WOW #11
Last One Laughing, The Studio, The Residence
Some exciting TV news to start with: the iconic host of the US Traitors - Alan Cumming has been announced as the host of this year’s TV BAFTA Awards. Baby Reindeer leads the way with the most nominations, followed by Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Rivals and Slow Horses.
No sooner did Sky finally secure the broadcast rights to Hacks, they have confirmed they will be showing the fourth series almost as soon as it airs in the US in April so no more exhausting delays, praise be!
I also discovered that Channel 5 are currently showing The Flatshare which I watched a couple of years ago on Paramount+ and absolutely loved. It is based on another book by Beth O’Leary who also wrote the previously mentioned The Road Trip (and I would say this is far superior to that, so check it out if you’re interested in a cute British rom com).
Featured this week are a new comedy that made me LOL, a hilarious look at how the movies get made and a whodunnit in the White House.
Last One Laughing
Is there anything funnier than trying not to laugh? Not much except maybe watching comedians trying to not to laugh. Last One Laughing has already been made in other countries, recently Graham Norton hosted the Irish version and they have received mixed reviews. But where the other versions may have fallen flat, LOL has perfected the formula.
Step One: Book brilliant comedians. What a line-up for a debut series: Bob Mortimer, Joe Lycett, Judi Love, Rob Beckett, Daisy May Cooper, Richard Ayoade, Sara Pascoe, Lou Sanders, Joe Wilkinson and Harriet Kemsley. Some of the biggest names working in British comedy all in one room together, trying to make each other laugh is a thing of joy. Hosted by Jimmy Carr who is the perfect fit for this role, he becomes a sort-of comedy school headmaster, frequently scolding them for breaking the rules whilst also proudly watching on from the viewing room. He is joined there by Roisin Conaty to watch the comedians in action, making it almost like Celebrity Gogglebox: The Extra Funny Edition.
Step Two: Keep it simple. The premise of the show is straightforward, to win you need to be the last one laughing. Jimmy issues a yellow card for the first offence, but laugh twice and the comedians are shown a red card and are evicted from the game. At that point they are able to laugh as much as they like as they watch on with Jimmy & Roisin. There is something very pleasing about watching comedians be tickled by other comedians.
Step Three: Throw in some surprises. Initially I was worried this show wouldn’t work. When they first start the game, they all just avoid talking to each other for fear of starting to laugh. But the show has clever format points to avoid this become a bad silent movie. They each take it in turns to ‘play their joker’ where they perform a routine designed to make the others laugh (whilst avoiding laughing themselves). Special shoutouts to Joe Wilkinson & Bob Mortimer for routines which were brilliantly bonkers. There are also some celebrity cameos which are just genius bookings (this is Amazon money being spent well!)
It’s been awhile since a new comedy entertainment format has broken through like Last One Laughing. Seeing funny moments clipped up all over my social media and being shared on WhatsApp groups within its first week of airing is delightful. As someone who works in this genre of TV, it makes me hopeful that given the right investment in new ideas all is not lost. I challenge you to play along and not be crying with laughter by the end.
All episodes are available to watch now on Amazon Prime Video
The Studio
Is it a little ironic that a TV series has been made by a big tech company about the film industry, or perhaps it is the only place a show like this could be successfully made. Unlike The Franchise that aired on Sky and HBO last year, which on paper sounded great, a comedy about the workings of a big Marvel-esque film created by Armando Iannucci but in reality was cancelled after one series; The Studio seems destined to succeed, and that’s only after watching the first two episodes.
Seth Rogen stars as an earnest film-loving studio executive who lands the ultimate job after his boss played by the always wonderful Catherine O’Hara is unceremoniously fired. He is green with ambition, preaching about producing films that will stand alongside the greats whilst also being box office blockbusters. However, within moments of all of his dreams coming true, reality bites and he begins to sell his soul to satiate corporate greed one awkward meeting at a time.
The Studio is stuffed full of incredible cameos, the first episode alone guest stars Martin Scorcese (who is a surprisingly good actor) and a blink and you’ll miss her appearance from Charlize Theron. With many more to come later in the series including Ron Howard, Zac Efron, Zoë Kravitz, Olivia Wilde and Anthony Mackie to name just a handful. Clearly Hollywood is not offended by this show with some many of it’s major players being willing to participate.
The timing of this show seems very appropriate after Anora became the lowest grossing film to win Best Picture at The Oscars earlier this year. Studios are increasingly looking to established IP to make movies from, after the decade of domination from the comic book franchises and more recently the toy market when Barbie took the world by storm. The studio owner played wickedly by Bryan Cranston sums this up perfectly when he states that they are in the business of making ‘movies’ not ‘films’ pronounced specifically to indicate that the two are in fact, not the same.
This show looks cool: the styling, the cars, the property porn is full on Hollywood. But by centring the story around Rogen’s character, it is also charming and of course, as you would expect from him, very funny. There are plenty of inside jokes, many of which I’m sure I missed but I didn’t feel excluded as the viewer. You can tell Rogen is a fan of the magic of cinema but is able to separate the art from the creators. His ability to depict the movie making machine for all it’s ridiculousness without being cruel is what I think will make this show a success like others before it.
Episodes 1 & 2 are available to watch now on Apple TV+, new episodes on Wednesdays
The Residence
I’m a big Shondaland fan, so much so I wrote my masters dissertation on Shonda Rhimes and her impact on the television industry. She is the mastermind behind some of my favourite ever shows: Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Bridgerton and fun fact she even wrote the now cult film Crossroads starring one Britney Spears. So I’m always up for a new project she’s created, particularly because of her knack for creating fully-formed, flaws and all female leads and The Residence continues to follow in this vein, this time leading the show is the one and only Uzo Aduba.
You might be most familiar with her work from Orange Is The New Black where so impactful was her performance that she was able to stand out amongst an abundance of female talent playing the troubled Suzanne aka ‘Crazy Eyes’. The character of detective Cordelia Cupp in this show is equally quirky but for very different reasons. Instead of committing crimes, she’s solving them in her own unique, rather unusual style complemented by an extreme passion for birdwatching or ‘birding’ as they call it.
To put it simply, this is just another murder mystery show. The first episode reveals a dead body has been discovered in The White House on the night of a state dinner with the Australian Prime Minister (which is why the actual Kylie Minogue is in attendance to provide the evening’s entertainment). We are introduced to the many potential suspects and our mysterious detective who is brought in to figure out whodunnit with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Nothing especially new here, except there is something about it that made want to keep watching on. Rhimes has a way of writing characters and stories that form the perfect blend of style and substance with a knowing sense of humour. A moreish viewing proposition.
I have watched nearly all of this series and yet to have found anything in it that makes it particularly stand out from others in the genre. No big surprise as yet, but I haven’t finished and the mystery is yet to be solved. However, I am really enjoying it and perhaps that is because it is like a greatest hits of what makes this genre so timeless. There are nods to everything from Agatha Christie to Sherlock Holmes and Knives Out to Cluedo. It is made, as is The Studio, with a fondness for the subject matter, a signature of all Rhimes’ work is that they have a big heart.
All episodes are available to watch now on Netflix