Thursday 25 / April / 2024
October means the sun sets a bit earlier, the weather is little bit cooler, and our favourite TV shows are back. To help inspire some serious binge watching this weekend, Hi checked out three comedy TV shows that are returning to the small screen and one brand new arrival that is sure to earn rave reviews
1. THE BIG BANG THEORY
The story so far: When scientific geniuses Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj are not breaking new ground at Cal Tech, they’re often off on one of their marathon gaming sessions, waiting all night at a movie premiere or browsing the latest offerings at the comic book store. Their idyllic geek heaven is interrupted though, when Penny, an attractive waitress/actress moves in next door, changing the group dynamic. Now in its 10th season, the show features plenty of pop culture and scientific references including cameos by cult sci-fi personalities including Arthur Jefferies, Bill Nye, Will Wheaton, and even the legendary Stephen Hawking, the show has made geek culture cool. The current season is predicted to be its last, and is sure to be just as rib-ticklingly hilarious as the previous seasons have been.
Genre: Comedy What it’s about: Four scientific geniuses have their lives thrown into orbit when an attractive neighbour moves in next door Run Time: 30 minutes Starring: Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Hellberg, Kaley Cuoco, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
2. VICE PRINCIPALS
HBO has made plenty of great shows in the past. Band of Brothers and Game of Thrones are just two of the award-winning productions by the channel, and their latest experimentation with comedy, Vice Principals, follows suit as high-quality, thoughtful television. Set in small-town America, the show sees two high-school vice principals — the straight-laced, no-nonsense Neil Gamby and the simpering, sociopathic Lee Russell—trying to outdo each other in a bid to score the principal job when the current principal leaves. Their world is turned upside down when college professor Dr Belinda Brown is offered the role instead, and they’re compelled to join forces in an unholy alliance to see her go.
Genre: Comedy What it’s about: Two high-school vice principals who loathe each other are thrust together when a job they both covet is given to someone else Run Time: 30 minutes Starring: Danny McBride, Walton Goggins, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Georgia King, Sheaun McKinney, Busy Philipps, Shea Whigham IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
3. MODERN FAMILY
ABC’s award-winning comedy about an extended California family whose members very much reflect the times we live in, is back with its 8th season, and if previous seasons are anything to go by, we should be in for a lot more chortles and chuckles. Jay Pritchett is the patriarch of a family that includes his two children, Mitchell and Claire, his new Colombian wife and her two sons, and the extended families. With so many different personalities in the mix, things are bound to get a bit out of hand with misunderstandings galore, all of which are fodder for often poignant comedy in the show. The characters are able to take liberties with each other because they are family who will always be there for each other.
Genre: Comedy What it’s about: Three families get into their own (and each other’s) problems in an attempt to solve them, usually with disastrous results Run Time: 30 minutes Starring: Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Rico Rodriguez, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Nolan Gould, Ariel Winter IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
4. THE SIMPSONS
America’s favourite TV family is back on screens this October. Now in its 28th season, The Simpsons show is still as popular as it was when it began 1989. Homer, Marge, Maggie, Bart, and Lisa are back to entertain us with light social commentary for yet another season, and they’ve lost none of the humour that endeared them in the first place. Homer and Bart’s slapstick physical comedy as they try to get out of doing even the simplest of tasks with elaborately planned escapades contrast brilliantly with Lisa’s bitter intellectual sarcasm and Marge’s frustrated resignation towards her husband’s and children’s antics. The Simpsons is now one of the world’s longest-running TV shows, well worth watching to see if the show can continue to be relevant, funny, and downright addictive.
Genre: Animation What it’s about: A brilliant satire based on the lives of an everyday working-class family that also pokes fun at current world affairs in a tongue-in-cheek manner Run Time: 30 minutes Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Harry Shearer, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Pamela Hayden IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
