Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

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domino harvey
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Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#1 Post by domino harvey » Thu Jun 14, 2012 7:06 pm

After seeing it bandied about as an anti-Girls antidote, I watched the entire run thus far of Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 on Hulu and can agree with the sentiment. The series is basically a female-centered It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with lots of envelope-pushing nastiness and unsympathetic characters. Broadcasting standards really are reaching new lows when this show is on regular TV! The shockingly graphic masturbation jokes alone would have damned this material to an R-rating from the MPAA, yet it's a-ok for commercial broadcast? God bless America's rapidly unraveling moral fiber! But it's all pretty funny, with some great lines (I was won over in the second episode by "Why do you look like Indiana Jones when he's a professor?") and a capacity to shock without relying solely on audacity (unlike, say, Family Guy at its worst, or Sarah Silverman) to coast by. It's not a discovery on par with Happy Endings, but it is another amusing series to add to the wheelhouse next season.

Also, while I'm here, can anyone recommend any good series, under the radar or fabulously popular, to catch up with? This is going to be the Summer of TV! I'm already in the middle of Breaking Bad and have Big Love, Parenthood, Pretty Little Liars (Provisional-- I'm skeptical but it was recommended to me), and the final season of In Treatment sets in my small cache of non-storaged discs, but I'm open to suggestions, especially those I can stream on Hulu Plus or Netflix

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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Re: TV of 2012

#2 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:09 pm

domino harvey wrote:The series is basically a female-centered It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with lots of envelope-pushing nastiness and unsympathetic characters.
Just when I thought I had my crush on Krysten Ritter under control.

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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Re: TV of 2012

#3 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:53 pm

domino harvey wrote:Broadcasting standards really are reaching new lows when this show is on regular TV! The shockingly graphic masturbation jokes alone would have damned this material to an R-rating from the MPAA, yet it's a-ok for commercial broadcast? God bless America's rapidly unraveling moral fiber! But it's all pretty funny, with some great lines (I was won over in the second episode by "Why do you look like Indiana Jones when he's a professor?") and a capacity to shock without relying solely on audacity (unlike, say, Family Guy at its worst, or Sarah Silverman) to coast by.
Add me to the column of shocked because although the show is produced by Fox, it is broadcast by ABC! (Which I guess explains the censored Bitch of the title although I had hoped the practice was an allusion to my local newspaper's insistence on similar censorship of the Meredith Brooks song when it was a chart-topper way back when.) But as domino noted, the jokes and the resulting shock works really well. (Curiously, dry humping is instead called "dry rubbing" so moral fibre of some laughable sort remains on television, I guess.) Chloe - the child of Holly Golightly and the Devil, as per Ritter - is putting on a deliberate act of shock therapy for June so its organic delivery for the audience is assured by that alone. What makes it effective is Ritter's breezy delivery as well as her character's genuine wish to help June unwind and enjoy life. Dreama Walker's superb reaction shots are just icing on the cake. There are only seven episodes to catch on Hulu so consider it the best two hours you could spend today. The program lacks the misanthropic hilarity of It's Always Sunny, but it finds effectively funny ways to puncture or assuage the leads' vanities nonetheless. (No idea how it'll fit into the zeitgeist with Girls or even The New Girl, but it's quite promising on its own virtues so far.) The secret weapon of the show is Van Der Beek, however. A personified and self-reflexive running gag for the program's deliberately nineties-specific pop culture references (amongst these various gags see also Peri Gilpin for the groom's celebrity crush, Bowfinger is Chloe's dad's favorite movie, June's default to Alanis at the wedding, and guest turns from Dean Cain and Kevin Sorbo), the man really brings a lot to the show as Chloe's "straight gay BFF" and even carves out some nice subplots for himself with the lovely Ray Ford as Beeker's real (though paid as such) gay BFF. It's all very charming and consistently hilarious. (Ven Der Beek's fake commercial for an energy drink is a real treat.) The show revolves around Chloe and June, though, so to my relief the male cast is strictly supporting. It's a little difficult to see Ritter as just a horrendous bitch because the show calls attention to her failings, but more for laughs and plot development than disapproval. Chloe and June are just two repressed sides of each other - although thankfully Chloe is never dragged down to the conventional common sense that June is chained to as of now at least - so their scenes together are always great and display a lovely camaraderie. (Although it's kinda funny how the DP seems obsessed with finding the perfect shot to show off how tall Ritter is!) I've never heard of Nahnatchka Khan - she's the lead singer of Bat For Lashes, right? - but her show is a real winner.

