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Avenue 5 |OT| New HBO sci-fi comedy from Armando Ianucci

DBT85

DBT85

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Oct 26, 2017
16,281
Spectromixer said:


renewed
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While I generally expected them to do this just because of whos involved, I am still a little surprised.

Ep 4 was ok, I laughed. I felt it helped having less of the moron passenger services guy who seems to just take me out of every scene he's in. Everyone else I can actually believe. Even Judd.
 

Deleted member 21709

User requested account closure
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Oct 28, 2017
23,310
I haven't seen Ep 4 yet, but during Ep 3 I started to like the show a lot more. The first two episodes were tough.
 
DBT85

DBT85

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Oct 26, 2017
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RatskyWatsky said:
He's easily the worst character.
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He just doesn't fit.

As i said, i can believe that Judd somehow has billions and is as thick as fuck.
I can believe that the captain is just a guy called in to look pretty and sound like he knows what he's talking about.
I can believe that there is actually a team of people that are unseen who do the real work.
I can believe there is a loudmouth passenger who daren't not swear but wants to poke her nose into everything.

Judd is a moron, but the people under him made sensible choices for a variety of reasons that Judd is blissfully unaware of. Except that guy. He stands out like a sore thumb.
 
Book One

Book One

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Oct 25, 2017
4,821
There are bits and pieces here, so I'm not unhappy that ianucci will get a chance to put it together.
 
Dice

Dice

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,329
Canada
...I mean, BoJack and Parks and Rec are two of a few favourites of mine and both needed that second season to find their footing.

Maybe this'll be the same. (And boy do I want it to work)
 
Messofanego

Messofanego

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,178
UK
Me and my wife have watched through to episode 4, and now enjoying it. Billie is fun.

"Your pregnant pause is in third trimester" had me dying. I wonder if Zach Woods improvised that.
 
Peek-a-boo!

Peek-a-boo!

Member
Oct 30, 2017
4,196
Woodbridge
I am a big Armando fan, and I absolutely love the following:
  • I'm Alan Partridge
  • The Thick of It
  • Veep

As well as his impressive films:
  • In the Loop
  • Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
  • The Death of Stalin

I even went to see 'The Personal History of David Copperfield' at my local independent cinema a few weeks ago, and it is currently my favourite film of the year!

But this?

Avenue 5?

I really don't enjoy it — barely chuckled let alone laughed during the first three episodes, and I had to force myself to begin watching the third episode, which I have never done for any of Armando's filmography.

All I can say is that I really hope it's one of those series whereby the first season is of a profound inconsistent quality, only for the second season to be a surprisingly superb follow up, because the way things are going, I am genuinely surprised a second season has been renewed...
 
Arkestry

Arkestry

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,920
London
It seems incredible that an episode where a major plot point was a comedian being terrible is the least funny of the whole season so far. It's just interminable at this point. I think I'm done, I just can't see this getting any better.
 

DickGrayson

Alt Account
Member
Jan 30, 2020
941
Finished episode 3, I think I'm giving up. There are really great pieces of a puzzle that aren't coming together because so many many things. Mostly though I just hate the "everyone is stupid and an asshole" style of comedy. What a waste of a fantastic premise.
 
Porco Rosso

Porco Rosso

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,218
Canada
I'm enjoying this show. Not a masterpiece, but it's entertaining enough and has all the pieces there to grow into something great. I'll stick around.
 
metsallica

metsallica

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Oct 27, 2017
11,710
If this show gets a second season, which it shouldn't, is it too much to ask that it both be completely recast and have a new writers room? Thanks.
 

Deleted member 58401

User requested account closure
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Jul 7, 2019
895
This show is pretty bad. I'm still watching, but it's weird that I'm now waiting until the sixth episode to hopefully laugh. How did it go so wrong?
 
metsallica

metsallica

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Oct 27, 2017
11,710
gorkvondonsler said:
This show is pretty bad. I'm still watching, but it's weird that I'm now waiting until the sixth episode to hopefully laugh. How did it go so wrong?
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It's like rubbernecking at a car wreck. You know you shouldn't but you simply can't help yourself. While watching I think of the pedigree of the network (which isn't to say everything HBO is gold, but it's almost all better than this), I think of all the amazing Iannucci stuff I've seen before, and I think at some point this show has to reveal what somebody saw in it. Right? This has to be more than just a vanity project. Doesn't it?
 

Deleted member 13798

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
12,374
metsallica said:
It's like rubbernecking at a car wreck. You know you shouldn't but you simply can't help yourself. While watching I think of the pedigree of the network (which isn't to say everything HBO is gold, but it's almost all better than this), I think of all the amazing Iannucci stuff I've seen before, and I think at some point this show has to reveal what somebody saw in it. Right? This has to be more than just a vanity project. Doesn't it?
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Everybody has a misfire at some point.

Conceptually I see the appeal, but after watching three episodes I don't really think there's much to recommend. It feels very directionless, ironically.

There's occasional funny ideas, like the orbiting coffin, but I think they're meant to be guffaw laughs in how they're presented instead of it being more of a dark dry humor. The tone feels unclear and so the humor doesn't really land in any consistent way.
 
a916

a916

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,837
This show is a rough watch so far... bits and pieces are interesting or fun... but they're far and few in between for me. There's also a cliche'd moment where they think everything is finally getting better only for that music to hit and something bad to happen. It's kind of missing it's charm/hook.

None of the characters are really enjoyable just yet.
 
Catdaddy

Catdaddy

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Oct 27, 2017
1,963
TN
That last episode - oof.. I don't think I laughed once, close to bailing on this show but will stick it out....if it were longer than 30 minutes would be done...
 
