Wednesday, December 17, 2008

ARTSO: Live Action Other Comedy

The Adventures of Pete and Pete
Watch This Opening

Visual: Mostly just clips from the show. It's kind of treated like a music video, though, which I guess is a little bit different. 8/15

Audio: The song doesn't really seem too memorable to me. It was fun, but I don't think I'll be singing it any time soon. 7/15

Mood: I think it fits pretty well. The show seems a little crazy. 5/5

Information: I like how they give character names instead of actors. So there are two guys named Pete, and one is much older than the other. The mother has a plate in her head. The father is bald, and Ellen is also there. I'm not sure if the band has anything to do with the show. 7/10

Want to Watch: Sure. I'll give it a try. 4/5

Overall: 31/50

All That
Watch This Opening

Visual: Kind of cool. I like the bouncing in front of a white background. It works really well. 12/15

Audio: "Oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh this is Aaaaalll That." 11/15

Mood: So this is supposed to be a hip show for the teenagers, right? 4/5

Information: Since this is a variety show, they can't really show that much in terms of plot. They introduce all the actors and that's all they need to do. 8/10

Want to Watch: There isn't a huge pull, but maybe. 4/5

Overall: 39/50

Batman
Watch This Opening

Visual: Very great. I like the cartoon style with the "Biff"s and "Pow"s the show is known for. It's incredibly loud in its colors. 12/15

Audio: "da na na na na na na na da na na na na na na na" I could just type that and many people would know what I was singing. That shows how iconic this song has become. 13/15

Mood: I. Can. Not. Stop. Laughing. 5/5

Information: It's a show about Batman. What else to you want. Batman and Robin go around "Biff"ing and "Pow"ing all the villians into submission. 8/10

Want to Watch: YES!. 5/5

Overall: 43/50

Beakmans World

Bill Nye the Science Guy
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Visual: A bunch of random images thrown together. While all the images have something to do with science, and at times it's interesting, it's not really that attractive. 8/15

Audio: "Bill Nye the Science Guy" "Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill" Come on sing it with me. If you're my age and have been through an American public school you either love or hate this song. 12/15

Mood: So this guy talks about science, but he does it in a goofier way than normal educational programming. 5/5

Information: There's this guy, Bill Nye, and he's going to explain scientific concepts in an interesting way. Apparently he tackles a different topic every episode. For example, this episode is going to be about Buoyancy. 9/10

Want to Watch: Probably one of the reasons that Bill beat out Beakman in the goofy scientist race is because Bill had better credits. 5/5

Overall: 39/50

Blue Collar Comedy

Bonanza
Watch This Intro

Visual: Interesting. A map burns and then people ride up on horseback. After that it's cast shots. 8/15

Audio: I know that song better than I know the show. 11/15

Mood: It's a fun Western, right? 4/5

Information: Well, I can tell when this is set. You see the cast, but it doesn't really reveal a lot about the characters. 5/10

Want to Watch: Nothing really pulls me that much. 2/5

Overall: 30/50

Boston Legal

Chapelles Show

Chuck
Watch This Opening

Visual: I like it. It's done in a sort of clip-art/animation style with pictures of the characters coming up in the background every once in a while, a very fun way to do the credits. 12/15

Audio: Cake. Interesting choice. I'm not sure if I'm ever going to connect that song to Chuck, but it works. This is also one of the few places where I believe sound effects add to the effect of the credits rather than taking away. The fact that some of the sounds seem obviously Foleyed just adds to the charm. 10/15

Mood: A show about a bumbling secret agent who works in a convenience store. Yep. 4/5

Information: You get to see Chuck's name tag as well as a few action scenes rendered in symbols. It's like all the action is taking place in this guy's head. I'm sure that's not completely true. They don't really give an idea of the characters, though. 4/10

Want to Watch: I think it looks like fun. 5/5

Overall: 35/50

The Colbert Report

Coupling
Watch This Opening

Visual: It looks interesting, although there isn't much to it. 9/15

Audio: Cake, again. This time it's a cover, which might help or hurt the cause, I'm not sure. 7/15

Mood: Somehow I feel this is a bit off. 2/5

Information: Absolutely nothing except for the name. 1/10

Want to Watch: eh. I'm not turned off, but I don't know anything about the show either. 2/5

Overall: 21/50

The Daily Show

Desperate Housewives
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Visual: I like it. Cut outs of famous paintings and images are augmented and then turned into jokes. Not really sure what this has to do with the show, though. 9/15

Audio: The song isn't really that memorable. It's not bad, just not memorable. 7/15

