At his wit's end for some inspiration for his novel, Jonathan comes across his old detective novels and decides to place an ad in Craig's List as an "unlicensed" detective. Much to his surprise, the jobs start coming in and he faces them head-on. Sure, they might be small-time gigs like a possibly cheating husband or even a stolen skateboard, but soon Jonathan is facing down the Russian mob and actual criminals not afraid to rob and taser him. As Jonathan progresses on his own bumbling personal journey, his friends do as well, often joining him in his capers, which leads to lots of funny happenings.
While I didn't instantly fall in love with Bored To Death: The Complete First Season, the show really grew on me. I really like Jason Schwartman in the role of Jonathan Ames (who also co-wrote and co-produced the series), and Ted Danson is fantastic as his exuberant friend and boss and Zach Galifianakis is hysterical as the slovenly and selfish Ray. It's also quite clear that Hollywood is a fan of the show as you'll see all kinds of cool guest stars like Kristen Wiig, Bebe Neuwirth, Oliver Platt, Parker Posey, Peter Hermann, John Hodgman (PC on the Mac commercials) and director Jim Jarmusch. It's always fun to see who'll pop up next.
Special features are slim, but well done. There's one where series creator Jonathan Ames takes us through his favorite places in Brooklyn, where the show primarily takes place, plus audio commentary on several episodes, deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. All are enjoyable and worth checking out.
While Bored To Death: The Complete First Season looks and sounds superb on Blu-ray, this isn't the typical show that you must view on high-def. That being said, if you like to watch your shows on the best possible medium, this is it for sure. Viewers should note that Bored To Death has a Mature rating and they flaunt it. This is an HBO series, after all. While it isn't loaded down with sex, you'll see the occasional nude scene, but mostly the series is absolutely laden with drug use. They revel in it, actually. This one is for the grown-ups only. However, if you enjoy clever humor and awkward situations, you'll get a kick out of Bored To Death. I can't wait to see where they go with it next season.
