The Top Five HBO Comedies!

Zach Galifianakis may be hot property after his recent reprisal of Alan in THE HANGOVER  sequel, but on June 20^th he joined indie actor Jason Schwartzman and the legendary Ted Danson as the first season of HBO’s latest comedy Bored To Death arrived on DVD. This great addition to HBO’s comedy stock has prompted us to look at some of the brilliant comedy Home Box Office has exported over the years.

5. Sex and the City (1998)

So far, Sex and the City made it through six seasons (totalling 94 episodes) and two movies since 1998. Set in the bustling city of New York, this show centres around 4 women living separately, but always together. This controversial show illustrates the lives of 4 powerful women in New York society, and the changing roles between men and women on the verge of the 21^st century. Each of the 4 women has vastly different personalities, but they all seem to click together perfectly, each relating to a specific type of audience member. Through their crazy appearances, weekly lunches and unusual mishaps, they tell the story of the New York City life in a new and witty manner.

 

4. Entourage (2004)

Entourage is a television show following around the young A-list star, Vincent Chase, and his friends from his childhood through the crazy streets of Los Angeles, California. This is primarily based on one of the executive producers, Mark Wahlberg’s, journey to becoming a film star. Through the connections within this “bromance” and real situations in L.A., this television series shows how they survive the industry, and usually stars at least two gust celebrities per episode.

This show has made it through seven seasons and is moving on with its eighth and final season, after which a film is planning on being made.

 

3. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996)

Everybody Loves Raymond was originally an American sitcom that started on the CBS network. The showed centred on real life stories from the lives of the actor Ray Romano, the co-writer and producer Phil Rosenthal, and some of the writing crew. In addition, many of the family members on the show are actually meant to be a resemblance of real family members in these people’s lives. Raymond is a sportswriter for a magazine and completely lacks all skills in real responsibility, simultaneously making jokes whenever and wherever he can. His wife, Debra is unhappy about the fact that Ray’s parents live across the street and usually drop by unexpectedly, which is a main focus of the show.

 

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)

This show has been airing for the past seven seasons, totalling 70 episodes. The eighth season has been approved and is ready to air in July of 2011. This show was created by the creator of Seinfeld, also a very successful show airing on HBO. The show features him, Larry David, as himself and follows his writing and producing life from Los Angeles to New York City. There are also many guest stars playing themselves throughout the episodes. Curb Your Enthusiasm takes a look into Larry David’s hectic life, and all of the annoying things that come along with it. With his not-so-quiet personality, he often expresses his opinions and lands himself in plenty of awkward situations.

 

1. Bored To Death (2010)

This quirky show follows Jewish New Yorker Jonathan Ames (Schwartzman) escaping from his post-break-up boredom by setting up as an amateur private detective. The ensuing scenarios provide as much hilarity as the interpersonal relationships between Ames, his best friend Ray (Galifianakis) and his editor George (Danson), a serial womanizer who extracts his own amusement from Ames’ antics. Bored To Death is written by Jonathan Ames, who himself is well-known for his New York Press column detailing amusing misadventures and a number of comics and novel, and can be called somewhat autobiographic (the writer and protagonist share more than just a name). Witnessing Ames’ attempts to overcome boredom with ‘wine, weed and women’ it’s a wonder he solves anything at all.

Bored To Death is available to buy on DVD from June 20^th.