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Mr Sausage
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Re: TV of 2012

#4 Post by Mr Sausage » Sun Jun 17, 2012 1:02 pm

Jean-Luc Garbo wrote:(Which I guess explains the censored Bitch of the title although I had hoped the practice was an allusion to my local newspaper's insistence on similar censorship of the Meredith Brooks song when it was a chart-topper way back when.)
I think the fact that 'B' rhymes with '3' is the actual reason they did that.

Every time I hear that title I think of this.

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mfunk9786
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Re: TV of 2012

#5 Post by mfunk9786 » Sun Jun 17, 2012 1:21 pm

Then they theoretically could've gone with "C---" and been even more edgy

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Murdoch
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Re: TV of 2012

#6 Post by Murdoch » Sun Jun 17, 2012 2:16 pm

I'm a big fan of Don't Trust... and think the show would really find its stride if it just eliminated the rather superfluous next-door neighbor who peers in through his window every so often to say an unfunny one-liner and disappears. Also, am I mistaken or did early promos have Brian Cranston in them?

edit: Apparently they did.

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Re: TV of 2012

#7 Post by swo17 » Sun Jun 17, 2012 2:49 pm

Jean-Luc Garbo wrote:I've never heard of Nahnatchka Khan - she's the lead singer of Bat For Lashes, right?
That's Natasha Khan.

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domino harvey
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Re: TV of 2012

#8 Post by domino harvey » Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:28 pm

swo17 wrote:
Jean-Luc Garbo wrote:I've never heard of Nahnatchka Khan - she's the lead singer of Bat For Lashes, right?
That's B-- For Lashes.
Fixed

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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Re: TV of 2012

#9 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:39 pm

swo17 wrote:
Jean-Luc Garbo wrote:I've never heard of Nahnatchka Khan - she's the lead singer of Bat For Lashes, right?
That's Natasha Khan.
I know all about her; I just thought it was funny.

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domino harvey
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Re: TV of 2012

#10 Post by domino harvey » Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:51 pm

Murdoch wrote:I'm a big fan of Don't Trust... and think the show would really find its stride if it just eliminated the rather superfluous next-door neighbor who peers in through his window every so often to say an unfunny one-liner and disappears.
He seemed really one-note at the start of the season, but I've liked how the series has gradually made him more and more outwardly "normal" while simultaneously more and more perverted behind closed doors. No idea how long such a limited run gag can work, but it's holding up fine so far

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Re: TV of 2012

#11 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:03 pm

domino harvey wrote:He seemed really one-note at the start of the season, but I've liked how the series has gradually made him more and more outwardly "normal" while simultaneously more and more perverted behind closed doors.
SpoilerShow
Doesn't everyone bathe in strawberry jam whilst talking to mom?
I think they'll have to use Eli for awhile until they figure out how to use Robin better as she and James are the other ones who know Chloe's history. They probably don't want to use James too much to fill in that back story so that leaves Eli whom Chloe tolerates and encourages to some degree. Incidentally, Khan worked on Malcolm In The Middle so that must be where she met Cranston.

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Andre Jurieu
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Re: TV of 2012

#12 Post by Andre Jurieu » Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:24 pm

domino harvey wrote:After seeing it bandied about as an anti-Girls antidote, I watched the entire run thus far of Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 on Hulu and can agree with the sentiment. The series is basically a female-centered It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with lots of envelope-pushing nastiness and unsympathetic characters... But it's all pretty funny, with some great lines (I was won over in the second episode by "Why do you look like Indiana Jones when he's a professor?") and a capacity to shock without relying solely on audacity (unlike, say, Family Guy at its worst, or Sarah Silverman) to coast by. It's not a discovery on par with Happy Endings, but it is another amusing series to add to the wheelhouse next season.
I gave the show a shot because of Khan's prior work and the fact that Ritter is always enjoyable, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how humorous the show is despite the insane "sit-com-my" set-up featured in the pilot. A few episodes in I realized its success is due to the fact that its premise is quite similar to Malcolm in the Middle, though with a more subdued and likeable lead. I'm hoping it does iron out some of its rougher patches next season, particularly the creepy-perv neighbour, who seems to have a limited shelf-life despite the attempts to normalize him. Plus, while I'm not sure Van Der Beek has improved much as an actor, I'm glad he's so willing to be self-deprecating for the sake of comedy. His dressing-room plot line was predictable, but was also hilarious and executed quite well.

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Murdoch
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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#13 Post by Murdoch » Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:55 am

As a fan of Dawson's Creek, Saved by the Bell, and Malcolm in the Middle when they aired I got a good kick out of the premiere. Loved the door slam cut to commercial after the Muniz cameo.

