 |
| Left to right: Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
In today's modern culture, it seems like everything is getting an unnecessary reboot or remake. With the cineplexes lighting up with the latest sequel, it almost feels difficult to suggest that there's any creativity out there. Even in the realm of TV, movies like Minority Report and 12 Monkeys have received the adaptation treatment. While this isn't necessarily the worst thing, it doesn't bode well for when something good comes out of all of it. If anything, it raises the question as to what shows in particular are worthy of getting the TV series treatment to expand on their mythology and add depth to their vast and interesting characters.
Among those that seem particularly odd is Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Much like Freaks and Geeks, the film directed by David Wain is a cult hit that spawned countless influential careers. Unlike the other show, you don't have to dig too deep to see their lasting impact. It remains apparent on TV with various cast members having starred on Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Bob's Burgers. Even in the film world, Bradley Cooper has raked up three Oscar nominations and had the highest grossing film of 2014 (Paul Rudd isn't doing too bad either with Ant-Man). While there are new faces, the cast is an embarrassment of recognizable faces for those even vaguely into the modern comedy scene.
Thankfully, director and writer David Wain is back in control on this new project. He has had a consistent film career with Role Models and They Came Together, even making the successful [adult swim] medical drama spoof Childrens Hospital. While he may be not as well known as the other members of his comedy team The State, he is probably the most dynamic behind the scenes, finding what works for the absurd comedy mold. He may not always be successful, but as evident in Wet Hot American Summer, he knows how to do pitch perfect satire. All it really takes is everyone playing it seriously as stories of talking cans and escalating tragedies happen. It may not explain why this show was necessary, but it feels more like a prank to satirize the reboot culture, even to the point of only releasing 8 episodes.
So, what is in store for this round of Wet Hot American Summer? From the looks of it, there's not a whole lot that's new. The opening episode deservedly so introduces the vast amount of characters that are set to appear over the next four hours. There's a lot of kids burping and questionable relationships on display throughout the episode. It is everything we should expect from Wain at this point. Thankfully, the cast is still very funny thanks to them working together almost annually for the past 14 years. The simple truth is that if you like these performers in other projects, chances are that you'll be very willing to give them a shot here.
Everyone seems to be in top form as well. While this may just be an introduction episode, we get to immediately understand the various perils of its characters. There's the slacker cool of Paul Rudd as he crashes his motorcycle (with style) on the first day. There's Amy Poehler introducing us to the musical Electro-City. There's enthusiasm as camp counselors chase kids around and fond each other. Even if the show is just an excuse to visit these characters, everyone seems to be having too much fun. The series opens with a montage of the counselors partying around a bonfire, as if celebrating their last moments of freedom. From there, it's a lot of asides and plot development that I will likely be revisiting in a TV Retrospective in the future when the show has proven itself to be what it wants to be.
So while the question of the show's existence has yet to be proven, I do think that there's something to this series. Seeing as it the cast is significantly older yet forced to play younger, there's already an eerie quality to their performances. While the first episode doesn't paint it as distracting, it definitely feels like there's a certain disconnect that may inevitably play into the show's potential satire of reboot culture akin to Fuller House or the return of Heroes. It may be a joke that's never said, which will only make it more absurd. It isn't entirely clear if this is a one-off, or if we will be seeing more in the future. However, it does leave room to wonder if Wain is willing to prank us some more as time goes on.
It is really hard to sell Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp largely because fans of the cult film will already be consuming this. If you haven't heard of it, you'll likely be lost going in. It may not be Netflix's first movie-to-TV series, but it may be among its most noteworthy. So while I do still question the validity of making this into a show, it is hard to say no to David Wain's style of comedy. He doesn't give you all of the punchlines, instead making it difficult to understand. The existence of this show is itself a joke that doesn't make sense, but thankfully it is one that is done with enough love to compensate.
Among those that seem particularly odd is Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Much like Freaks and Geeks, the film directed by David Wain is a cult hit that spawned countless influential careers. Unlike the other show, you don't have to dig too deep to see their lasting impact. It remains apparent on TV with various cast members having starred on Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Bob's Burgers. Even in the film world, Bradley Cooper has raked up three Oscar nominations and had the highest grossing film of 2014 (Paul Rudd isn't doing too bad either with Ant-Man). While there are new faces, the cast is an embarrassment of recognizable faces for those even vaguely into the modern comedy scene.
Thankfully, director and writer David Wain is back in control on this new project. He has had a consistent film career with Role Models and They Came Together, even making the successful [adult swim] medical drama spoof Childrens Hospital. While he may be not as well known as the other members of his comedy team The State, he is probably the most dynamic behind the scenes, finding what works for the absurd comedy mold. He may not always be successful, but as evident in Wet Hot American Summer, he knows how to do pitch perfect satire. All it really takes is everyone playing it seriously as stories of talking cans and escalating tragedies happen. It may not explain why this show was necessary, but it feels more like a prank to satirize the reboot culture, even to the point of only releasing 8 episodes.
So, what is in store for this round of Wet Hot American Summer? From the looks of it, there's not a whole lot that's new. The opening episode deservedly so introduces the vast amount of characters that are set to appear over the next four hours. There's a lot of kids burping and questionable relationships on display throughout the episode. It is everything we should expect from Wain at this point. Thankfully, the cast is still very funny thanks to them working together almost annually for the past 14 years. The simple truth is that if you like these performers in other projects, chances are that you'll be very willing to give them a shot here.
Everyone seems to be in top form as well. While this may just be an introduction episode, we get to immediately understand the various perils of its characters. There's the slacker cool of Paul Rudd as he crashes his motorcycle (with style) on the first day. There's Amy Poehler introducing us to the musical Electro-City. There's enthusiasm as camp counselors chase kids around and fond each other. Even if the show is just an excuse to visit these characters, everyone seems to be having too much fun. The series opens with a montage of the counselors partying around a bonfire, as if celebrating their last moments of freedom. From there, it's a lot of asides and plot development that I will likely be revisiting in a TV Retrospective in the future when the show has proven itself to be what it wants to be.
So while the question of the show's existence has yet to be proven, I do think that there's something to this series. Seeing as it the cast is significantly older yet forced to play younger, there's already an eerie quality to their performances. While the first episode doesn't paint it as distracting, it definitely feels like there's a certain disconnect that may inevitably play into the show's potential satire of reboot culture akin to Fuller House or the return of Heroes. It may be a joke that's never said, which will only make it more absurd. It isn't entirely clear if this is a one-off, or if we will be seeing more in the future. However, it does leave room to wonder if Wain is willing to prank us some more as time goes on.
It is really hard to sell Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp largely because fans of the cult film will already be consuming this. If you haven't heard of it, you'll likely be lost going in. It may not be Netflix's first movie-to-TV series, but it may be among its most noteworthy. So while I do still question the validity of making this into a show, it is hard to say no to David Wain's style of comedy. He doesn't give you all of the punchlines, instead making it difficult to understand. The existence of this show is itself a joke that doesn't make sense, but thankfully it is one that is done with enough love to compensate.
Comments
Post a Comment