Flight of the Conchords - The Complete First Season Reviews

• Could have gotten this off my tivo...

  
  By A1KCEA9MI7ZDC9 on 2007-11-07
  First of all: let me start by saying I give the actual show, and these guys 5 stars. This show is hilarious, and I love it.
  The reason I'm only giving the DVD 3 stars is that there are NO extra features AT ALL! Nothing! The stuff on the DVD is exactly what was on TV, no extras, no deleted scenes, no commentaries, no nothing.
  This came as a bit of a disappointment, for a fan who's been awaiting this release so we could get MORE Conchords!
  What about some interviews? Extra footage? Life of Murry? Maybe even a snippet (or perhaps the whole thing) from the appearance they did on HBO's One Night Stand, which was amazing and funny and is available nowhere.
  
  I mean come on... nothing? Really?
  
  So if you've never seen the show, or missed a few episodes, if you do not have HBO and just want to see what you've missed - by all means: I highly recommend this series.
  
  If like me, you have HBO, a DVR, and have seen all the episodes, maybe even more than once, then... you might be a bit disappointed.
  
  But hey, at least we can get the subtitles in like three different languages.
  
  
  

• Hilarious new hbo show. Why? Why? Could you please be more constructive with your criticism, please.

  
  By AN8M401S8Y6DA on 2007-07-09
  The show follows the lives of a two man digi-folk band from New Zealand who frequently bust out into song. Bret McKenzie (ryhmenosaurus) and Jemaine Clement (Hiphoppopotamus) are the two members of this hilarious duo who move to New York in hopes of being discovered. The other regulars on the show are their equally funny band manager Murray who's real job is working at the New Zealand consulate, their one obsessive fan or fan period Mel who is the president, treasurer, and secretary of their fan club, and Dave, Bret and Jemaine's friend and advisor
  
  It's hard to describe how Flight of the Conchords is so funny in the same way it's hard to describe how certain faces Dwight, Jim, Or Pam make to the camera on The Office are funny. There accents and mannerisms alone are hilarious.
  
  I'd recommend checking out HBO's website click on Flight of the Conchords and check out the lyrics to some of the songs on different episodes, also funny stuff.
  I think fans of Seinfeld, The Office, and This is Spinal tap will really enjoy and anyone who gets subtle humor, looking for something fresh.
  
  Flight of the Conchords airs Sundays on HBO at 10:30 following Entourage.
  Episode guide so far.
  
  It's already starting to get quoted on Sportscenter.
  
  You can also purchase there cd on Amazon as well it is called The Distant Future and has 5 tracks, a full cd will be released early in 2008, only 5$, a good deal, here are the tracks.
  1. Business Time
  2. If You're Into It
  3. Crying
  4. Beautiful Girl - (live, live)
  5. Robots - (live, live)
  
  Season 1 Episodes
  
  01 Sally -
  Jemaine dates Bret's old girlfriend and goes into a song about she's hot enough to be a part time model or a high class prostitute. Bret works on his helmet made of hair.
  
  02 Bret Gives up the Dream -
  Murray kicks Bret out of the band because he missed a gig and because they have his part on cassette. Bret focuses on his job holding signs instead and meets a new girl and sings a reggae song to her.
  
  03 Mugged-
  Murray refuses to get gigs at night because it's to dangerous. Bret and Jemaine get mugged. Jermaine has abandonment issues because Bret left him with the muggers caught on the fence.
  
  04 Yoko-
  Jemaine is jealous of Bret's girlfriend and thinks she's trying to spit up the band and likens her to Yoko her name is Cocoa. Jermaine works on a song about her "Black haired lady queen, dabbling in art, i won't let the she-wolf tear us apart. Mel gets jealous. Peace is made with a song about love sticking together like the tape the tape of love, ooh the sticky stuff.
  