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#14 Post by Black Hat » Fri Oct 26, 2012 5:32 pm

I watched this the other night for the first time as I saw Krysten Ritter was in it, liked her from Breaking bad and the Starz show Gravity which I think nobody besides me ever saw but, I felt was quite good.

At first I thought Dawson was a guest star but, I eventually figured it out and thought wow this is interesting. The lead actress did nothing for me in that episode but, overall I was intrigued enough by the show to watch it again and perhaps catch the previous season on Hulu. I was also surprised that some of those jokes got by the censors. Then again I have a feeling nobody's watching this show so who cares.

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Andre Jurieu
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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#15 Post by Andre Jurieu » Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:55 am

I thought last night's episode was one of the show's strongest. Plus, they even dropped in a Happy Endings reference.

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#16 Post by tarpilot » Fri Nov 02, 2012 2:09 am

Black Hat wrote:I watched this the other night for the first time as I saw Krysten Ritter was in it, liked her from Breaking bad and the Starz show Gravity which I think nobody besides me ever saw but, I felt was quite good.
I loved Gravity! I thought If Lucy Fell was pretty terrible, but I've received recommendations for Schaeffer's Mind the Gap from a few trustworty sources. Have you seen any of his film work?

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#17 Post by Black Hat » Sun Nov 04, 2012 2:28 am

tarpilot wrote:
Black Hat wrote:I watched this the other night for the first time as I saw Krysten Ritter was in it, liked her from Breaking bad and the Starz show Gravity which I think nobody besides me ever saw but, I felt was quite good.
I loved Gravity! I thought If Lucy Fell was pretty terrible, but I've received recommendations for Schaeffer's Mind the Gap from a few trustworty sources. Have you seen any of his film work?
I have seen Mind The Gap but, I never even thought to look up the other work from the creators of Gravity so until you mentioned it I had no idea. Was a good film, enjoyed it quite a bit. I've also seen Fall (had a big thing for Amanda De Cadenet growing up) which outside of her I barely remember so take that for what it's worth.

Gravity was a really good show. The choices they made were unlike anything I've ever seen on television. Show had huge potential, shame it didn't get a chance to reach it.

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#18 Post by neal » Fri Nov 30, 2012 2:53 am

It made my day when I discovered that James Van Der Beek's "If I Were the Sexiest Man Alive" spread, complete with photos of him riding a horse wearing nothing but an unbuttoned dress shirt, was actually in the People's Sexiest Man Alive issue. (a photo here)


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Andre Jurieu
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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#20 Post by Andre Jurieu » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:23 pm

That ended fast. Apparently the new thinking over at ABC is: new episodes not to air at all.
Someday we'll tell your grand-children there was once a half-hour comedy that starred Krysten Ritter, JVDB, and Eric Andre.

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The Narrator Returns
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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#21 Post by The Narrator Returns » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:27 pm

Still, this is only a little bit worse than airing episodes completely out of order, with early season one episodes randomly aired amongst season two ones where they don't make any sense, which is what ABC was doing previously.

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domino harvey
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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#22 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:28 pm

It's so sad that I've lowered my expectations to hoping that the complete series gets released to an actual DVD and not one of Amazon's CreateSpace DVD-Rs. It's a damn shame because the show got twice as funny in its second season (though half of the episodes are unaired leftovers from the previous season)-- the Thanksgiving episode was one of the most hilariously tasteless half-hours we're ever likely to see on network television

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#23 Post by Andre Jurieu » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:36 pm

The Narrator Returns wrote:Still, this is only a little bit worse than airing episodes completely out of order, with early season one episodes randomly aired amongst season two ones where they don't make any sense, which is what ABC was doing previously.
Well, I guess I would say it's a lot worse, but I agree that it was kind of ridiculous what ABC was doing to this show when it was on the air. I can't imagine how confusing it must have been for a new viewer to watch a Tuesday episode where June gets a job, then watch a Sunday episode where she was working at the coffee shop, then back on Wall St. on the following Tuesday. Of course, based on the ratings, I have a feeling there weren't that many new viewers around to even get confused.

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#24 Post by swo17 » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:46 pm

It would probably also help if the promos for the show were even a hundredth as funny as the show itself.

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Re: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23

#25 Post by Murdoch » Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:49 pm

Who knew this show would become one of my favorite sitcoms? The Thanksgiving episode was among the best episodes of any comedy I've seen, and whoever is in charge of the soundtrack used Fannypack's "Seven One Eight" to magnificent effect when June's workplace rival backs down. And I'll never forget JVB's Halloween e-vite.

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