Hellers

Hellers

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Oct 27, 2017
1,382
I'm really enjoying myself. The episodes feel like they're getting better each week as the show finds a groove. I love that they keep adding horrible things to orbit the ship. It feels like a very British comedy to me.
 
Enduin

Enduin

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Oct 25, 2017
11,486
New York
I don't really like this show as much as I want to like it. The characters are all pretty weak and unlikable, and without the quick wit and snappy dialogue of Veep.

I actually like Zach Woods' character the most cause he's actually funny and kind of unexpected. I really hate Josh Glad as is and Judd is even more annoying. Billie and the Captain work well together and kind of enough to kind of keep watching, but all of the passengers are just so annoying and a waste of space.
 
Luckett_X

Luckett_X

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,409
Leeds, UK
Watched the first episode of this and it was like pulling teeth. Terrible. Seems like its too high concept for its own good and too many characters out of control unlikeable idiocy stretches the suspension of disbelief and snaps it in half.

I am also one of the rare ones though that didn't like Veep too much because it felt like Armando chucked away the understated balance of his comedy and veered into the american style of every character mugging the camera for the best witty retorts. And that seems to have multiplied exponentially and resulted in this abomination.
 
DBT85

DBT85

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Oct 26, 2017
16,281
The latest ep was the best yet and got a few big laughs from me.

Always until the passenger liason appeared.
 
Darkmaigle

Darkmaigle

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Oct 25, 2017
10,522
Show is fine I guess, worse ways to spend my time. The big problem is that it should be better, with this cast and this set up this should be a home run. It's just....not, shame.

Billie fine as hell tho
 

knuckles

Member
Oct 29, 2017
849
I like this show more than most, but episode 5 was by far the worst by an order of magnitude.

I thought it had been improving every episode until now too.

Just unfunny and painfully boring.
 
Chitown B

Chitown B

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Nov 15, 2017
9,608
I'm starting ep 4. I may quit after this one. Which sucks because I like the actors and I loved Veep.
 
DrEvil

DrEvil

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Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,647
Canada
This show is bad.

I wanted to like it. I wanted to have hope it would get better. But somehow a fairly great group of comedians have managed to make a really, really bad product.

I don't see how this lasts beyond this season.... like. It's renewed. But what the hell can they do. They've already started going in circles only six eps in.
 
RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

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Oct 25, 2017
14,931
k the baby name part was actually pretty funny

Caden 🤣

Edit: The radiologist joke as well. The rest of the episode was still pretty bad though.
 
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Arkestry

Arkestry

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Oct 26, 2017
3,920
London
I think the major issue I have with this show is that I can't really figure out what they're trying to use as the source of the comedy. You'd think the easy target would be corporate malfesance and ineptitude, but that is only ever used for a few throwaway jokes. Most of the 'comedy' in the show is from these really dire characters who aren't entertaining, as well as the non-sensical issues with the ship, all of which make no sense from a design standpoint.

The latest episode being no exception to this, at least half way through. At this point I'm watching out of morbid curiosity, trying to figure out how so many talented people can make something so aggressively mediocre. It's kind of fascinating.
 
Arkestry

Arkestry

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Oct 26, 2017
3,920
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I feel like a much better idea for this would be for it to actually have more of a Lord of the Flies feel. Everything starts off cordial and pleasant, and then slowly descends into insanity as the time goes by, and the idea of getting back moves further and further from everyone's minds. I'm reminded of that Day Today bit where a commuter train gets stranded in the countryside and each carriage becomes a different tribe. That would be far more interesting than... whatever this is.
 
DBT85

DBT85

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Oct 26, 2017
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The ep with the beeping ship could have been so much better. I've added the woman who's running Judd on earth to the "the character doesn't belong in this role" pile along with the passenger liason guy.

Also neelix. Go away neelix.

Numbers for this next year are going to be shite after this season.
 
Jam

Jam

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,051
Seriously disappointed with Ianucci and the cast.

It's not insulting bad, it's just dull and meandering. Won't return for a second season unless it gets incredible word of mouth reviews of improvement.

It's watchable but in today's landscape of infinite content there's just so much more better to watch.
 
SpitfireKit

SpitfireKit

Member
Oct 27, 2017
541
As much as I love Gregory House, this show straight up sucks.
I've struggled through the episodes, but I'm done.
Not to mention I dislike Unfunny Jack Black Jr (Josh Gad) and awkward Office guy.
There are so many unlikable characters that it makes it a rough watch.
 
Era of not Yakuza

Era of not Yakuza

Banned
Dec 4, 2017
11,481
Brazil
The couple always arguing and this guy, they aren't even funny, it's just offensive for the sake of being offensive. I hope they fix this in the next season



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hordak

hordak

Member
Oct 31, 2017
2,540
Anaheim, CA
every character is annoying. the writing is not that good. Luckily there's only two more episodes this season.

Zach Wood's character makes no sense. He would have been fired a long time agooooo.
 
KingKong

KingKong

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,503
the show must be growing on me because the last episode was pretty good. they're definitely settling into their characters more and playing off each other
 
Drowner

Drowner

Banned
May 20, 2019
608
Zach Woods is so funny in this show. He played very similar characters in The Office and Silicon Valley and it's great seeing him as a different one and nailing it
 
Dache

Dache

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,130
UK
Very glad I ended up watching this after all the initial impressions on the first page. It's a good show, it's just not very US-friendly. It feels like a very low-key, very British comedy with a US budget and production values, and therefore feels a bit weird and out of place compared to every other HBO comedy, but my partner and I are solidly enjoying every episode so far. Surprised it's got a second season based on its reception but I ain't complaining.
 
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