CTV carries a lot of the shows that we watch on television each week. Every so often they put commercials on advertising one of their made-for-TV movies or special W5 investigation. This week they started hyping their new show Jeff Ltd. They had a “sneak preview” this Wednesday right after American Idol. I could tell from the commercials that I would instantly dislike the show but I decided to give it a try in any case.
I lasted not even 2 minutes. The opening monologue was so tired, so unfunny that I couldn’t stand to watch any longer. I couldn’t believe that CTV would try to air this kind of show.
When I first saw the commercials my first thought was “Hmm, this is almost identical to Curb Your Enthusiasm except with an uglier man.” They were obviously trying to copy the premise of that show except they made the main character even more egotistical and arrogant than Larry David can be. I guess CTV figured that the percentage of Canadians (because this is strictly a Canadian show as far as I can tell) that have seen Curb Your Enthusiasm is rather low since it’s only on DVD or The Movie Network in which case they can copy all they like.
It really seems like they’ve tried too hard in this case. They’ve filmed 13 episodes but I really hope that they don’t bother picking up the show for a full season. I don’t think I could stand to watch the commercials for it.
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Tags: canadian-shows, ctv, curb-your-enthusiasm, jeff-ltd., larry-david, Television
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Well, I have to say that blogs are a wonderful thing. Every person with anything whatsoever to say can have an opinion and share it with the world. This is also the curse of the digital age. As we all know everyone has two things in common – opinions and…
This show is one of the most original, intelligent and truly Canadian comedies since The King of Kensington and Kids in the Hall. Matt, I wish you had a sense of how difficult it is to get a really great show like this made and put on the air. This would probably give you some cause for thought before you air you thoughts on the merits of ginger marmalade and how ads on a website are “competition for your eyeballs”… (I read some of your other postings so I knew a little more about the depths of your intellect).
This show is the most entertaining and totally Canadian piece of television I’ve seen in YEARS… And I’ve spent 10 years in the entertainment industry trying to develop/produce something that came close to this show.
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I have to say Greg that I’m a little disappointed with your comment. Ad hominem attacks are largely regarded as one of the most common and easiest to succumb to fallacies in debate.
I’m entitled to my opinion and I don’t need a blog to be able to share it with the world. People do that offline too while they’re having coffee, having lunch, or commuting. Just because there’s a new Canadian show on television doesn’t mean that I need to enjoy it. In fact I didn’t enjoy it at all. I watched the commercials, I gave the first episode a try and found it to be offensive and insulting. I would have had the same opinion if it had been an American or British show. The fact is that it’s far too similar to Curb Your Enthusiasm. When I see the ads on tv for Jeff Ltd. now I can hear the circus-like theme song from Curb playing in my head. The big difference is that Larry David is a funny man and he plays his character successfully. Sure Larry is obnoxious and offensive on his show too but there’s a fine line between being able to tolerate that kind of behaviour and having it turn you off the show completely. To me Curb walks that line to great success and that’s why I like to watch that show. In my opinion Jeff Ltd. just doesn’t manage to pull that off.
As for the amount of effort required to put a show on the air? I really have no idea but I can appreciate that it is significant. However that really doesn’t have any effect on when or how I express my opinion. If I think that the product/show is not deserving of praise then I’m not going to praise it because it took years of work by dozens of people. A new model of the Hummer also takes years of effort by countless people but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be driving one anytime soon.
I wish you luck in your quest to bring a show to air. I hope you find great success.
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steve g
if you don’t like what you read, don’t read it. and as far as what two things most people have, clearly you demonstrate the second.
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