Ricky Gervais Show (Season 2)
Season premiere 1/14 9pm HBO
http://www.hbo.com/the-ricky-gervais-show/

Karl Pilkington: An Idiot Abroad
Season premiere 1/22, 10:00pm Science Channel
Special preview at 9:30pm
http://sky1.sky.com/an-idiot-abroad

Hooray!

[Edited on January 14, 2011 at 8:56 PM. Reason : !]

1/14/2011 8:54:03 PM

I haven't been watching but is this still just animation of the old radio show episodes? I've listened to those episodes so many times that I'm not sure if I want to invest the time unless there is new content.

1/14/2011 11:05:44 PM

Hey guys.. what's up?

1/14/2011 11:23:26 PM

Hey guy!

Yeah I dunno if it's more from the old radio show or not. I could tell by the new episode that they're throwing a little more money at the animation.

1/15/2011 7:51:03 AM

Could you tell by the pixels?

1/15/2011 12:34:14 PM

I'm kind of intrigued by An Idiot Abroad...might have to check it out.

1/15/2011 12:39:59 PM

i was almost ready to go hunt down some dvds or rips of An Idiot Abroad and then i saw the commercials.... i'm excited for that.

1/15/2011 3:30:18 PM

I just didn't love Idiot Abroad like I thought I would. It seems like it has a couple of REALLY funny moments per episode, and I guess it's worth watching, especially if you're already familiar with Karl Pilkington, but actually watching the episodes seemed a bit slow and drug out at too many places for me.

1/15/2011 6:47:49 PM

I am so excited about an idiot abroad. The podcasts were some of the funniest things ever.

1/15/2011 8:15:05 PM

Good stuff so far... Just rewatched the special and the first episode... It would have been great to see the odd foods guy with Karl when he was in the chinese market

1/29/2011 9:25:58 PM

I just discovered An Idiot Abroad, I have a new show on my DVR lineup now.

"it's starting to smell a bit Chinese-y now . . a bit of sweet and sour"

2/3/2011 7:00:19 AM

^ this is way funnier I think than the Ricky Gervais show with Carl.

I don't think the guy is an idiot, I think that's kind of a misnomer, but I can't quite put my finger on what's "different" about him.

2/5/2011 8:39:00 PM

It definitely irks me how Gervais and Merchant act like they're fucking geniuses and Karl is a complete moron...they aren't as smart as they think they are and Karl isn't as dumb as they make him out to be.

2/5/2011 8:52:26 PM

^ a lot of that seems to be for show, but i almost feel like using that angle hurts viewership than helps it.

2/5/2011 8:55:54 PM

this episode to israel and jordan is pretty funny.. kinda surprised me when ricky just came out and told him that he was suffering for the viewers' amusement

good stuff overall though

2/5/2011 10:42:10 PM

Just randomly caught an episode of Idiot Abroad, it's pretty funny, I like it

2/6/2011 12:32:54 AM

Quote :

"but I can't quite put my finger on what's "different" about him."

I think it's just that he's a regular guy that just speaks his mind rather than keeping things to himself. He's able to put a funny spin on it though. Gervais and Merchant are kind of "known" for their witty comedy which is in stark contrast to Carl's observational humor. I just watched the China episode last night though and I did find it hilarious that one of Carl's major concerns was that he'd go to China and develop a taste for toad then come back and not be able to find any.

2/6/2011 12:50:32 PM

i saw an idiot abroad yesterday at TroopofEchos's house. i think it's hilarious. it sucks that we don't get the science channel though.

maybe i'll buy episodes on itunes. is there anywhere to watch it for free that's not a torrent or something?

2/6/2011 1:26:33 PM

It can't be too difficult to find some streams of the episodes.

2/7/2011 9:10:26 AM

An Idiot Abroad is amazing

2/13/2011 1:45:33 AM

i guess i have base tastes, b/c my favorite parts are when he chokes on something, like the frog or the worm, or when he is terrified, like w/ the fireworks. good stuff.

2/13/2011 1:19:49 PM

oh yes, I was rolling when he was running from the fireworks and from the bull

2/13/2011 9:28:57 PM

the India episode is killing me right now

2/21/2011 10:28:45 PM

Karl Pilkington is funnier than Ricky Gervais

2/21/2011 11:47:45 PM

Tried to watch this shit and it didn't meet the hype in this thread. I got a chuckle or two, but overall, its jackass style humor at best.

