Entertainment
HBO’s Forgotten 3-Part Detective Series Has Quietly Become One of TV’s Funniest Crime Shows
Television has always had an affinity for mystery shows, but that fascination has only escalated in the prestige era. Traditional procedurals may have dominated ratings for generations, but thanks to the rise of more ambitious dramas, there have been more expansive miniseries and multi-season shows that attempt to keep their audiences guessing the entire time. While it’s always entertaining to get wrapped up in a good case, shows don’t always take the time to fully flesh out the detectives who are themselves solving the mystery. HBO’s Bored to Death is a hilariously absurd look at the lives of private investigators, but it also says something deeper about the motivations that propel crime obsessives. It was a show that was ahead of its time, because the explosion of interest in true crime content in the streaming era has made Bored to Death feel more prophetic.
Created by novelist Jonathan Ames, Bored to Death examines the lives of three friends living in New York City who inadvertently become involved with a series of mysteries. Jason Schwartzman stars as a fictional version of Ames, who decides to become a private investigator after experiencing several setbacks in his career as a writer. Zach Galifianakis co-stars as Jonathan’s best friend, Ray Hueston, who is both intrigued and skeptical of his pal’s newfound obsession. Ted Danson also has a primary role as George Christopher, the editor of a prestigious New York magazine who reveals himself to be just as vulnerable and confused as Jonathan, whom he has always viewed as a surrogate son. Although Bored to Death has one of the funniest pilots in HBO history, it’s extraordinary how quickly the series escalates into a new level of absurdity.
‘Bored to Death’ Is a Perfect Satire of Mystery Fiction
Comedy shows live and die based on whether their leads have chemistry, and Bored to Death finds interesting ways to play to each of its actors’ strengths. Given that Schwartzman already had a reputation for playing smug, confident young people in the early films of Wes Anderson, it was a natural evolution for him to appear as a self-loathing man-child who has become depressed by his disappearing career opportunities. Although it is a breakup that initially inspires Jonathan to make a blind Craigslist post about being a private investigator, beginning to look into crimes actually ends up making him a better writer. Jonathan’s issues as a writer come from the fact that he has become so obsessed with literature that he doesn’t have any experience in the real world. It’s obviously a self-deprecating aspect of the character that was inserted by Ames, and not just because he shares a name with the protagonist; the various jokes that Bored to Death has about the pretensions of literary high society in New York could have only come from someone who had personal experience.
If You Love ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ Check Out This Underrated HBO Mystery Comedy
The underrated HBO mystery comedy ‘Bored to Death’ was among the first shows to reject the weekly procedural structure.
Bored to Death skillfully uses both Galifianakis and Danson by casting both actors slightly against type. Although Galifianakis was in the midst of becoming a movie star thanks to the blockbuster success of The Hangover, where he played the weirdest character in the group, Bored to Death cast him as an unusual guy, who is nonetheless far more reasonable and self-sufficient than any of his friends; even though Ray’s marriage unravels due to a series of infidelities, his career is far more stable than that of Jonathan, who seems to risk it all on every assignment. Danson is expertly cast as a character who appears to be an “elder statesman,” but in reality does not have much valuable wisdom to pass on to his acolytes. This became an essential aspect of his comedic persona going forward, leading to his resurgence on television in Fargo, The Good Place, and A Man on the Inside.
‘Bored to Death’ Was Cancelled Too Soon
Bored to Death splits the difference between two different aspects of crime thriller shows, as it embraces both procedural mysteries and ongoing storylines. Given that Jonathan is game to tackle any case that he finds interesting, it makes sense that each episode could introduce a new mystery, even if the show makes a joke out of how many of them end up either answered far too quickly or left unresolved. At the same time, the series also finds a way to tie in larger issues within the lives of the characters, including a third-season storyline that involves a rival organization.
Although Bored to Death is designed for resolute crime junkies, the show is layered with homages to classic cinema, and even has a title sequence that directly embodies the style of noir films of the ‘50s and ‘50s. The show’s cancellation wasn’t just a disappointment because of the unresolved storyline of Jonathan reconnecting with his biological father (Stacey Keach), but because the series had managed to change directions so frequently that it had significant potential going forward. Given that Ames went on to make Blunt Talk for Starz, and that the three leads have only continued to peak in success since the show was canceled, it’s safe to say that Bored to Death was at least considered an underground success by television insiders. However, it’s also a show that deserves to be revisited, since there’s an entire audience who either weren’t aware or around to watch Bored to Death when it was initially airing.
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