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September 21, 2009

HBO Does Fort Greene

Did anyone watch "Bored to Death" last night? The Local's Andy Newman ran an interview with the show's writer and main character, Jonathan Ames, last week about the process of representing/misrepresenting Brooklyn on international television. Newman and Ames, who live in Park Slope and Boerum Hill respectively, talk about how the show takes place in Fort Greene even though Ames never lived there (the central character lives on South Portland), how the trailer showed only white people despite Fort Greene's diversity, and Ames' predilection for the ladies who frequent Smooch Cafe. The interview was light-hearted and full of banter, but some of the topics covered are hot-button issues for Brooklynites. Did anyone see the first episode? How did HBO's Fort Greene compare to the real thing?
Bored to Death [Official site]
A Sense of (Semi-fictionalized) Place [The Local, NYT]

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This show is great - I watched the first episode and assumed the main character lives in Park Slope because it shows him waiting on the F train platform a few times and taking the F train

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 10:18 AM

" Bored to Death"

That would be the most fitting 3 word review of that show.

Dreck.

Posted by: Prodigal_Son at September 21, 2009 10:20 AM

I thought the show was really funny, but I didn't think it felt "Brooklyn" as much as "Hipster-Town, USA." Could have taken place in Portland, Austin, etc, etc.

Posted by: Rookie at September 21, 2009 10:21 AM

does anyone really watch TV anymore?
and who would be foolish enough to pay extra for HBO?

Posted by: Petebklyn at September 21, 2009 10:25 AM

do scripted tv shows ever really portray reality? no.

perhaps the flintstones and the jetsons, but that's about it.

*roB*

Posted by: Butterfly at September 21, 2009 10:25 AM

I would like to see this show, but I don't have HBO.

Jonathan Ames is the classic "writer" type: he is very interesting, perceptive, maddening, and cliched.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 21, 2009 10:25 AM

"and who would be foolish enough to pay extra for HBO?"

Me - that extra 20 bucks a month keeps safe and at home at least one night per week (Sunday)

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 10:27 AM

As a fan of Mr Ames for many years, I found it difficult to watch someone on the screen with his name trying to be him albeit in a much subdued persona. Granted I cannot imagine anyone actually acurately replicating Mr Ames behavior anyway.

Posted by: heyelke at September 21, 2009 10:32 AM

"does anyone really watch TV anymore?
and who would be foolish enough to pay extra for HBO?"

I love when people make these broad generalizations that are both infantile and meant to show their eliteness. Sad

Posted by: doldrums at September 21, 2009 10:34 AM

20 bucks/month for:
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Big Love
Bored To Death
True Blood
Flight Of The Conchords
Grey Gardens
Into The Storm
The Wire (until this year)
Sopranos (obviously not anymore)
great Documentaries

I would call that a pretty good deal. In fact, I would say it's 90% of my non-sports tv viewing (and if they hadn't passed on Mad Men, it would be my only channel outside of Top Chef)

Posted by: Rookie at September 21, 2009 10:34 AM

Zach Galifianakis is really getting around nowadays.

Posted by: dittoburg at September 21, 2009 10:35 AM

Yeah, clearly the good arty writing is in premium Tv now...not in books so much anymore.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 21, 2009 10:36 AM

Ditto what Rookie said for $20/month. Thought the first episode was great. I watched a special about the show, in which the creator said that, even though they're filming in Brooklyn, they're not going to be hyper rigid about authenticity vis-a-vis neighborhoods, e.g., having Fort Greene stand in for Boerum Hill.

Posted by: His_Evil_Twin_Skippy at September 21, 2009 10:43 AM

Oh god _ i forgot about Flight of the Conchords - when does that start back up!??!

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 10:44 AM

somehow I can't imagine your cable TV/HBO is $20 a month.
I may be elite but no elitist. Am not pretending to be reading the best books or any books for that matter.
Just saying computers have now become big source of entertainment.....
And besides from Judge Judy...anything else seems so stupid.
Last thing I tried to watch (from DVD rental) was some prison thing (either from an HBO or showtime series)...and after 3 episodes couldn't take it anymore.

