In three short weeks, this delightful election season will finally come to an end, as the thrilling climax wraps up well over a year of non-stop entertainment. Unfortunately, once the post-election rioting dies down, millions of Americans will be left with a frightening entertainment void.
Luckily, thanks to the beauty and majesty of network television, Americans need not fear being forced to face the depressing reality of their pathetic everyday lives.
In fact, there are so many choices for comedic escapism, that it can be difficult to decide how to properly budget your six hours of daily television viewing for maximum dopamine release. Once again, The Naked Loon comes to your rescue, with a revealing review of three of this season’s top choices for lighthearted distraction.
The Big Bang Theory – Season 2
CBS, starring Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper and Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
The Big Bang Theory has something for everyone—as long as your definition of “everyone” is “total nerds and people that like to make fun of the total nerds.”
If you find jokes about World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings, neutrinos, and comic book crossovers (no, I am not making these up) to be side-splittingly hilarious, then you might be able to overlook that insulting and distracting throwback to sitcoms of yore, the laugh track.
Also, while having a theme song by the Barenaked Ladies is definitely a plus, Big Bang Theory loses some points for frequently running with formulaic plot lines that are so predictable even Ben Bernanke could accurately guess how they’ll turn out.
Final Rating: A = 4πr³ — get it? Cubed! Hah!
My Name is Earl – Season 4
NBC, starring Jason Lee as Earl Hickey
As a well-to-do resident of the Seattle area (a.k.a. the yuppiest place on Earth), I continue to find My Name is Earl to be absolutely hilarious. It’s always fun to laugh at stereotypical portrayals of backward rural yokels, am I right?
With such original and creative plotlines as “Joy’s big toe swells up to the size of a small melon” and “Earl’s old friend has that memory problem where he always thinks it’s the same day ten years ago just like in that Adam Sandler movie,” it is clear that four seasons in, this is one show that is just as fresh as when it began.
Final Rating: 239. Dissed on a poor innocent comedy.
The Office – Season 5
NBC, starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott
Is it true that The Office has slowly turned from amusing mockumentary into some sort of twisted soap opera? Maybe. Is it also true that The Office is still hands down the funniest show on television? Absolutely. Is it furthermore the case that NBC is paying me to write this overwhelmingly positive review? Reply hazy, try again.
I’m sure that The Office will eventually run out of good jokes, and maybe the actors will all experience some sort of brain damage that inhibits their ability to consistently give such convincingly hilarious performances of the dysfunctional Dunder Mifflin crew. But until that time, I will continue to be enslaved weekly by NBC’s crown comedy jewel.
Final Rating: That’s what she said.
The Big Bang Theory is a favorite – especially when actors formerly on Roseanne show up. Cute, well-written, well-acted, and funny – without being tacky or insulting.