A look at HBO's Family Tree | Schmoes Know?

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by Josh Macuga

Get Your Place In The Family Tree

I watch a lot of TV. I personally don?t think there?s anything wrong with that, but I?m sure my mother in the 5^th grade disagreed, hence the rigorous summer reading program. Seriously my Mom treated summer reading like NFL players treat their off season workout plans, arrests outside mini malls and club girl pregnancies. But that?s another story for another day. The reason I bring up my Mom and television is that I recently started watching HBO?s new show Family Tree starring the ever charming and average guy next door, Chris O?Dowd.

I have absolutely no idea where O?Dowd was before Bridesmaids, but he?s killing it right now. He?s got a face like that lonely dog in the neighborhood that everyone loves, which makes him just the right amount of attractive to be a loveable loser down on his luck searching for meaning. That was perfect casting by Christopher Guest.

Did the promo sell the show? No. Am I a HUGE Christopher Guest fan? Sure? I mean if I said no, the collective GASP in Schmoeville would be heard from that hot air balloon the dude in the RedBull suit jumped from. (Congrats on falling to earth bro, nice flat brimmed hat) I obviously can?t overlook what Christopher Guest did for the comedy community. He perfected and basically invented the Mockumentary genre and paved the road for The Office, Parks and Rec and Modern Family, for which John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer should sacrifice their first born to Guest.

What Christopher Guest has cleverly and intelligently done is make fun of Britain in his own weird way. He pokes fun at the absurdity that is the monopoly held by the BBC and invented characters that are all in their own ways very real and TOTALLY absurd. None more than his best friend Pete Stupples played brilliantly by, again nobody I?ve ever seen before, Tom Bennett.

This dude is the breakout star of the show and his name is Pete Stupples! Pete Stupples?! Pete friggin Stupples!! If my girlfriend cheated on me with a guy named Pete Stupples I?d throw myself into traffic. Pete Stupples works at a zoo shoveling sh*t, as is said in the show, however in reality I?m pretty sure Christopher Guest went to a zoo and saw a man with a name tag that read Pete Stupples and thought? ?it writes itself?.

The reason I was inspired to write this is because of the two episode rule. If you?re not familiar with the two episode rule it reads as such: if the show still blows after two episodes it?s gonna blow forever. There are always exceptions, but I?d give the two episode rule a solid 97% success rate. The pilot episode was a bit slow, but the 2^nd episode is good like an afternoon tea at a whore house and now I?m hooked. Looks like HBO did it again and Christopher Guest continues to hold court as King of the Weird. Even if you don?t like British comedy, which I do not, this show makes fun of British comedy while being a British comedy. Which is something very difficult to do and even harder to sell and lobby to British actors. I?d give the show thus far 4 out of 5 Schmoes? so there?s that?

Hugs and Fit Birds,

Josh Macuga ? follow Josh on twitter @joshmacuga

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