  05 Sally Returns-
  Jermaine tries to get back with Sally but he needs to find his own place first so he rents out a cleaning closet in a nice apartment building which Murray refers to as a compartment. Jemaine and Bret battle for Sally.
  
  06 Bowie - "Do they smoke grass in space Bowie, or do they smoke Astroturf "?
  While doing a photos shoot Bret gets body issues and gets help from David Bowie in some "freaky" dreams to give Bret advice such as wearing an eye patch. Jemaine writes a song to cheer him up called "Bret you got it going on". **One of the funniest episodes**
  
  07 Drive by - Jemaine and Bret have a bit of a race war. Murray falls in love with the girl from tech support.
  
  08 Girlfriends - Bret and Jemaine get girlfriends. The roles of guy and girl get reversed as Bret is pressured into sex and told if he doesn't give it up she might not be able to have children, also that she is in Delta Force and being shipped out.
  
  09 What Goes on Tour - Using the band's "emergency fund," Murray organizes a warm-up tour in preparation for a big gig in Central Park.
  
  10 New Fans - The guys do a gig at a bar featuring world music and acquire two new fans much to Mel's dismay who think they just want sex.
  
  11 The Actor - The guys hire an actor to pretend to be a record executive and give him some good compliments while letting him down to boost his self esteem, but the actor goes to far and offers them millions that he doesn't have.
  
  12 The Third Conchords - Murray hires a bongo player Todd to join the band while at the dentist and high on Novocaine, Bret and Jemaine but heads with Todd.
  
  Thanks for reading and hope the Info helps, albeit a bit thrown together as I tried to update as I watched the season and heard things on the series.
  
  

• Great Series, but no extras on the discs

  
  By A3P7REZ73LQEY2 on 2007-11-08
  I'm sitting here, feeling just ever so slightly empty.
  
  "Flight of the Conchords - The Complete First Season" arrived last night, pried from the cold, clammy embrace of Amazon.com into my loving grasp due to a pre-order fixation I have when it comes to television offerings I find life-affirming.
  
  "Flight of the Conchords" was easily my sole Must-See TV show of the past twelve months. To those inclined to listen, I describe the HBO series as what would happen if you gave Wes Anderson a sitcom, and told him "by the way...also make it a musical."
  
  Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have been performing as Flight of the Conchords ("New Zealand's fourth most popular folk-rock act") for several years now, but it took the 12-episode series to throw me head over heels in love with the brilliant, dry wit that seems to flow so effortlessly from much of their material. If you're not familiar with their music, a quick pop over to YouTube will lead you to dozens of clips, both performed live and from the show itself.
  
  Songs like "Beautiful Girl" and "Jenny" (the latter not used on the sitcom) are terrifically well written. The ease with which Bret and Jemaine throw off lines like "Looking 'round the room/I can see that you/Are the most beautiful girl in the..." (pause) "...room..." (pause again) "...In the whole wide...room" with impeccable timing is really quite remarkable. But these aren't throwaway tunes: the music itself is crafted with sure pop precision. Give them some sappy lyrics instead of their hilariously deadpan ones, and the licks and hooks of either song would surely make them hits for some faceless rockster who took life far more seriously than the Conchords ever would.
  
  What really defined the show, though, was the surreality with which the songs were slipped into the episodes. New and inventive, many segues were great to watch simply for their own sake. The addictive faux-French pop of "Foux De Fa Fa," for example, begins when Jemaine simply asks for a croissant at a New York Ciy bakery, and dissolves into a dayglo world of 60s/70s Paris the moment he repeats the order. Fabulous.
  
  The Conchords' "naifs in New York" schtick works well for them, and isn't a huge stretch from the calculated cluelessness of their on-stage personas. The opening dialog of the first episode neatly set the tone for nearly everything that was to follow:
  
  Jemaine: Man, back in New Zealand I was getting it on with lots of chicks.
  
  Bret: Who?
  