Posted by: Petebklyn at September 21, 2009 10:44 AM

personally i find scripted cable shows very blah. scripted tv in general is not my cup of tv, except for Hannah Montana of course. :) but that show is life imitating reality or something like that anyway so maybe it deosn't count?

besides, everything eventually comes out on dvd box sets so if you wait a few months you can just buy it on dvd and not have to pay for cable. we have cable, but not the premium channels. unless you really watch a lot of premium tv it's not worth the cost.

also, im not sure if anyone knows, but if you plan to stay at your residence for more than 2 years you can call the cable company right now and get a big discount on your bill.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at September 21, 2009 10:45 AM

The show was pretty painful to watch, due to an overwhelming amount of cliches - real ones, as well as some invented ones. How's this barely employed guy able to pay his rent again? I'll probably never find out.

Look! A thousand strollers by the coffee shop! Hardy-har-har.

Posted by: heck_of_a_job_brownie at September 21, 2009 10:47 AM

"How's this barely employed guy able to pay his rent again? I'll probably never find out.

Look! A thousand strollers by the coffee shop! Hardy-har-har."

Not everyone around the country is as Brooklyn savvy as us. Most people still associate Brooklyn being cheaper vs Manhattan and are probably not aware of the 'stroller mafia' in Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 10:55 AM

The Flight of the Conchords pffft...

Mighty Boosh!

Posted by: eh at September 21, 2009 10:56 AM

"besides, everything eventually comes out on dvd box sets so if you wait a few months you can just buy it on dvd and not have to pay for cable."

My brother said that. Or you can rent them from Netflix. I want to see The Wire.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 21, 2009 10:57 AM

"Stroller mafia" is total Bravo Sierra.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 21, 2009 11:01 AM

Jonathan did live in Clinton Hill at one time - I was his landlord.

Posted by: timber at September 21, 2009 11:14 AM

> I want to see The Wire.

First season of The Wire was great. The second season in somewhere on the Netflix queue.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at September 21, 2009 11:59 AM

I still don't have reception after digital switch. Will Hulu have Big Bang & 2.5 Men?

Posted by: Arkady at September 21, 2009 12:02 PM

rookie--you have totally described my tv watching as well. Just about all of my non-sports viewing is on HBO. My question would be, why would anyone bother paying for cable and NOT adding HBO?

Posted by: wasder at September 21, 2009 12:08 PM

"they're not going to be hyper rigid about authenticity"

Particularly accurate considering the trailer features no people of color in a show about that's obstensibly about Fort Greene.

Posted by: East New York at September 21, 2009 12:27 PM

right now, there's some of the best TV ever made showing.
much is better than films. this isn't my point of view or anything, it's discussed constantly by the media.

dismissing it is curious.

Posted by: wine lover at September 21, 2009 12:38 PM

Yeah the only White People live in Ft Greene / Park Slope thing is going to have to be adddressed pronto - its maddening. I understand how the character can have only White friends but when location shots show an all-White Brooklyn - that's unnerving.

Posted by: crazypants at September 21, 2009 12:40 PM

I thought the show was refreshing and funny. I wouldn't have guessed it was Fort Greene. I thought it was more Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens.

Posted by: Stuart at September 21, 2009 1:08 PM

Really? The majority of the episode was filmed in Manhattan. Only 3 scenes in Brooklyn in this go. The opening scene with his girlfriend moving out. He lives above a black family. Then he goes to Smooch and has coffee with his friend. Ever been to Smooch? the demographic portrayed for that store was accurate the first time around, and comedic the next. BTW look behind the strollers and find a totally mixed crowd of mom's and nannies.

Next time watch the show in it's entirety before making the typical (that's not real) comments.

Posted by: ReMiXxd at September 21, 2009 1:51 PM

I watched it and was sorely disappointed. I also thought it was Park Slope, not Fort Greene, but whatever. The show just tries way too hard. All the gratuitous cultural references grated on me. Someone already mentioned the strollers at the cafe (which made me think Park Slope), but also the iPhone, Craigslist, the self-hating Jew reference, the slacker friend who doesn't want a regularly paying job, etc. Very contrived.

It was trying to hard to be clever and it felt empty. Even Jason Schwartzman who I loved in Rushmore didn't do anything for me. Why is this Brooklyn hipster type interesting anyway? The show certainly doesn't answer it.

Posted by: grilledsardine at September 21, 2009 2:10 PM

thank you Remix, especially since crazypants obviously didnt watch the episode. I hate people who comment without knowing the facts. Oh well everybody has their own reason for posting.

Posted by: doldrums at September 21, 2009 2:34 PM

God - you guys sure are fussy! To all the haters: What do you watch on TV that is sooo much better than this?

