Ten and two ... whoo-hoo!

March 24, 2008 11:55 AM

Live from her minivan, it’s The Jeannie Tate Show! Everyone’s favorite soccer mom runs errands around town with the help of special guests like Bill Hader (SNL), Rashida Jones (The Office), Lonny Ross (30 Rock), and Rob Riggle (The Daily Show). Of course, she’s willing to leave the van behind to visit her heroines, Hillary and Oprah.

The show was independently produced by the lovely Maggie Carey and Second City/SNL vet Liz Cackowski before being picked up by Warner Brothers.

Some say Jeannie’s shoot first, market later webisode approach is the future of entertainment. But it hasn’t worked out for everyone so far.

posted by the littlest brussels sprout (13 comments total)

Can I just say that the Bill Hader episode is absolutely my favorite? I've watched it about ten times (so far). I think I may have a problem.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 11:58 AM on March 24, 2008

Actually laughed out loud several times watching the Bill Hader episode. Thumbs up.
posted by davebush at 12:13 PM on March 24, 2008

Is she from UCB? I recognize Aubrey, the actress who plays the daughter.
posted by cazoo at 12:47 PM on March 24, 2008

That was pretty good, thanks.
posted by nitsuj at 1:08 PM on March 24, 2008

Wow, that's really funny.
posted by delmoi at 1:11 PM on March 24, 2008

"I childproofed the house... but they still get in!"

That's a winner right there. The rest of it could be as dull as wonderbread, and I wouldn't care. That one line had me hitting pause so I could stop laughing. Way to go with the debut FPP.
posted by not_on_display at 1:24 PM on March 24, 2008

Delightful. I saw the Bill Hader one a long time ago but never remembered to check for new ones, so thanks for the post.
posted by tepidmonkey at 2:22 PM on March 24, 2008

I don't even like Bill Hader, and I snorted many time. Excellent!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 2:27 PM on March 24, 2008

The acting was excellent-- the lead is very believable as some soul-less creature from the suburbs. That said:

1. I'm not suprised that there are SNL people involved because there's no lazier way to write sketch comedy than to frame your skit as a TV show.
2. The ending accentuates the laziness. My first thought was that the writers were trying to hit me over the head with the "her life sucks and the cheerfulness is just a veneer" by having her husband caught flagrantly cheating in the parking lot of a store that she obviously patronizes regularly, but I think really they just couldn't figure out how to end it.
3. I'm not surprised that there's someone from the American version of The Office involved, because that show excels at presenting a fixed filming scenario and ignoring it-- how can I believe it's a documentary when there are four different shots in a conversation and how can I believe it's a candid show shot with stationary cameras in a minivan when there are exterior shots?

Too bad because as I said, the acting was excellent.
posted by Mayor Curley at 2:29 PM on March 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

For chrissakes Curley, is there any joy in your world?
posted by bondcliff at 4:47 PM on March 24, 2008

cazoo: Yes, Aubrey Plaza is with UCB in New York.

Mayor Curley: My one requirement of comedy is that it be funny. As long as it's funny, I really don't care about stuff like the believability of a particular camera angle. Logistical absurdity often enhances the experience -- at least for me.

Can you cite some examples of work that you think are not "lazy"? I'm curious.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 5:47 PM on March 24, 2008

Wow, Jeannie's great. Stickerbook (in the Bill Hader clip) played at UCB tonight and I forgot all about it. The Paul Rudd "Pickup Artist" that is mentioned in the "shoot first, market later" clip is also pretty funny.

The YouTube series nominees are here.
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:38 PM on March 24, 2008

For chrissakes Curley, is there any joy in your world?

Yeah. I like lots of stuff. Even some sketch comedy. But this is lazy.

Mayor Curley: My one requirement of comedy is that it be funny. As long as it's funny, I really don't care about stuff like the believability of a particular camera angle. Logistical absurdity often enhances the experience -- at least for me.

For me, it's irritating. If you're going to give me a premise, confine yourself to it. Otherwise, why bother?

Can you cite some examples of work that you think are not "lazy"? I'm curious.

I think even the best sketch comedy is occasionally lazy (Flying Circus, Mr. Show)-- but if you're only offering one recurring skit, you should try to avoid sketch comedy cliches, at least in the first episode.
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:25 AM on March 25, 2008