Mood: Tongue in cheek. 4/5

Information: The show is called Desperate Housewifes, so maybe it's about that. It doesn't seem to take itself seriously, though. There's also a cast shot at the end. 3/10

Want to Watch: I don't know. Maybe. 3/5

Overall: 26/50

Ed

Fraggle Rock
Watch This Opening

Visual: So they're puppets. They move like puppets to the point where I sometimes can't see them as characters. Other than that, it's nice that they have a theme for the opening credits rather than just putting random images together. 7/15

Audio: The music's catchy and fun. It also says "Fraggle Rock" and is sung by the characters. 11/15

Mood: It's a light-hearted muppet show. 5/5

Information: Under the house of a man and a dog live Fraggles, who are carefree people who cohabit with little green dudes, who aren't as carefree. Also above the Fraggle cave, but nowhere close to the old man are a family of trolls. How the geography works is a mystery to me. 8/10

Want to Watch: Maybe. It's Jim Henson, so it can't be too bad, right? 4/5

Overall: 35/15

Get Smart
Watch This Opening

Visual: I always loved this opening because I liked watching Maxwell Smart walk through door after door after door with seemingly no purpose other than to have a lot of doors. It feels well protected until you realize that all he has to do is walk up to the doors before going through. Which helps to drive home the fact that this is a comedy about spies. 13/15

Audio: Spy music with a very hummable melody. It helps underscore the ridiculousness of the opening credits. The loud boom every time a door closes is just great as well. 12/15

Mood: The series is over the top funny and tongue in cheek. 5/5

Information: This guy is walking through doors. There are a lot of doors, to the point where it becomes more humorous than cool, or maybe it's both humorous and cool at the same time! 4/10

Want to Watch: Yes. If the credits aren't enough, the fact it's produced by Mel Brooks is. 5/5

Overall: 39/50

The Greatest American Hero
Watch This Opening

Visual: Clips from the show. It's mostly cast shots and closeups. 5/15

Audio: The song's kind of fun. It touches on a universal idea as well. 11/15

Mood: More funny than action oriented. 4/5

Information: Someone is visited by aliens and gets a suit that gives him powers. He's not a very good superhero, though. He keeps on running into walls. Other characters get cast shots that give a little personality. 8/10

Want to Watch: Well, this won't get me to drop one of my regular shows. 3/5

Overall: 31/50

Hogan's Heroes
Watch This Opening

Visual: Cast shots and clips from the show. There wasn't really anything that was that interesting or that grabs you. 5/15

Audio: I can see this getting kind of grating after a while. It doesn't appeal to me. 6/15

Mood: I suppose you can tell that there's supposed to be some humor and character here. 3/5

Information: This takes place during a war, but we aren't concentrating on that. 6/10

Want to Watch: No. 1/5

Overall: 21/50

House
Watch This Opening

Visual: It's interesting. Instead of showing the characters, they decide to use images from medical textbooks. It actually holds together rather well. 9/15

Audio: This track did nothing for me. It's one of those songs I wouldn't notice if it were playing on the store radio, and it takes a lot for me to not notice music playing. 4/15

Mood: It is a mystery. 3/5

Information: This show is about medicine. Also, one of the characters has a cane. 3/10

Want to Watch: The show hasn't won me over yet, but I might give it a chance. 4/5

Overall: 23/50

In Living Color

Jackass
Watch This Opening

Visual: Clips from the show. They're varied, but they aren't really that attractive. 4/15

Audio: The song is fun. It has a kind of bluegrass feel to it that makes it really danceable. 9/15

Mood: This show is stupid. 4/5

Information: Pain and stupidity and more pain. 6/10

Want to Watch: Hell, no. 1/5

Overall: 24/50

Joan of Arcadia
Watch This Opening

Visual: Clips from the show mixed with random artworks. There isn't much of a flow to it, and I can't see the sense of using those images to introduce this show. 5/15

Audio: "What if God Was One of Us?" I can understand the logic behind using this song, but it doesn't fit for me. It might have been better to find a lesser known song with a similar theme or make one themselves. 6/15

Mood: I can't really tell what kind of mood they're trying to promote. 1/5

Information: We can see the characters, and I am getting personality from the shots that they chose. I'm not sure what the premise of the show is, though, and I have no idea what they were thinking at the beginning of the credits. 5/10

