There was too much going with in the non-TV blogging part of my life last week to find the time to write about the season finales of NBC's Thursday night sitcoms after they had aired.
Let's take a look at how they all ended their seasons, plus I'll talk a bit about the action-comedy Chuck, which had a really super finale earlier this week.
Community
"I give this year a D...for delightful."
So says Troy, speaking on Abed's video yearbook. I concur with his grade, and only wish Community's actual finale had been the episode that aired the week before. That one actually felt like a finale, with the study group dealing with a -- by their standards -- crisis that threatened their existence.
In the actual finale, all the conflicts felt more manufactured: Jeff needs to choose between Britta and the professor; Abed doesn't want Troy to be his roommate; Annie might transfer. It was a nice curve, having Annie and Jeff kiss, but as much as I've grown to love all these characters, I don't care all that much about who they love.
Still, almost a week later, I'm still laughing at Troy's angry assertion that the episode of Happy Days where "a guy literally jumped a shark" was its best one. And how about that Lost reference? (Senor Chang telling Professor Duncan that he'd "find a loophole." Also, wasn't one of them dressed in black and the other in white?)
I'm sorry I didn't get behind this show sooner (I felt the same about Modern Family). It's become on of NBC's gems, as has...
Parks & Recreation
My favorite comedy of the year ended on a strong note. Like I said two weeks, ago, I'm really happy about Party Down actor Adam Scott joining the cast, playing the state auditor who -- as the season ends -- has shut down the parks department, along with the rest of the city government.
Like Community, here's a show I've grown to love. I love the way the show has fleshed out the city of Pawnee, a world of uniformed citizens (when the government is shut down, one guy asks who'll go after Al Queada) and bizarre characters (like Freddy Spaghetti, a children's musician whose entire repertoire seems to be based on pasta-themed song parodies like "Penne and the Jets").
But more importantly, I've quickly come to care about all these characters, and I can't wait to get back to Pawnee next year (and not next season; this will be a midseason show for 2010-2011) to see how they're doing.
The Office
What a difference a year makes. Last spring, Parks & Recreation had its first, six-episode season, and immediate got to work underwhelming critics and viewers. The Office, meanwhile, was having one of its best streaks ever, with a storyline that saw Michael Scott quit his boss, start his own paper company, nearly go broke, then triumphantly outmaneuver his superiors (including the arrogant supervisor who'd caused him to quit in the first place). He was even OK after learning Holly, the love of his life was in a new relationship. After five seasons, he finally seemed like an adult.
Now, Parks & Rec is at the top of its game, and The Office is like something I don't even recognize anymore, all cartoony and sitcommy, not even half the show it once was. The mature, sympathetic Michael vanished this year, replaced by a version more oafish than anything we'd seen from him before.
And since he basically took center stage in the finale last week -- thus eclipsing what's become a stronger, funnier supporting cast -- I basically spent the episode wondering if Steve Carell is as tired of his guy as we are. The finale ended with Michael's boss telling him she could possibly transfer Holly back to Scranton. It's the type of thing this show needs; I just hope they follow through.
30 Rock
I tend not to write about 30 Rock because my past attempts have basically turned into lists of all the things that made me laugh, without putting them into context. And frankly, this season didn't give me all that much to laugh at. (One giant exception from two weeks ago: Tracy Jordan's seemingly endless list of horrific things he witnessed/experienced as a child, including: sleeping of a dog bed stuffed with wigs, playing basketball with a rib cage for a hoop, seeing a pack of wild dogs successfully run a Wendy's.)
One good thing I could say about this season: I think it made better use of its guest stars. I didn't envy Jack having to choose between Avery (Elizabeth Banks) and Nancy (Julianne Moore, whose accent I found kind of adorable). And Matt Damon did a good job as Carol, a potential love interest for Liz who's just as snarky and misanthropic as she is.
Chuck
If I was going to watch a spy show on Monday nights this year, I'd normally be more excited about Agent Bartowski than Agent Bauer. But 24 was ending for good this week, and I felt like I owed to the earlier, better version of show to see things though to what was kind of a bitter, boring end.
Neither of those adjectives apply to the way Chuck ended its third -- but luckily not final -- season. I loved the second season of this show, but wasn't too keen on a lot of the third; it was still fun and enjoyable, but it felt kind of repetitive: Sarah has doubts about Chuck, Chuck wants to be "a real spy" (and damn if that phrase didn't get annoying), etc.
Then a few weeks ago, the season reached its 13 episode mark with an hour that was just about perfect, so good in fact that it could've worked as a season finale (or even a series finale had the show not been picked up).
The first few weeks after the show reached that mark felt a little like filler, but the final three episodes of this season -- which basically worked as a three-part finale -- more than made up for any weaker moments earlier in the year.
I like the way the show has basically let everyone in Chuck's inner circle in on his secret; storylines involving him constantly having to lie to his sister and to Morgan were wearing thin. Then again, the season ended with Chuck apparently involved in a new mission: find his mother, and unravelling whatever conspiracy his murdered father -- Scott Bakula, who was really good in this role -- had been investigating. So he may not be done lying yet. Chuck -- and Chuck -- grew up a lot this year, but I'm hoping season four will still let the title character retain some of his goofy spirit.
Tom Coombe
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