  Jemaine: Well, ah, Sarah Fitzpatrick...Michelle Fitzpatrick...Claire Fitzpatrick... the list goes on.
  
  Bret: That was all of them.
  
  Jemaine: Well, triple figures.
  
  Bret: No that's not triple figures. That's three.
  
  Supported by equally off-kilter secondary characters (Mel, who makes up their entire "fan-base"; Murray, their manager; Dave, their best friend), the Conchords created a series that was innovative, quirky and hilarious. In short, I almost yelped with glee when I found out the series was renewed for a second season.
  
  Sure, a few notes fell flat every now and then. But ten of the twelve episodes remained on my Tivo long after they crammed my Tivo's memory to the bursting point (Yes, I was cheap when I first got into Tivo, and unwisely bought their least expensive model. Steam-powered, I believe, my machine has the hard drive capacity of shiny new penny).
  
  Hence, picking up the First Season DVDs meant I could empty my Tivo and finally record, say, something more substantial than the occasional Long John Silver's commercial.
  
  It was with no small amount of geeky glee that I feverishly ripped open the package yesterday, wanting to pop it right into the player to surprise the Lovely and Talented Judith when she got home. (We also finally installed the ice-maker in the freezer, but I thought the Conchords should take top billing for the day's achievements.)
  
  Yet, minutes after looking quickly through it...and playing it just to make sure...the collection left me gutted, if only in a teeny, tiny disappointed whiny fanboy kind of way. The way you really never want to get because of a mere DVD.
  
  To the point: there's not a single extra on either CD.
  
  Let me repeat that: not...one...single...extra.
  
  No commentaries. Not interviews. Not even a single song from the "One Night Stand" special the duo did for HBO, which, goodness knows, they should have had the rights to toss in there. Even Mel's video blog, updated regularly on the web site, could have been chucked in there as a bone. C'mon, guys...we're dying for new material here!
  
  Of course, the situation was actually worse with another DVD I'd recently been anticipating: "Anthony Bourdain No Reservations," which not only contains nary a single extra, but on its four (!) discs offers a scant eight episodes - not even a full season's worth! Now, if there's anyone's commentary I'd love to hear, it would be Bourdain's behind-the-scenes takes. In the immortal (and somewhat appropriate) words of Bluebottle, however, there's not a sausage.
  
  Do entertainment companies owe us extras? Have we become so spoiled by the likes of "The Lord of the Rings" that we unrealistically expect more, more MORE from each and every new release? Does our Supersize Culture extend to expectations that our DVDs, likewise, should be bloated with bonus footage?
  
  Lord knows, there have been releases where I could have done without the "deleted scenes." I mean, let's face it: for the most part, they were deleted for a reason.
  
  Still, I'd have appreciated even a modicum more thought behind the DVD of a show as fresh and original as "Flight of the Conchords."
  
  So here I sit, enjoying every second of what's on the discs, yet wishing there was more. Loving the duo that created such classic bits as "Business Time" and "Boom King," yet also -- as has been already stated -- feeling ever so slightly heartbroken.
  
  And wondering what it is we should realistically expect from entertainers we give our hearts and/or minds -- if even only occasionally, at any rate -- to.
  
  

• Not Worth it

  
  By A1RHM2AZWXNAB7 on 2007-12-11
  Despite plenty of possible extras to include on the DVD (previous HBO specials, MTV specials, BBC radio program, + more) HBO included NOTHING in this DVD package except the episodes themselves. No commentaries. Nothing. It's a waste unless you haven't seen the show before, in which case you're in for a treat.
  
  

• Extremely Funny and Appealing

  
  By A3MWOHJ2472D2R on 2007-08-14
  I am someone with a low tolerance for weird or silly things, and I didn't expect to love this show - I was watching with my husband who had seen them before on television and wanted to see it. Flight of the Conchords is extremely funny - the wry sense of humor and excellent writing make up for the lack of reality. The three main characters, Jemaine, Bret and Murray are so sweet and earnest and appealing that I look forward to seeing the show each week and will definitely buy the DVD.
  