Want to Watch: Nothing attracts me. 2/5

Overall: 19/50

Kids in the Hall

Mad TV
Watch This Opening

Visual: It's mostly cast shots, but there's interest there in all seasons. 9/15

Audio: The song is catchy and easy to associate with the show. 10/15

Mood: Mad is so crazy! 5/5

Information: It's a sketch show, so the best you can do is show the actors and maybe a little bit of their style. 8/10

Want to Watch: These credits would draw me in. I can't get into the show, though. 5/5

Overall: 37/50

The Man Show
Watch This Opening

Visual: A bunch of cartoon styled images showing stereotypical manlike behavior. There is a whimsical nature to it that makes it a little more comical than obscene. 9/15

Audio: Polka! Polka! The song is catchy, and the lyrics fit with the idea behind the show (All Men Are (lazy) Perverts). It being so upbeat makes it a little harder to hate it for lowering the possibilities of any positive male portrayals in shows after it came out. 11/15

Mood: Rollicking slapstick mixed with gross out humor. Right. 5/5

Information: This show is about men, and not the beefcake manly men or the powerful authoritative men, even though they might think they are. This about men at their core. Fat drunk lazy and horny. These are men who think dick and fart jokes are funny, who believe women are only good for one thing, and it's not making babies. (Although it's related) Yes, these are men who are not afraid to admit that they are so in touch with their instincts that reason never enters the picture. They'll never be famous, or liked, or even tolerated on most occasions, but they are men. 7/10

Want to Watch: Yes, mostly because the song is so catchy. Tongue in cheek humor can be fun, too. 4/5

Overall: 36/50

M*A*S*H
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Visual: A couple helicopters fly into base and the doctors come out to see the patient. An everyday occurrence for a medical unit. Nothing spectacular, but it sets the scene. 8/15

Audio: An easy tune to listen to. Kind of relaxes you. 9/15

Mood: It's not always fun and games here. 3/5

Information: They are at a military base. If I knew enough about the military to know what M*A*S*H stood for, I'd know that this would be a medical place, and Alan Alda is very possibly a doctor. 7/10

Want to Watch: Nothing draws me, but I won't be turned away. 2/5

Melrose Place
Watch This Opening

Visual: Cast shots, cast shots, cast shots. Also it went on way too long. 3/15

Audio: It's an interesting enough melody, but not enough to last 1:30 as the only melody there. Vary it a little. 6/15

Mood: This show is about cast shots. 2/5

Information: We have characters. I don't know or care who they are. There are way too many, I can tell you that. 7/10

Want to Watch: No. 1/5

Overall: 19/50

Monk
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Visual: Monk goes about his morning routine, complete with a closet gag where we see he has many suits that look exactly the same. 8/15

Audio: I know this theme changed in the second season. The first theme was a cool jazzy theme that worked really well, and while the second theme isn't bad and makes sense lyrically, it doesn't seem to have the same charm as the first. 9/15

Mood: It's a little funny. 4/5

Information: This Monk guy is incredibly meticulous in his morning routine. You don't get to see a lot about what he does, but I think introducing the character was the right choice. 5/10

Want to Watch: Sure. 4/5

Overall: 30/50

Moonlighting
Watch This Opening

Visual: A bunch of still images. Usually I'd count off for that, but in this case, the credits were quite dynamic despite the fact that it was just using photographs. 8/15

Audio: It was okay. A lounge song that I suppose could be remembered if you heard it enough. It doesn't stick right now, though. 7/15

Mood: It half fits, I guess. 3/5

Information: This series has Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard. They do things. 4/10

Want to Watch: Maybe? 3/5

Overall: 25/50

Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC)

The Muppet Show
Watch This Opening

Visual: They turn the opening into a big stage production number, except with puppets. You can see the vast array of characters that Jim Henson has made. Also there is a gag at the end. Gonzo fails in a different way every single episode. 10/15

Audio: The song's great. It's catchy. It was written for the show. It's sung by the characters. It's fun to listen to. 14/15

Mood: Matches rather well. 5/5

Information: Variety shows are hard to give a lot of information for. This is a variety show with Muppets. If you know what Muppets are, that's all you need to know. If not, well you can kind of get a small hint by seeing what's on the screen. 6/10

Want to Watch: Yes. 5/5

Overall: 40/50

My So Called Life
Watch This Opening

Visual: Clips from the show. Some of the clips piqued my interest slightly. Most of them, however, seemed to be from scenes that relied on dialogue. It doesn't work when you take that away. 6/15

Audio: This would make great background music for a song. It needs a melody to tie it together, though. 7/15

