HBO Does Fort Greene
Did anyone watch “Bored to Death” last night? The Local’s Andy Newman ran an interview with the show’s writer and main character, Jonathan Ames, last week about the process of representing/misrepresenting Brooklyn on international television. Newman and Ames, who live in Park Slope and Boerum Hill respectively, talk about how the show takes place in…
Did anyone watch “Bored to Death” last night? The Local‘s Andy Newman ran an interview with the show’s writer and main character, Jonathan Ames, last week about the process of representing/misrepresenting Brooklyn on international television. Newman and Ames, who live in Park Slope and Boerum Hill respectively, talk about how the show takes place in Fort Greene even though Ames never lived there (the central character lives on South Portland), how the trailer showed only white people despite Fort Greene’s diversity, and Ames’ predilection for the ladies who frequent Smooch Cafe. The interview was light-hearted and full of banter, but some of the topics covered are hot-button issues for Brooklynites. Did anyone see the first episode? How did HBO’s Fort Greene compare to the real thing?
Bored to Death [Official site]
A Sense of (Semi-fictionalized) Place [The Local, NYT]
Ted Danson was fun to watch … rest of it? I will give it another chance.
I was excited to hear about the show initially but then, when it became clear Fort Greene wouldn’t not get much name-placement…well, you know…the shine sort of wore off.
😉
By the way, I didn’t watch it. I am concerned about the representations of the neighborhood I’m reading in people’s comments above. H’mm…
Sardine – That was a serious question. Anything better than this show, with the same kind of humor that you prefer?
I can’t help it that I’m so easily amused.
Dirty hipster,
it has nothing to do with being fussy. i like to watch what i like to watch. i’m just saying why i didn’t like it. it’s not like i’m looking for all the continuity goofs or something.
God – you guys sure are fussy! To all the haters: What do you watch on TV that is sooo much better than this?
thank you Remix, especially since crazypants obviously didnt watch the episode. I hate people who comment without knowing the facts. Oh well everybody has their own reason for posting.
I watched it and was sorely disappointed. I also thought it was Park Slope, not Fort Greene, but whatever. The show just tries way too hard. All the gratuitous cultural references grated on me. Someone already mentioned the strollers at the cafe (which made me think Park Slope), but also the iPhone, Craigslist, the self-hating Jew reference, the slacker friend who doesn’t want a regularly paying job, etc. Very contrived.
It was trying to hard to be clever and it felt empty. Even Jason Schwartzman who I loved in Rushmore didn’t do anything for me. Why is this Brooklyn hipster type interesting anyway? The show certainly doesn’t answer it.
Really? The majority of the episode was filmed in Manhattan. Only 3 scenes in Brooklyn in this go. The opening scene with his girlfriend moving out. He lives above a black family. Then he goes to Smooch and has coffee with his friend. Ever been to Smooch? the demographic portrayed for that store was accurate the first time around, and comedic the next. BTW look behind the strollers and find a totally mixed crowd of mom’s and nannies.
Next time watch the show in it’s entirety before making the typical (that’s not real) comments.
I thought the show was refreshing and funny. I wouldn’t have guessed it was Fort Greene. I thought it was more Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens.