Yesterday, I wrote about new releases on DVD for the week. In my post, I wrote:

TV shows on DVD include Andy Richter Controls the Universe (I’m really excited for this one)…

Last night, I tried to watch Andy Richter Controls the Universe. Now, I’m usually pretty fond of Richter’s sense of humor. He’s gentler than most comedians of his generation, but he’s got a good grasp of the surreal. But I couldn’t get through a single episode of this TV show.

Everything was awful: The obnoxiously poppy interstitial guitar music, the Muppet Babies-meet-Ally McBeal style “Let’s imagine we’re not corporate drones!” premise, Richter’s acting. Everything was horrible and nothing was funny. It was embarrassing to watch, and I’m glad it was canceled. Please don’t waste your valuable money renting Andy Richter Controls the Universe. I’m sorry I publicly stated my desire to watch it.

23 replies on “I Apologize”

  2. Don’t feel too bad, Paul. About 2 years ago I bought the complete Ben Stiller Show DVD. Totally stoked. I remember watching in the heart of my Gen X early 20’s and Oh. My. God. it did not translate well to the new millennium.

  3. I don’t know what you are talking about. I loved Andy Richter Controls The Universe. Did you get to the episode where he dates the beautiful bigot? I think that is episode 6 or 8.

  4. @2 zoroastronomer –
    I did the same thing. The Ben Stiller show was awesome in my youth, was awesome in my memory, but grew cancerous suckage tumors in the present. How did that HAPPEN? How can I get my money back?

  5. His more recent show was loads better.

    And the Ben Stiller Show was mediocre with bits of brilliance courtesy of Janene, Bob, & David. Better to just watch Mr. Show.

  7. I hate it too.

    I’m not really sure why, but there it is.

    For some reason my son loves it, but he also likes crappy shows like Jackass that I despise.

  8. The next time you write a post about how awful a TV show is, it might help to support your point if you didn’t also include a clip from the show that was laugh out loud funny.

  9. The secret to watching shows cancelled at a young age is listening to the commentary track(s). For example – on ACTION – where you get the various travails of the show narrated by a good portion of the writing staff – the entirety of whom were in rehab during the show.

    Awesome.

    Even shows like DARK ANGEL have great stuff in the commentaries.

  11. Actually I thought it was a pretty good illustration of Paul’s position. 37 seconds that were supposed to be funny, 3 seconds that were (“I’m sorry, when Hitler comes”). Not a promising enough ratio to make me watch a whole episode. I do like the crazy-eyed shlub at the end, though. Where else have I seen him?

  16. I only ever saw one show, but that show had one of the funniest moments I ever saw on TV. It was the show where Andy was telling the group how he expected to die (breathtakingly imaginative in it’s gruesomeness) and the completely opposite way that he predicted the handsome news anchor was going to die. It’s near the beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSB5NM3rW…

  17. I hadn’t really noticed this before, but now that I think about it…everything that you like seems to be awful and everything you dislike seems to be wonderful.

    “ARCtU” is wonderful and I’m thrilled to finally own a non-bootleg copy of it.

    The worrisome thing about realizing that our tastes are diametrically opposed is that, according to these comments, I’m basically agreeing with someone posting under the name “taint”.

  18. @17: If you really feel the opposite about everything I post, I feel as though we should warn each other in advance about things because we have the ideal critic/reader relationship. I just watched In Bruges on video. I loved it! Never, ever watch it.

    And @taint: If you couldn’t get through any of the paragraphs in this post, you’re seriously lacking in some reading comprehension skills.

    Also: @ everyone else: I agree that the Hitler video wasn’t the ideal representative moment to put at the top of the post, but I couldn’t find a mediocre segment of the show on YouTube. There were only two that I could find, and the other one was ten minutes long. Sorry.

  19. I was thinking that same thing, Paul…that we could save each other so much time just letting each other know how to feel about something!

    You wouldn’t have to waste your time on any of the things I like…and I could skip the things that you enjoy.

    Books, for instance. You seem to like them. So, I can stop bothering with ’em. What’s the point, right?

    With our arrangement in mind, I guess I should tell you that I rather enjoy sex. In light of that…well, sucks to be you, I guess…but, at least you’ll still have your books, right?

    (…and thanks for the tip about “In Bruges”. Whew! Dodged a bullet there!)

  20. paul, you’re a fucking moron if you did not see the sarcasm in what i said. you condemned a whole series based on one episode you did not even watch fully. i even worded it exactly the same as you did! nice “reading comprehension” there, genius.

  21. WOAH PEOPLE. FIRST (Paul), Think of Showgirls. Showgirls IS NOT A GOOD MOVIE, unless you see it with David Schmader, then its the best movie.

    basically the problem is you and your stupid mindset. And the cool thing is that you are gonna keep aging until you don’t! So LATER when your mindset gets better you might get the luxury of seeing one of the best shows on television.

    But don’t see it if you have any poop-feelings about it, as you will simply ruin it. And yes, technically this argument says that the show is shitty because it can’t facilitate your mood for you and make you like it, like how the Jonas Bros do that to kids.

  22. Also buddy, I will watch some episodes with ya if you just don’t get it. My energy levels should excite anyone around me into also being excited.

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