  
• After Da Ali G. Show, Who Knew I Could Find Love Again
  By AQKKQ6L7Q9YJS on 2007-08-14
  Wasn't expecting much from HBO comedy after Ali G. I mean, how could you possibly compare or compete with Da Ali G Show? I never thought I could fall in love all over again but guess what? These virtually unknown guys known as Jermaine and Brett have me laughing every week and also groovin' to their music. The show is so funny - even the opening credits are funny. These guys are truly amazing and they make it all look so effortless. Part of me hopes they stay unknown so we fans can have them to ourselves but they are just too good. These guys will become well known soon enough. Love you Brett!
  
  
• NO DVD EXTRAS ???
  By A1GTFYV3SW33NQ on 2007-11-06
  While this show is one of the funniest I've seen - it makes me super bummed that this dvd set is devoid of extras. HBO really blew it with this. I had these all on Tivo in Hi-Def and should've kept them there.
  
  BUT - the redeeming factor is that, this show is a bit of an underdog - so to purchase it would send a message that we definitely need MORE FOTC. So I bought it anyway.
  
  
• Classic first couple of episodes
  By A2UDVA5ZBC88LZ on 2007-09-14
  For $20, this is hard to beat. The first four episodes of the show are among the funniest I have seen on tv. The cool thing is that even though the show is on HBO, rarely do Jemaine and Bret use profanity or lewd humor. Instead, they remain innocent and likeable, which is one of the main attractions to the show. I wish I could give season one 5 stars, but unfortunately, as if they started to run out of material, the show began to bottom out and became less and less funny (although still creative).
  
  
• Conchords in full flight
  By A3PNWIQU0ALUT0 on 2007-09-08
  I am really not a huge television watcher, never tune into a particular show every week...that is until now. Sunday night you will now find me on my couch watching HBO. From the first to the last episode, Flight of the Conchords has never ceased to entertain me. A very different type of humor than your usual comedies, yet a very awkward and odd humor that everyone, including myself, will quickly enjoy
  
  
• Just the TV episodes.
  By A38E4CP5PPTARE on 2007-11-07
  There is so much Flight of the Conchords video out there that COULD have been on this set (just look on YouTube), and while I didn't expect any of the non-US stuff, I thought perhaps A Texan Odyssey would be licensed and included. But to not include their HBO special? I mean, jeez.
  
  
• Motherflippin' Amazing
  By A18OOOND3PCTRB on 2007-09-13
  I stumbled on this show while channel surfing late one night (it was episode 7) and I haven't laughed that hard in such a long time. Every episode is hilarious and the songs are so catchy and clever, I always fine myself humming them, I can only assume the DVD will be just as awesome.
  
  
• Flight of the Condors
  By A2XOF3LYCM69S8 on 2007-06-28
  I saw this act on Late Night with Conan O'Brian. They were great! I would recommend this duo for others who enjoy humorous antdotal music.
  
  
• Who's the boom king???
  By A17V1TD1QR1Z02 on 2007-09-25
  These guys are the reason I started watching television again. I really hope there is a second season in the works.
  
  
• yawn to all hipsters
  By A153B4IKNDUW3U on 2007-11-06
  may appeal to the hipsters who move into ethnic communities and drive up rents, but this left me bore bored bored. get entourage or the comeback instead.
  
  
• Better than HBO...
  By AL6X6LO79GZLB on 2007-11-12
  We fell in love with the Conchords on HBO...were happy to see that the first season came out so quickly on DVD. The lack of DVD extras was a bit of a downer, but we quickly noticed that the episodes on the DVDs are uncut with more jokes... likely, as Bret and Jemaine had initially intended.
  
  If you're a die-hard fan, you'll like the DVD versions better. Some extra dvd extras would've been nice, but the additonal footage (albeit subtle) made these dvds a good purchase.
  
