Bored to Death
Bored to Death is an American comedy series that ran on HBO from September 20, 2009, to November 28, 2011. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames—a writer based in Brooklyn, New York City, who moonlights as an unlicensed private detective. The show also stars Ted Danson as George and Zach Galifianakis as Ray, both friends of Jonathan. On December 20, 2011, HBO cancelled Bored to Death after three seasons and twenty-four episodes.
For the Blink-182 song, see Bored to Death (song).Bored to Death
"Bored to Death" by Coconut Records
United States
3
24 (list of episodes)
- Jonathan Ames
- Sarah Condon
- Stephanie Davis
- Dave Becky
- Troy Miller
- Tracey Baird
approx. 26 minutes
- Dakota Pictures
- 3 Arts Entertainment
- Fair Harbor Productions
- HBO Entertainment
September 20, 2009 –
November 28, 2011
Production[edit]
Although loosely based in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, the series is shot primarily on location in nearby Fort Greene, Brooklyn.[19]
Reception[edit]
The first season received favorable reviews, and holds a Metacritic score of 64/100, based on 27 reviews.[20] In a Time blog, James Poniewozik praised the "interplay between the low- and high-life of New York" and the casting choices, calling Danson's portrayal of George a "scene-stealing role".[21] Nancy Franklin of The New Yorker determined that "excellent casting and good writing" supported the series.[22] However, in a blog for Chicago Tribune, Maureen Ryan called the story "tedious," although she praised Danson and Galifianakis' performances.[23] Variety's Brian Lowry called the series "too precious and quirky for its own good," instead wishing the series revolved around Danson's character.
Reviews of the second season were favorable. Jennifer Armstrong of Entertainment Weekly said "the charm is in the details" and added that the "genius of Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis" strengthened the program. TIME's Poniewozik wrote positively of the second season.[24]
Following Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bored to Death had an audience retention rating of 92 percent of the total 1.1 million person audience according to Nielsen ratings.
Bored to Death won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Main Title Design, against other nominees including The Pacific and Nurse Jackie.
On December 20, 2011, the day Bored to Death was canceled, petitions on several websites including Facebook started circulating. Jonathan Ames responded to this by stating "It's very sweet. I don't want to discourage it, but I'm embarrassed."[25]
Potential movie[edit]
After much speculation, it was announced in early 2013 that HBO would revive Bored to Death in the form of a feature-length network film. In March 2014, Jonathan Ames announced he was nearly done writing the script.[27] In an interview in August 2015, Ames said he had done two iterations of the script, neither of which was quite right, and planned a third.[28] In an interview in April 2018 however, Ames said that a movie is unlikely to be made, though he was considering rebooting the series as a book.[29]