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Smart TV shows usually die even with a devoted following.
I’m thinking of “Arrested Development” type of TV shows
that assume that the audience doesn’t need an applause track,
dares to do something radically different within the format
and yet touch on the humanity of all those involved. A show
like “Seinfeld” or even “The Office” is rare than you think
and there are only so many brain cells it seems that the
audience can devote to intelligent comedy. ***
“Better Off Ted” airs on ABC lost at 9:30pm on Tuesday.
Those few folks that have followed this funny, terrific
show from the beginning are in for a treat but with only
3.8 million viewers following the show, it’s unlikely they’ll
be able to follow it for long. The series set in a large,
soulless corporation that creates scientific innovations
turned into marketable products for you and me(like the
many I’ve worked for in my day job where they treat people
as interchangeable cogs much as, for example, Sanofi-Aventis
Pharmaceuticals did recently in laying off 750 employees
over the Thanksgiving Holiday with nary a thought as to
the social responsibility that ALL corporations have to
insure the financial health of our society…no, CEO’s don’t
have a conscience they beat that out of most of them with
statistical baseball bats as they climb the corporate ladder
that prove that everything is just numbers not people).
The show follows department head Ted (Jay Harrington) and
his uptight boss Veronica (Portia de Rossi) at Veridian
Dynamics a R&D company developing everything from “bio-warfare”
pumpkins to leather chairs that will sent you in search
of the nearest chiropractor. “Better Off Ted” manages to
be a deft satire of the multi-national corporations that
we’ve handed over the bulk of the world’s business to without
asking for credentials. Seriously, there’s something to
be said for competition unfortunately the United States
and much of the rest of the world have been lulled to sleep
with the promise of big financial payouts to those who vote
for such mergers. “Better Off Ted” gives us the inside scoop
that points out that big corporations are the same as big
government but without a purpose. ---
Image & Sound:
“Ted” looks surprisingly good with a nice transfer.
Colors, clarity and detail are quite sharp in its presentation.
The show is primarily dialogue driven so don’t expect any
major use of the surround speakers throughout most of the
show and you won’t be disappointed. Sure, there is some
use for ambiance but on the whole this is front and center
speaker driven. ---
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