  
• woman obsessed
  By A1PJMPKDCBVRC0 on 2007-09-28
  I love this show!!! Since Aressted Development was cancelled and The Office is on summer hiatus, Flight of the Conchords has beed a breath of fresh air. It's a great combination of high and low brow humor. Their songs are hilarious, how can one resist singing along with "Inner City Pressure" or "Albi the racist dragon". Every episode is great, hopefully next season will be a spectacular, although I'm not sure how they can top Sellotape or Leggy Blonde
  
  
• A Must-Have for the Discerning Folk-Parody Fan
  By AFKEFE1JCKR4L on 2007-10-03
  I have watched every episode of this wonderful HBO series probably 15+ times (through the joy of On Demand) and still want the DVD for my very own. The combination of dry, clever wit and hilarious, innovative music parody is perfect.
  
  Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie (the real-life and TV-ized FotC), along with James Bobin, have created a charming, sweet look at two naive Kiwis trying to make it as a band in NYC, throwing in just enough raunch and innuendo to make it appetizing to Americans.
  
  The Conchords wisely surrounded themselves with a wide array of NY comics who pop up in just about every episode: their best friend, Dave (the beautifully off-color Arj Barker); their lone fan (played perfectly by Kristen Schaal); their gorgeously intrusive landlord (Eugene Mirman); and special appearances by the likes of John Hodgman, Demetri Martin, Todd Barry, and Will Forte (the weakest appearance, but still in a great episode).
  
  Their band manager, Murray (the lustrous-haired Rhys Darby), deserves his own paragraph. Rhys steals just about every scene he is in. He and the Conchords have a great chemistry and play well off each other. His band roll call never gets old.
  
  Woven throughout their rather mundane (but entertaining to the viewer) existence are music videos, most exhibiting the actors' inner dialogs. While it may sound a little hokey, the transitions from reality to music and back are expertly done for the most part.
  
  Dry, sometimes quirky humor may not appeal to everyone, but if it appeals to you, you should check this out!
  
  
• One of the funniest shows this year
  By A1OE0V4VV7DD51 on 2007-10-01
  I can honestly say it was in the top 3....best shows of this year. Good stuff.
  
  
• Impossibly and improbably hysterical
  By A2QAAAFE42I22G on 2007-10-06
  The premise is good to start, but not great nor terribly original. What makes this a brilliant show is the understated nature of the two stars and the transformation of their personalities when they break out into song. The music is well-written and quite varied in style and genre, the acting first-rate and the scripts beyond clever.
  
  Dry, wry, witty and just downright fun. Buy it. Watch it. Listen.
  
  
• Greatest comedy on T.V.
  By A2I0A01S9TL5VD on 2007-10-15
  What a hilarious show! I am continually impressed by the quality of programming that HBO airs. Flight of the Conchords is my new favorite comedy. I have been telling everyone to pre-buy this DVD. Bret and Jermaine hit the ball out of the park and I cant wait for next season. Do yourself a favor and purchase this, you wont regret it!
  
  
• No extras? Why?
  By A29H4KC75GDXHD on 2007-11-16
  Five stars for the show, zero stars for the disappointment in discovering that the set has zilch in terms of extras. C'mon HBO! Will there be a Super Deluxe Mega Fan Club Edition next month that will cost me even more?! There are more goodies on the HBO website than in this package. I'm a big fan of the guys, but I feel ripped off.
  
  
• You can watch this show over and over again...it's great!!
  By A11TGTR9YKAEE2 on 2007-10-03
  I am reserving a copy of the first season. I watched the whole first season on HBO On-Demand. I have seen every episode several times and it's still funny every time. If you have a hectic day, watching the Flight of the Conchords will definitely make you chuckle and take your mind off the hustle and bustle.
  
