Cultural Cuisinart

I haven't blogged much lately, but I wanted to pop in and remind you all to set your DVR for a couple of shows airing tonight (or very soon).

First of all, if you are still resisting my attempts to get you to watch NBC's Parks and Recreation, perhaps I can tempt you with news that Will Arnett (a.k.a. GOB from Arrested Developement, a.k.a. Mr. Amy Poehler) will be guest starring on tonight's episode. Herc from Ain't It Cool News claims it may be the funniest episode of the series to date. And if you tune in for Parks and Recreation, you might as well stick around for the whole NBC Thursday night comedy block, one of the few things the network hasn't bungled lately. Jack Black is on tonight's Community, and we get 2 new episodes of one of my favorite comedies, 30 Rock.

Speaking of Arrested Development, three more former stars of that show - Jeffery Tambor, Jessica Walter and Judy Greer - will be popping up doing voice work for FX's new animated series Archer. It's a very bizarre show, but if you're a fan of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup, you may want to check this one out. I thinks fans of the shows The Venture Brothers and Sealab 2021 in particular will love this really demented show.

Here's what some excellent people have to say about the show:

While the comparison between FX's new animated comedy Archer and James Bond is an obvious one, the comparing this series, from creator Adam Reed (Sealab 2021), to Better Off Ted would be more apt.

While Archer follows the high-flying exploits of a suave James Bond-esque secret agent man, at its heart the series is a deliciously loopy and perversely raunchy workplace comedy.
- Jace from Televisionary

There is a specific rhythm to "Archer" and a unique vibe that wormed its way deeper into my consciousness with every episode I watched. It took a few episodes for "Archer" to establish a consistent tone, but once it did, it became a lot of fun. If you share its weird sensibilities, you may find that at its best, "Archer" not only echoes the whipsmart, creatively deranged "Arrested Development" but that it also feels like the naughtier cousin of TV's better single-camera comedies.

[....]

There are about a dozen other shows I could reference in trying to describe "Archer" -- you could also say it's the Bizarro World version of the USA spy show "Burn Notice" or a raunchier "Chuck" -- but none of them would quite capture this show's blend of deadpan wit and surreal goofiness. Suffice to say that "Archer" will probably appeal to viewers who like their comedy literate, demented and subversive.

The lead character, Sterling Archer, is not exactly a textbook spy (though at least he looks good; he dresses and combs his hair like a cartoon version of Don Draper). Your first clue that something is off is that his code name is Duchess; he's also likely to get sloshed on missions and shoot a gun in the office when he's having a bad day.

- Mo Ryan from her column, The Watcher

I happened to catch what I assume was a one-shot episode of the show before and really enjoyed it. You can catch the first two episodes tonight on FX at 10pm EST.

Video previews can be found at both sites linked to in the quotes.

Lastly, it's never too early to set your DVR for Starz's upcoming series Spartacus: Sand and Blood. Looks like the 3o0 crossed with Rome, with a healthy dose of nearly naked Lucy Lawless thrown in for good measure. I'm so there. The show premieres on January 22nd.