Bored To Death

2 0 0 9 – 2 0 1 1 (USA)
24 x 30 minute episodes

Created by author Jonathan Ames, this HBO neo-noir comedy-drama followed a fictionalised version of Ames (Jason Schwartzman), a struggling, neurotic Brooklyn-based novelist and magazine writer.

Drinking heavily and nursing a broken heart after his girlfriend dumps him, Jonathan finds himself paralysed by writer’s block.

Inspired by reading Raymond Chandler’s detective novels, he impulsively posts an ad on Craigslist offering his services as an unlicensed private investigator – despite having no training or experience.

Using classic film noir tropes, he begins taking on incredibly strange, low-stakes cases that frequently escalate into chaotic, drug-fueled misadventures, dragging his eccentric friends into danger.

Jonathan’s best friend, Ray (Zach Galifianakis), is a comic-book artist who draws a comic book featuring his own alter ego (a character that is imbued with superpowers when his penis hits the third rail in the New York subway), and who feels stifled by his relationship.

He finds a thrilling escape by serving as Jonathan’s reluctant detective sidekick.

Jonathan’s wealthy, hedonistic, and eccentric mentor. George Christopher (Ted Danson) is the editor-in-chief of a (fictional) high-end New York magazine called Edition. He has plenty of disposable income, loves marijuana, and constantly tags along on cases to escape his corporate boredom.

Even though George is a privileged, wealthy, old white man who has to ask, “What’s a Subaru?”, the way he’s played by Danson makes him impossible to hate.

Ray’s long-suffering, organic-loving girlfriend Leah (Heather Burns) frequently grows tired of Ray and Jonathan’s childish antics.

Despite strong critical acclaim and a fiercely loyal fan base, HBO cancelled the series after its third season due to low viewership ratings.