  
• Great show - funny, clever, witty - hilarious
  By AQCZ9STOE1MTQ on 2007-10-10
  If you haven't seen this show you HAVE to check it out. It's probably not for everyone b/c the humor isn't usually smack you in the face or slapstick humor. The songs are straight up funny, but most of the other laughs simply come from the interaction between Murray, Bret, and Jemaine. They are clueless in the ways of the world thinking that leather suits, goatees (Murray doesn't like it but he thinks it makes him more "rock and roll" which caused Jemaine to tell Murray he looked like a goat), and getting whacked-off on drugs are cool. You can always get wardrobe tips from Bret and what animals sweatshirts to wear. Or ask Jemaine about Business Socks.
  
  
• It's Business Time!
  By A27TX57MN0GZNQ on 2007-10-31
  What else can you say? This is one of the reasons to have HBO. It's a simple premise executed cleverly and with original musical parody score to boot! It's the New York experience from outsiders living inside, it's embarrassing failed romances, it's the struggle, it's the show to watch and it's the DVD to buy.
  
  
• Huhhhh?
  By A3E028GP8DHQK2 on 2007-11-07
  2 beat nicks from NewZealand;
  
  These dudes ain't hip; ha-ha?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• simply my new favorite show
  By A1BBEUD344QIR7 on 2007-11-15
  There are not many shows out there that get my 5 star stamp of approval. I purchased the DVD without ever hearing of the show. However, I do trust that if it is an HBO series, it will probably be good.
  Wow! I watched the entire 12 episodes in one weekend. I am now in the process of watching them all again. I laughed hard through EVERY episode. I have never experienced this type of humor before. Bret (pronounced "Britt" with their New Zealand accents), and Jermaine are truly magnificent, and I really enjoyed their characters instantly. But the person that really ties a lot of the humor together is their manager, Murray! Murray is the BEST. Pick this up if you like to laugh hard. This show is great, but you have to see it for yourself. It's difficult to explain why it's so funny. You just have to trust HBO. It's my new favorite show. When is season 2 coming out!
  
  
• Ugh.
  By A375H588WTKEHM on 2007-11-15
  If your idea of a great TV show is a couple of thin beardy fellows wandering around and singing cute, neverending parody songs about whatever strikes their fancy, then this is the show for you. If, however you are not a twentysomething white hipster - you might find this fairly pointless and sometimes obvious show a real snoozer. It's a whole bunch of "that funny guy" from a party, and ultimately not that great.
  
  
• Awesome Show...Pity about the DVD
  By A2O4SU29RUNWHX on 2007-12-01
  There is no doubt that this is an awesome show, it just disappoints me that there are no extras, just the straight episodes produced on cheaply made DVD discs with what looks like a rushed DVD menu. Buy this if you love the show like I do but don't expect anything more than what you saw on TV.
  
  
• Funny!
  By A2PR3AYF6XCMAE on 2007-12-07
  This is one of the most original and funny comedies I have seen in a very long time. I've only bought two tv series ever on DVD, this and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The two characters are very off the wall. A few of the 12 episodes are not 5 star, but most of them are...very funny. Their off-kilter humor is fantastic. This is for people who like Letterman type humor...not Leno! They are actually decent musicians, and although their songs are enjoyably silly, some of them will stay in your head. I liked this enough that I am thinking of giving it to my friends who trust my advice on homour this Christmas!
  
  
• One of the funniest shows I have ever seen!
  By A3U5E8SQQA1UED on 2007-12-26
  I had heard so much about the show and always wanted to watch it but I did not have HBO. When I saw it was coming out on dvd I immediately knew I had to buy it. As soon as I started watching the show I could not stop...I finished the entire season by the next day! This show is absolutely genious and one of the funniest shows I have ever seen in my life! I recommend anyone and everyone to watch it...you will not regret it!
  
  

• The Distant Future
• Flight of the Conchords
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1 & 2
• Eagle vs. Shark
• 30 Rock - Season 1