I only knew it from a Mitchell and Webb sketch. I think they realised it wasn't that well known, and so they included the explanation in the sketch.

Ah, now I haven't seen Police Squad, so I can't quite compare. I have seen The Naked Gun films, and although I get the comparison I would still put them closer to Airplane!, thanks to the pace of the jokes, the layering visual jokes with wordplay, and making everyone silly enough to misinterpret things, rather than…

A Touch of Cloth is one of the funniest things I've seen in years. It's the modern day Airplane!, cramming as many jokes down your throat as possible, be they character, genre or word jokes. Like the best parodies, it surprises you with what you already know.

It was amazing how varied the show's first season was, from completely laughable to incredibly powerful from episode to episode, and the finale went between the two. The first half was lousy, with distracting direction and Gene being hailed as a god by the characters and the writer, but from the moment the family got…

After a more than rocky first season, it picked up no end for seasons 2 and 3. While I certainly wouldn't say it was as good as Life on Mars (which was very solid all the way through, and had one of the best series finales of all time), it was still an incredibly satisfying journey, with an individual and powerful…

I wouldn't be surprised if SOME sort of critical commentary made it onto the DVD… but I doubt it'd be a minute by minute critique as he's watching it. Even if he did record himself watching it, I'd only expect an extract to make it onto the DVD. For one thing, it'll be very personal, and for another he'll be wary of…

I dunno, I saw what he was trying to do, and enjoyed some of it. I thought it was better than the 4th (still my least favourite), but in terms of bringing closure to the story? No, 5 did it better.

I love this show. Even the pilot; yes, it's very structured with its jokes; but they're all good. And the characters are so strong, and so believable, and so enjoyable (very Parks and Rec in that respect). There was a weight to the plots, not oversentimental but just making the moments mean something, particularly in…

Actually I've found the Ice Age films to have increasingly impressive visuals. Ice Age 2 actually took my breath away with some of its sequences (the ice wall collapsing at various points, and Manny getting stuck in the minefield of geysers were beautifully choreographed, and looked amazing). They're gradually nailing…

@avclub-eaa88660d97aa2a15400335bcf9d93ac:disqus  Possibly, and it makes a certain amount of sense (as much as 'I've made a huge mistake'. But there was one episode in particular (I think it was the one ending with the riot in prison in season 3) where 'Her?' and 'Him?' were used about a dozen times in total, and after…

@avclub-c75240db34e6c66c3fcd8f7c74188f87:disqus 'No touching' was usually reserved for prison-type context. When it was out of any context and just the line as a reference to the earlier events, it wasn't funny, because it didn't mean anything. 'I've made a huge mistake' makes a certain amount of sense, because it's a…

@avclub-d5756748da7d4fc61bb0b1bcba6e6d4d:disqus But contextless repetition isn't a joke, it's just repetition. It's 'Ha! Like that other time they said that line, when it was funny.' The strange sense of interconnectedness doesn't really amount to anything funny, except when it means something. Running gags like…

Quite possibly, they certainly go to drama a lot in the later seasons… I just don't think it's anything like as funny. I gave up during season 8, but from season 6 onwards it seemed like they just couldn't be funny anymore, and the drama was the only thing holding it together (and since Ted is now the only character I…

That was my biggest concern with this season. There were a couple of episodes of season 3 which were almost entirely callback jokes (Suddenly everyone saying 'Her?' to refer to anyone rather than Michael specifically referring to Anne, for example. A reference is not a joke.) I was concerned that there would be…

This is the sci-fi equivalent. DNA did it.

I love this episode. And most of the first half of Friends, in fact. Todd is right, very few multi sitcoms today play the drama card, certainly not as much as Friends did. One particular point about early Friends that I like is that the relationships tended to be taken seriously, and the break ups handled with…

Only just caught this episode, and thought it was terrible. All of the storylines were incredibly predictable, and most of the jokes had been done better in other sitcoms (in fact, in other episodes). Why would Cam and Mitchell only send one invitation, and not check why their family (FAMILY) didn't turn up and didn't…

But not only that, the $2 mill Braff was seeking isn't even the total amount; he's looking for up to $10 mill total, getting the bulk from other investors. This means that the whole notion of crowdfunding it is in jeopardy; the film will still be 4/5 owned by investors who might just as easily control things the way a…

God I love The Proclaimloaf.

I hadn't even considered Al, but that is a genius suggestion. Imagine Aziz prodding the remote… Bring it on.