LaxAxl Reviews

The Office (2005–2013)

All downhill after Michael left

[9/10 · 28 April 2024]

I know it has been said a million times but the show really went downhill after Steve Carell left. It wasn't just the fact that the character was gone, but the writing took a nose dive as well. Many of the story lines in season 8 & 9 jumped the shark. They were too over the top for their own good.

For example Dwight tranquilizing Stanley, Nellie deciding to take over Andy's position as manager, Andy firing someone over a break-up, etc. The episodes became way too unrealistic. I also didn't care for the new characters. Wasn't a big fan of Robert California, Nellie wasn't great at all.

Clark & Pete were pretty forgettable. You can tell a sitcom is declining when they are introducing new characters to fill in the void for a character's absence. Overall I wouldn't say that seasons 8/9 were terrible, they had their moments but weren't very good.

Better Call Saul Presents: Slippin' Jimmy (2022)

Who is this made for exactly?

[2/10 · 28 April 2024]

I'm confused on who the target audience for this show is. Is it for adults? No, because the humor is too juvenile/kiddie. Is it for kids? No because kids will have no idea who this is based on (Better Call Saul, a series kids should not be watching at all). The show essentially is a walking contradiction.

The only reason I suspect this was made is for AMC+ subscribers to have more content to consume. However, this show isn't worth consuming at all. It's awful, not funny and not worth your time. Also the voices sound nothing like the original characters.

I know they are younger but I hear no resemblance to the Saul Goodman voice actor. Anyways, skip this one.

Sex Education (2019–2023)

Went downhill

[8/10 · 3 February 2024]

Sex Education was one of the best teen comedy-drama (Dramady) shows on Netflix. Keyword here is was. Unfortunately when Season 3 hit the show went downhill. Certain character motivations made no sense, some characters became unlikable and the writing just became inconsistent in quality.

Mind you season 3 wasn't even bad, it was just a downgrade from seasons 1-2. Then season 4 came along. This has to be the most "mixed bag" final season of any show I have ever watched. Old supporting characters just disappear completely, with a couple throwaway lines on their absence.

They are replaced with new characters that I did not care about in the slightest, due to them being underdeveloped. What kept me watching until the end were the original main characters that I grew to love from the start of the series. Overall 4 had many faults, with some good moments along the way. But in all honesty the final season was a disappointment.

Here's how I would rate the seasons:

Seasons 1-2: 8/10

Season 3: 7/10

Season 4: 6/10.

The Office (2001–2003)

Meh

[6/10 · 10 October 2023]

Kinda boring to be honest. I'm a big fan of the american office but the charm seems devoid here. While Ricky Gervais is a funny comedian (at least most of the time) I feel like there is something missing here. The jokes are few and far between, making each episode have incredible slow pacing. The characters are underdeveloped (along with the romance) and David Brent has little to no redeeming traits (unlike Michael Scott). It's not like the show has no valve, there are definitely some funny moments but there aren't many. If you are a fan of UK comedy you'll probably like this, it's just not for me.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024)

Hilarious!

[10/10 · 14 June 2023]

Curb is one of the best sitcoms. Coming from the co-creator of Seinfeld, Larry David plays a fictionalized version of himself. In my opinion this is much funnier than Seinfeld, but I still regard Seinfeld as one of the greatest sitcoms. The humor is as relatable as ever, with Larry going through everyday situations that you probably have in your lifetime.

I think because this is on HBO, Larry can get away with over the top crazy circumstances that he couldn't do on his previous show. While Seinfeld has a better supporting cast, the show is carried by Larry's curmudgeon attitude towards everyone and his general dislike of people in general.

Season rankings:

Season 1: 6/10 (A bit slow, show still trying to find it's footing)

Season 2-10: 10/10

Season 11: 9/10.

The Walking Dead (2010–2022)

Good, but quality dips in season 7, then picks back up in season 9

[8/10 · 28 April 2023]

Good show, but the quality varies. Throughout it's long run The Walking Dead has had it's ups & downs. Here's how I would rate the seasons:

Season 1: 9/10

Season 2: 6/10

Season 3-5: 9/10

Season 6: 7/10

Season 7-8: 6/10

Season 9-10: 8/10

Season 11: 7/10

Overall it's hard to maintain a long running show with almost 200 episodes. At the end of the day, when the show was good, it was really good. When it was at it's worst, it was average at best. The writers made some baffling decisions in seasons 7 through 8, which is why they are rated so low.

However the bad decisions didn't completely ruin the show and luckily with a change of showrunner the series got way better in those final seasons. So I recommend watching the entire show, but keep in mind that there will be some ruff patches to get through.

Community (2009–2015)

One of the greatest sitcoms of all-time!

[10/10 · 7 September 2022]

One of my favorite sitcoms, due to the great cast and writing being top notch. If you haven't seen this show already give it a chance! While I love this show to death, not all seasons are equal. Season 4 had a change of writers, but the show was still quality. Season 5 was a return to form with Dan Harmon being the showrunner once again. Season 6 saw a format change from cable T. V. to streaming, where the episodes were extended length (which I think made the pacing inconsistent). Overall though, all seasons are great and I cannot recommend this show enough!

Seasons 1-3: 10/10

Season 4: 7/10

Season 5: 8/10

Season 6: 7/10.

Good Omens (2019– )

Amazing

[8/10 · 14 June 2019]

David Tennant frantically driving in an automobile while it's on fire and laughing is probably the best thing I've seen all year.

---Review updated after watching season 2---

Season 1: 8/10

Season 2: 7/10

While the show dropped a little bit in quality in season 2, I still think it was a fun season with funny moments and a good story. Just don't expect it to be as good as the first one.

Arrested Development (2003–2019)

The best show, for the most part

[10/10 · 27 March 2019]

Seasons 1-3: 10/10

Season 4 (Original edit): 6/10

Season 4 (Re-edit): 6/10

Season 5: 6/10

This show really dipped in quality once Netflix picked it up. The new seasons still have their moments, but it never lived up to the original episodes.