Death Valley
MTV has now impressed me with two consecutive shows. Mind you, Death Valley is nowhere in the same league as Awkward., which is every bit as good as Breaking In and nearly as funny as Happy Endings (the other two great 2011 comedy debuts), but it's a blast. Basically, it's a mix of COPS and really cheesy late-night horror movies. Or maybe Reno 911 with zombies and vamps. The premise is that zombies, vampires, and werewolves descended on California a year ago, and are now the primary focus of a group of police officers.
It's goofy, with over-the-top characters, ridiculous situations, and running gags, but it's also surprisingly gory, too. Good moments from the first episode included one character's running complaints about how much better off he'd have been with a baseball bat (it doesn't run out of ammo), and two other characters, both low on blood sugar because of a mandated blood drive, throwing extra ammo to their compatriots only after they get some cookies. It's the sort of humor that only works if the cast can pull it off, and they do it well.
The recognizable list of C-list but talented folks include Bryce Johnson (best known for Popular, although he's also had a run on Pretty Little Liars), Tania Raymonde (Alex -- Rousseau's daughter -- from Lost), Bryan Callen (Mary's ex-who-knocks-her-up on In Plain Sight), and Texas Battle (Marcus from Bold and the Beautiful, plus it's just an awesome name).
It's goofy, with over-the-top characters, ridiculous situations, and running gags, but it's also surprisingly gory, too. Good moments from the first episode included one character's running complaints about how much better off he'd have been with a baseball bat (it doesn't run out of ammo), and two other characters, both low on blood sugar because of a mandated blood drive, throwing extra ammo to their compatriots only after they get some cookies. It's the sort of humor that only works if the cast can pull it off, and they do it well.
The recognizable list of C-list but talented folks include Bryce Johnson (best known for Popular, although he's also had a run on Pretty Little Liars), Tania Raymonde (Alex -- Rousseau's daughter -- from Lost), Bryan Callen (Mary's ex-who-knocks-her-up on In Plain Sight), and Texas Battle (Marcus from Bold and the Beautiful, plus it's just an awesome name).