Kings of Prosperity

Our TV guy gave me a disk with the first two eps on it. Dreadful. Just dreadful. A few funny lines, a great premise (I think, at least), but... dreadful. There's a ton of 70's retro kitsch, including the Shaft-like theme song sung by one of the cast. Let's see. Middle eastern cabbie, black security guard (theme song singer), Latina waitress and two idiot white dudes. Oh, and a pasty geek kid they brought on as an intern. Word is this has been getting a ton of positive press from critics. I can't imagine what they're watching.

 

Um, you mean Knights of Prosperity?

 

Well, yeah. Sorry. Cared that little for it I didn't even care to get the name right.

 

The show as done by the creators of "Ed," so you can count me among those who will at least give it a shot. Then again, part of me still hopes this bombs so those guys can go back to what should be priority No. 1: getting "Ed" out on DVD finally.

 

For what it's worth (and I'm not saying it's worth anything), the Washington Post critic all but had an orgasm about it:

http://tinyurl.com/ylnymg

 

Tom Shales usually hates everything, so I was surprised.

 

I don't know how much it changed since then, but I saw a test airing of the pilot last spring and it wasn't that bad. I don't know that I'll add it to the must Tivo list, but I'll give it a shot.

 

I, too, was a huge fan of Ed. Can't believe those guys made this fetid turd. The pilot was okay, I guess, but by the second ep you're groaning and looking for a way out.

Read Shales' review. "I really liked the bridges, and I thought Madison was an excellent county"? That's funny? Really? And he says one cast member is a "young Ray Bolger." Oh yeah, 'cuz nothing says "knee-slappingly and side-splittingly funny" like the Scarecrow. Quick - name anything else Bolger was in. Egads.

 

NY Times gave it a blah review today.

 

Our critic said it changed quite a bit from the summer pilot.

 

I got enough out of it tonight that I'll watch it again. Same with the show after it, "In Case of Emergency." Wednesday had been kind of a weak night in the fall anyway, although adding "Friday Night Lights" at 8 p.m. has improved it.

 

Uhhhh...have you forgot about One Tree Hill? Who are you? What have you done with Shottie?

I liked Knights of Prosperity. It was pretty funny from start to finish. The line about being born with a spork up his ass was classic, and the intern listening to Meredith Brooks over and over again was great.

Best part: They get the key to Mick's apartment...then the final scene is Mick walking into a fortress that includes palm recognition entry, closed-circuit cameras, a metal detector and at least three guards.