It's the New Hugh Review, coming right at you!
OK, so here are my thoughts about the new SciFi shows that premiered tonite...
AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD: I giggled through this entire show. This is one of the funniest, most original shows on TV. Paul Giamati and David Hyde Pierce are both PERFECT voices for Screw-On Head and Emporer Zombie. I actually found myself asking "How did this ever GET on TV?" I meant it in a GOOD way... I'm stunned that ANY network took a chance on this, as there's no way that this can be described to ANYONE without you sounding like a lunatic! Bravo to NBC/Universal of having a pair.
GARTH MARENGHI'S DARKSPACE: This was a disappointment. The show's obviously a spoof, but I have no idea WHAT they're trying to make fun of. Kolchak/X-Files type horror shows? Anthology shows? Medical dramas? Soap operas? Vanity projects? There were parts that were amusing, but overall it just seemed too scattershot... any show that makes AIRPLANE or POLICE SQUAD look focused obviously needs some work, IMNSHO.
WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO?: OK, now THIS one was the surprise for me. I was expecting a total train wreck. What we got was a lesson in basic human decency. The show started the way I expected... a bunch of... well, there's no nice way to say this, they're FREAKS... dressed in superhero outfits trying for their 15 minutes of fame. And, at first, the contestants look pretty damned ridiculous. Then Stan "The Man" Lee shows up, and this show takes a left turn. FIrst, he eliminates one contestant off the bat for not being in the right frame of mind; the guy makes custom action figures that he sells for $300-500 bucks a pop, and was planning on making a boatload of money by marketing his character for money. And as Stan points out, that's not what being a hero is all about. Then they have their first "challenge": The contestants are told that they have to "subtly" change into their costumes in a public park, and then run to a goal that's been set up. Quickest time wins. Sounds almost like something off SURVIVOR, right? Then comes the twist... they put a little girt about halfway through the course, who seems to just be one of the people walking around the park, and she's crying because she lost her mommy. The REAL test is to see who stops to help the girl. And only 4 out of the 11 contestants stopped. And everyone else got RAKED OVER THE COALS by Stan Lee for putting their own need to win above helping a lost little girl. One of the contestants even started to cry when she realized what she'd done. Now you tell me, if you watch ANY other reality show, tell me when they will actually point out to the players that THEY ARE BEING TOO DAMNED SELFISH AND THEY'RE COMPLETE ASSHOLES!? I think this show might have me hooked.
AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD: I giggled through this entire show. This is one of the funniest, most original shows on TV. Paul Giamati and David Hyde Pierce are both PERFECT voices for Screw-On Head and Emporer Zombie. I actually found myself asking "How did this ever GET on TV?" I meant it in a GOOD way... I'm stunned that ANY network took a chance on this, as there's no way that this can be described to ANYONE without you sounding like a lunatic! Bravo to NBC/Universal of having a pair.
GARTH MARENGHI'S DARKSPACE: This was a disappointment. The show's obviously a spoof, but I have no idea WHAT they're trying to make fun of. Kolchak/X-Files type horror shows? Anthology shows? Medical dramas? Soap operas? Vanity projects? There were parts that were amusing, but overall it just seemed too scattershot... any show that makes AIRPLANE or POLICE SQUAD look focused obviously needs some work, IMNSHO.
WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO?: OK, now THIS one was the surprise for me. I was expecting a total train wreck. What we got was a lesson in basic human decency. The show started the way I expected... a bunch of... well, there's no nice way to say this, they're FREAKS... dressed in superhero outfits trying for their 15 minutes of fame. And, at first, the contestants look pretty damned ridiculous. Then Stan "The Man" Lee shows up, and this show takes a left turn. FIrst, he eliminates one contestant off the bat for not being in the right frame of mind; the guy makes custom action figures that he sells for $300-500 bucks a pop, and was planning on making a boatload of money by marketing his character for money. And as Stan points out, that's not what being a hero is all about. Then they have their first "challenge": The contestants are told that they have to "subtly" change into their costumes in a public park, and then run to a goal that's been set up. Quickest time wins. Sounds almost like something off SURVIVOR, right? Then comes the twist... they put a little girt about halfway through the course, who seems to just be one of the people walking around the park, and she's crying because she lost her mommy. The REAL test is to see who stops to help the girl. And only 4 out of the 11 contestants stopped. And everyone else got RAKED OVER THE COALS by Stan Lee for putting their own need to win above helping a lost little girl. One of the contestants even started to cry when she realized what she'd done. Now you tell me, if you watch ANY other reality show, tell me when they will actually point out to the players that THEY ARE BEING TOO DAMNED SELFISH AND THEY'RE COMPLETE ASSHOLES!? I think this show might have me hooked.