Wilfred

[clocker]

How has this show not been mentioned here yet...it's fucking fabulous.

I'll be talking about the American version, which IMO, is much better than the Australian original...

Wilfred stars Elijah Wood (Frodo!) as Ryan, a burned out (but apparently well to do) lawyer searching for meaning in his life.
He's about to commit suicide when a new neighbor moves in next door with her dog, Wilfred (Jason Gann, the Aussie originator of the concept and role).
Oddly...perhaps frighteningly, Gann is an almost dead ringer for j2k4 (Kev). So, think about that...

Wilfred is just an adorable dog to everyone but Ryan, who sees him as a man in a cheap dog suit.
Basically, it's Harvey with a few twists and a lot more marijuana.

Wood is the straight guy of the pair and his "almost normal" appearance ensures that the viewer is never sure just how crazy he really is.
Jason Gann is pure gold, his Wilfred is a masterpiece of real canine behavior channeled through a wickedly warped comedic filter.
It happens rarely, but I actually LOL at Wilfred.

Be sure to catch the afterscenes (every episode ends with one) which seem to be loosely written/improvised riffs between Ryan and Wilfred ("I have magical powers, Ryan...for instance, I can make you disappear...")- they are sometimes the funniest bit of the show.

[IdolEyes787]

How has this show not been mentioned here yet...it's fucking fabulous.

Never heard of it .What do I look like the fucking TV Guide?
Anyway sounds interesting and I shall check it out.

[clocker]

It's on FX, Thursday night.
The previous episodes are readily available from the usual sources.

"Peanut butter, Ryan, peanut butter!"- Wilfred.

[iLOVENZB]

I haven't even seen the Australian series.

Elijah Wood as an actor is just unbearable. I could almost tolerate him in LOTR because his character was a midget who was supposed to have an annoying pubescent voice. After watching Greenstreet Hooligans I made a decision to stay away from his projects.

So clocker, answer me this; is it worth contradicting my decision?

[clocker]

So clocker, answer me this; is it worth contradicting my decision?

The short answer is yes.
Jason Gann has created (and, given his long run, perfected) a character destined to become as iconic as say, Bender.
To miss out on Wilfred because of a dislike of Wood is silly.
Besides, IMO Elijah Wood is perfectly cast in the role of Ryan. I mean really, in essence, the basis of Ryan's character is David Berkowitz and Wood has the barely concealed otherness to make the shows conceit plausible.

So far there are only six episodes and at @20 min. each, it's not a major investment of time.

[Artemis]

I haven't heard of the show either but will check it out, the likelihood of it appearing on a local channel are next to zero but will go hunting teh internetz. One thing struck me as incongruous though.... David Berkowitz as a comedic character ?

[clocker]

Just imagine the Son of Sam story as told by the dog.

[IdolEyes787]

Son of Sam was directed by a dog. Or Satan speaking through a dog so basically Michael Bay.

[iLOVENZB]

Finally got some spare quota, gonna watch the first episode in a few minutes ...

[iLOVENZB]

I just finished the first episode, It was enjoyable to say the least. Character development (like most TV shows) was done very well. There were scenes where I should be laughing but I just didn't, maybe I wasn't in the mood?

Although I didn't laugh I still enjoyed the psychological element. Elijah Wood's performance wasn't like that of Frodo or Matt Buckner (Green Street Hooligans), which means he can enter different roles and still convince the audience. His character as Ryans was still naive and a pubescent no-hoper but at least he doesn't sound like a 12 year old with his bollocks removed.

I'll follow this series through, it's only 175MB/week.