Kevin Smith - one of my favourite people - has a TV show. No, it's not another season of Reaper, or the return of the Clerks cartoon, but a semi-reality show which centres around the recording of a fictional podcast. That's probably the element that fits the least well, as everything else I found really enjoyable.
I'm not, and never have been a comic book geek. I have zero problem with anyone who is, and I totally understand the passion people have about the characters they've grown up with. I've listened to the podcast that spawned the show (Tell 'Em Steve-Dave) so was familiar with Walt, Bryan and Ming, but I found the structure of the TV show a lot more entertaining than their formless ramblings (which isn't a criticism; SModcast is a formless ramble and I love it).
The fictional podcast thing does strike an odd chord though. As someone who knows the SModcast network quite well - if you don't, it's basically a collection of podcasts by Smith and friends - I knew there wasn't a podcast called Comic Book Men, so to see them all sit round and talk into mics that aren't live provides jarring bookends. (It reminded me a little of the start of the animated Ricky Gervais Show.)
It feels part of a new swathe of scripted reality TV, heavy-handed in engineering rather than dialogue (ie: scenes are clearly set up, but the words in them feel natural). I guess Smith brings in the punters for those who've seen Dogma but aren't necessary podcast listeners, and he chairs the discussions around the "recording" table, but the star of the show (so far) is Walt Flanagan. The bearded sage Bryan Johnson provides his brand of quiet caustic humour, while Ming and Mike just sort of... well... it's only been two episodes, let's give 'em a chance :)
I really liked the two episodes I saw, much more than I thought I would, so I'll be on the lookout for more. If you get the chance, and you're familiar with SModcast or the world of Jay and Silent Bob, it's worth it. If you're the kind of person who just doesn't "get" comics and doesn't know who Kevin Smith is, probably give this one a miss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie0Y52g07sU
Snooch to the nooch, etc.
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