Gooder Than Hell!

Ah, but this is great fun … everybody’s favorite metaphysical time-travel drama Lost, reimagined as a cheesy 80s sitcom!

Interesting bit of trivia: All of those cheesy 80s sitcom theme songs were written by the same guy, and his name is Jesse Frederick. The more you know!

Back in the 1960s, the Screen Gems studio updated its closing credits sequence, changing it from an innocuous lady holding a torch to an artsy little scene in which two parallelograms dance around one another and a tiny red dot. This six-second sequence was accompanied by the then-new sound of a Moog synthesizer.

Well, evidently, this sequence freaked out a whole bunch of kids at the time, according to a new short documentary called “The S From Hell,” which recently debuted at Sundance. Here ’tis, in its entirety: Read the rest of this entry »

It’s really easy, you see, because all television news segments are essentially the same. Here’s Charlie Brooker with more.

Pretty fascinating discussion going on over at MetaFilter right now, prompted by this question:

What are the most depressing sitcom episodes ever? I’m looking for specific eps please, not a snarky blanket statement like “Every episode of (insert unfunny sitcom name here).” Also, I’m not talking about serious episodes (a/k/a Very Special Episodes), as those are usually trying to teach a lesson and rely more on gravity than pathos. I’m looking for tearjerker episodes of shows that are usually humorous.

Neat question. What comes to mind for me are:

• Several episodes of M*A*S*H, including the one with the clock in the corner of the screen, and the one where the dead soldier’s ghost meets up with his colleagues at the end and only Klinger can see him.
• The WKRP in Cincinnati episode that was centered around the 1979 tragedy at a Who concert.
• The episode of Archie Bunker’s Place that takes place right after Edith has passed away.

What comes to mind for you?

I love love love the Monday night sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s funny in a way that sitcoms haven’t been funny in a long time.

It’s also a show about nerds, and as such it draws heavily on the lore and culture – comic books, astrophysics, the Large Hadron Collider, all that good stuff. So I submit for your enjoyment, my Big Bang Theory Drinking Game: Read the rest of this entry »

Derren Brown is an “English magician, illusionist, mentalist, painter and sceptic.” He’s kinda like a blend of Penn & Teller, David Blaine and Criss Angel, but nowhere near as annoying as any of them. He does really amazing stuff using basic psychology, an understanding of human nature and the power of suggestion.

Let me tell you now, watching Derren Brown is a rabbit hole you will disappear into. You start watching for a few minutes on YouTube, and look up to find your Friday has disappeared. Truly addictive stuff.

This week he’s launching a new four-part series of BBC specials called “The Events,” and for the first one, he “predicted” the lottery draw, live on television Wednesday night. He promises to explain how it’s done in a one-hour special airing tonight (Friday). Read the rest of this entry »

For a lot of people who are roughly my age – which is to say, late thirties – there is a haunting memory of a television show about children in a very bleak place, and an unbelievable act of cruelty that some of them commit. A story about a world where the sun only shines in the sky for one hour every nine years – and about a young girl who is locked in a closet by jealous peers during that precious hour. Ringing any emotional bells? Read the rest of this entry »

About 10-15 years ago, there was what felt like a new golden age of television animation, most of it taking place on the Cartoon Network. Dexter’s Laboratory … Samurai Jack … the Powerpuff Girls … so much awesome stuff, so funny and intelligent and high-class!

That gave way to an endless parade of Spongebob knockoffs, each trying to out-squick the others. So very not gooder than hell.

There is a new show that has much of the feel of the aforementioned gems, with a wit and sparkle of its own: Disney Channel’s awesome “Phineas and Ferb.” Read the rest of this entry »

I think my irony meter must be busted, because I have no idea whether this is a real public access religion show, or a very convincing parody of same.

I’m leaning towards the latter. Either way, enjoyable in that “I’m going to hell for enjoying this” kind of way.

This is painful but oh-so-irresistible, kinda like one of those sores you get on the inside of your cheek that you chew on. It hurts, but you gotta chew on it because it kinda feels good at the same time. You do get those cheek sores, don’t you?

I gotta get me one of those food-burning stoves …

Hey, while you’re here, be sure to subscribe to GooderThanHellTV, our new YouTube channel! Lots of inspired silliness on the way in the coming weeks and months.