Up All Night: truth in funny places

There's truly some great stuff on television, despite what people driving Subarus with "Kill Your Television" bumper stickers might have you believe.  It can be a place for great stories, inspiration, and yes, relationship truths.

I am still thinking about a recent episode of "Up All Night," a relatively new Thursday night comedy, which IMDB describes as follows:

takes an irreverent look at parenthood through the point of view of an acerbic working mother, along with her stay-at-home husband and opinionated parents.  

This is a show I'm inclined to like because it stars Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph.  In fact, that's why the Tivo's been set to record it ever since I first heard about it.  And while it took a little time to warm up, for the characters to gel -- unlike Modern Family, which was excellent in every way right out of the gate -- I've been surprised by how much it makes me laugh, and how much I like Christina Applegate.  There have been episodes in which she makes herself utterly ridiculous - something I do adore, especially when it's a super-pretty woman making a crazy face or singing off-key or yes, dancing around in a chicken suit.  

Fans of Arrested Development will particularly appreciate the chicken reference in the recent "First Birthday" episode, especially the one little ca-caw that Arnett lets out while loading the car.  Lovely to have that comedic flourish cross over to this show, keeping the joke alive on a different channel and time slot.

Arnett and Applegate play new parents, him a former hotshot lawyer, now stay-at-home dad, her the producer of the Oprah-esque show Ava, played by Rudolph.  Generally, Chris, the dad, is laid-back and Regan, the mom, is uptight and controlly about every detail.  Basically, in this show, Arnett plays Joe, and Applegate plays me.  Brilliant casting, right?  In the First Birthday episode I am still thinking about, which you can watch below, Regan refuses to be the Bad Cop, forcing Chris to have to say No, something he's always relied on her to do.

While watching it, I kept thinking, Damn it, that's so true in relationships, and particularly in parenting.  And then when Joe said, out loud, Oh man, we totally did that, then we really laughed even harder.

I'm not saying it's perfect or high art or anything.  And by the way, who cares about high art?  I care about things that make me laugh, simple funny stuff that works.  We've got enough serious shit going down in our lives as it is -- so when a pretty woman puts on a chicken suit and works the dance floor, sometimes that's just what the doctor ordered.  

Enjoy!