenty of cliches, but the most important part was that it made you root for Kate and Riki to succeed, if just because they had great chemistry. The series is a great introduction to those who have yet to discover their musical prowess and with creative videos to boot, there's plenty to keep you entertained. Hopefully this series will help to expand their fan base and give them a popularity on par with other IFC series Comedy Bang Bang, Portlandia and Maron. If anything, they are very deserving of it.


Rating: 4 out of 5