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 2:59 PM

Dirty hipster,

it has nothing to do with being fussy. i like to watch what i like to watch. i'm just saying why i didn't like it. it's not like i'm looking for all the continuity goofs or something.

Posted by: grilledsardine at September 21, 2009 3:09 PM

Sardine - That was a serious question. Anything better than this show, with the same kind of humor that you prefer?

I can't help it that I'm so easily amused.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 3:25 PM

I was excited to hear about the show initially but then, when it became clear Fort Greene wouldn't not get much name-placement...well, you know...the shine sort of wore off.

;-)

By the way, I didn't watch it. I am concerned about the representations of the neighborhood I'm reading in people's comments above. H'mm...

Posted by: BrooklynGreene at September 21, 2009 3:32 PM

Ted Danson was fun to watch ... rest of it? I will give it another chance.

Posted by: BH76 at September 21, 2009 3:45 PM

"By the way, I didn't watch it. I am concerned about the representations of the neighborhood I'm reading in people's comments above. H'mm..."

There's no representation of any neighborhoods. They don't mention any by name - even if they are shot in a particular locale.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 3:48 PM

I get not wanting to be rigid about neighborhoods, but having a character get off the F train and be in Fort Greene is just sloppy; it's not as if millions of people won't notice, right? It's like Cher walking around the corner from her Cobble Hill apartment in "Moonstruck" and ending up next to the Promenade. Surely no one in Hollywood would put a driver on the 101 going north from Los Angeles and ending up in San Diego, would they?

Posted by: Park Sloper at September 21, 2009 4:24 PM

"Surely no one in Hollywood would put a driver on the 101 going north from Los Angeles and ending up in San Diego, would they?"

I always wondered where the creative line was for stuff like that. How local should you get, versus how to maintain the real appeal? It is very, very hard to recall how New york seemed to you once you've been living here for a while. for natives, they have no idea how the rest of the country views them.

I will venture to guess that most Austin or Portlandites who are indie-leaning or slightly boho in that old familiar way don't know much of the vagaries of where the F train runs through Fort Greene or not.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 21, 2009 4:41 PM

I give them a pass on the location inconsistencies. I think TV/films create their own realities. If it's loosely based on a location and isn't entirely true, who cares? Cher's apartment in Moonstruck being that close to the Promenade had a charming effect.

The show doesn't really represent any neighborhoods, just an amorphous Brooklyn.

Dirty,

In terms of other shows with that type of humor, I guess I'd be hard pressed to find close matches, but I do like Curb Your Enthusiasm for laughs and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though not laugh out loud funny). I guess Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls are similar to Bored to Death in terms of offbeat comedy. I enjoyed both of those.

Posted by: grilledsardine at September 21, 2009 5:41 PM

Oh and Freaks and Geeks. How could I forget that one. Loved it.

Posted by: grilledsardine at September 21, 2009 5:46 PM

You Kids are apparently watching A LOT of TV! Ever heard of a book?

Posted by: BrooklynGreene at September 21, 2009 7:29 PM

@Park Sloper
I actually work in "The Business" and I'm also from LA originally, and I can guarantee you that this kind of continuity issue is even MORE common in LA. It's totally normal to see someone walking down the street in Vancouver, then turning the corner into downtown LA, then entering a store on the Paramount lot.

@WineLover. Right on sister! (Brother?) This is the golden age of TV - don't let anyone else tell you differently. I challenge anyone to go back and show me a year where more fantastic television was produced than any of the last five.

Posted by: Rookie at September 21, 2009 8:36 PM

whaaaaaaaatever. F / G / Q...who the fuck cares.

the show was OK...nothing great. but i guess this was the first episode? if so, give'em a sec to warm up. and two blocks from my place! weeeeee.

galifianakis is amazing. if you haven't seen him to acting training for children...or the infamous "vodka ad"...then do yourself a favor and watch.

and to all you people with no tv (i'm included). if you have more than 5 friends...you have access to a tv and a time/place to watch it. quit your whining.

cheers

Posted by: ftgreenepark at September 21, 2009 9:17 PM

i enjoyed it.

also why is no one peeved at the fact that hourly hotel rooms dont really exist anywhere downtown.

also why were there no Asians and Hispanics? bla bla bla.

Posted by: Santa at September 21, 2009 10:21 PM

« City Council Signs Off on Prospect Heights Landmarking Friends' Expansion Making Enemies on State? »

September 21, 2009

HBO Does Fort Greene

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