Mood: Slice of Life. 4/5

Information: This is a show about normal, if slightly quirky people going about their everyday life and possibly learning lessons about themselves in the process. They give names for the characters, but it's kind of hard to know who is who since they don't seem to correlate with any character images. 5/10

Want to Watch: eh. 2/5

Overall: 24/50

Mystery Science Theater 3000
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Visual: This show is awfully low budget, but it's almost like it was intentionally awfully low budget. The visuals are exaggerated and the models look like a kid playing with his toys. 10/15

Audio: Expository Theme Tune! It is also awful in it's own way, but despite being crappy eighties synth, it's still fun. 9/15

Mood: The show's about bad movies. 5/5

Information: Joel worked in a factory, but people hated him, so they shot him into space and forced him to watch bad movies. In order to cope, he built a few robot friends. 9/10

Want to Watch: It looks Fun. 5/5

Overall: 38/50

The Red Green Show

Police Squad
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Visual: It quickly becomes apparent that the series is a joke. The credits have a running gag of each person being shot at then shooting back in increasingly unlikely places. Also, Abe Lincoln. 9/15

Audio: Not much of an audio track. I like that the narrator doesn't say what was written, and hope that that was what happened in the show. 8/15

Mood: An over-the-top, silly show needs over-the-top silly credits. 5/5

Information: It's not supposed to be taken seriously. Laugh already. 7/10

Want to Watch: Sure. 4/5

Overall: 33/50

Psych
Watch This Opening

Visual: It's mostly clips from the show. I'd like more clips of the main character pretending to work his mojo. Drive home the point that he's a ham. 6/15

Audio: Kind of average. 6/15

Mood: It's a little tongue in cheek. 4/5

Information: The main character is weird and a little bit of a jerk. Other people around him react to him, but nobody has the heart to tell him. 6/10

Want to Watch: Not that interested (yes). 2/5

Overall: 24/50

Pushing Daisies
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Visual: I like the daisies being used as a visual metaphor for the powers of the main character, which ties in with the title as well as being fun to watch. Also, you get to see a cat come to life, which in turn kills a squirrel. 12/15

Audio: The music is okay. However, I do like the storybook style that the narrator has. It fits very well with the style of the show. 11/15

Mood: As I said before, the show is whimsical even if it deals with death. 5/5

Information: We are given an overview of this pie makers powers and have a few rules for it as well. 7/10

Want to Watch: It looks interesting. 5/5

Overall: 40/50

Salute Your Shorts
Watch This Opening

Visual: It's a jam session with the camp Onawanna (or something) singing the camp anthem. Through that we get cast shots with the different characters being themselves. It's an image I remember from my childhood. Not as cool as I remember it, but hey. 10/15

Audio: Man they are bad singers. I remembered the song, but not the performance. The song itself is catchy. I like how the actors are singing in character, too. 11/15

Mood: It's an old Nick show. Wacky hijinks with logic taking a back seat. How Nick should be. 4/5

Information: They're at a camp. The counselor likes to think he's in control, but he isn't, really. One kid in particular seems to be a bigger trouble maker than the others. Most of the characters seem to be archetypes, really. There's the rebellious kid, the fat guy, the nerd, the jock, the popular girl/cheerleader, the normal everyday girl, and the token minority. 8/10

Want to Watch: I think it's nostalgia talking more than anything else. 4/5

Overall: 37/50

The Sarah Silverman Program

Saturday Night Live

Sesame Street
Watch This Opening

Visual: For a show that did so many things right, the visuals of the credits are really boring. Showing kids playing kind of ties into the theme, but maybe they could have done more. Later seasons include the characters more, but still feel like they aren't put together well. 5/15

Audio: The song's great. It's simple, sung by children, which works on a kids' show, and it's easy to remember. Also, it name drops. 12/15

Mood: Kid friendly entertainment. 4/5

Information: This is a kids' show. It is for kids. 5/10

Want to Watch: I don't think these credits would interest me. 1/5

Overall: 27/50

Sex and the City
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Visual: Sarah Jessica Parker walks down the street in a pink tutu (why?) and gets splashed by a bus. It's so funny! and post-modern, except not. 6/15

Audio: It was okay, I guess. there really wasn't anything interesting about it. 7/15

Mood: It's a comedy. Maybe. 4/5

Information: Well, I do know one thing. Carrie Bradshaw knows good sex! She's also on the side of at least one bus in New York City, which is of course a sure sign of stardom. 5/10

Want to Watch: Why the pink tutu? Why? 2/5

Overall: 24/50

Soap

The Three Stooges

The Weird Al Show

Whose Line is it Anyway

The Wonder Years

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