Plus, it's got that mean bent to it, where Gervais is abusing and making fun of this moron....just seemed so mean.

Meh.

Will not continue watching...

2/22/2011 11:20:49 AM

Quote :

"jackass style humor at best."

Uhh did we watch the same show?

2/22/2011 12:58:00 PM

^^ yeh, there's absolutely nothing 'jackass' about this show. the only thing I can imagine that you're referring to is his consumption of the cow penis in saturday's episode. that was done to show his lack of adventure in trying regional foods-- not to gross people out.

i think this show is an incredibly smart, accurate depiction of the realities of culture shock that are so often missing from most travel shows that glorify every aspect of foreign travel

2/22/2011 1:17:35 PM

Well, I watched the Mexico version, which was basically scheduling these ridiculous activities to make this moron as uncomfortable as possible.

I mean the scenes were shooting fireworks at him, him getting stomped at wrestling, eating tequila worms, and being put in a ring with a bull.

The humor was in how he reacted to each situation, which basically was him performing terribly and then being very afraid/tired/hurt/etc.

It's jackass style humor...where when the idiot falls down, the teenage-minded audience laughs. It's funny at first, but it loses me before very long.

Maybe it was just that episode...but I failed to see anything incredibly smart about it...it just seemed mean spirited. I mean Gervais even says that the humor is this idiot in a corner being poked by a stick, and he is that stick.

For example, in the bull-riding part, they actually have a shock-stick for the bulls and are chasing and teasing this moron with it.

Thats SOOOOOO incredibly smart and subtle and accurate of traveling places.

2/22/2011 1:27:13 PM

Quote :

"the teenage-minded audience laughs"

watch some more episodes and holla back

2/22/2011 1:43:58 PM

"jackass style humor"

lol. not at all.

Karl Pilkington makes a lot of money. do not feel bad for him.

2/22/2011 1:56:03 PM

I'll try another episode, but I want someone to explain to me how this isn't jackass humor.

The funny parts of the Mexico show were:

-him eating a tequila worm and almost vomiting for a few minutes. Gagging, and dry heaving along he way...

-him getting chased by a bull and then backed into a corner with a cattle prod while he begged just to go home.

-taking him to a fireworks parade where he was runs and hides from the demonstrations.

-putting him into a wrestling ring to get pounded by pros and laughed at for being unathletic.

2/22/2011 2:05:15 PM

^
Are you watching with the sound off or something? The whole point of the show is to see travel through someone who hates traveling (Karl). It's about his unusual thought process, how he deals with situations that are uncomfortable to him, and his growth as a person, through experiencing other cultures. Ricky claims it's a giant practical joke, but Stephen's perspective is much different, which balances it out.

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 2:20 PM. Reason : .]

2/22/2011 2:18:12 PM

Try the Jordan episode or the China episode. Both of those are a bit more "serious" than the Mexico episode. And they make the point of the show a bit more explicit for viewers who can't accept the fact that funny shows can also be thought-provoking and poignant

2/22/2011 2:34:45 PM

I like this show but calling it smart is a bit of a stretch, especially when Ricky and Stephen reveal themselves as only slightly less ignorant about foreign cultures than Karl.

2/22/2011 2:39:53 PM

^ I don't mean "smart" in terms of being cultured and being able to effectively navigate foreign landscapes. It's smart because it provides a different perspective on foreign travel than is typically captured on television and other media. In reality, people are often very ignorant of foreign cultures and very uncomfortable in foreign countries. I think the show does a really effective job of exploring this experience in an entertaining and thought-provoking way.

2/22/2011 2:45:39 PM

^^
"Smart" by what measure? It certainly has a lot of thought-provoking moments.



[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 2:47 PM. Reason : ^ right]

2/22/2011 2:46:55 PM

the chinese bathroom was hilarious

2/22/2011 2:54:03 PM

Quote :

"In reality, people are often very ignorant of foreign cultures and very uncomfortable in foreign countries. I think the show does a really effective job of exploring this experience in an entertaining and thought-provoking way."

I think it's often entertaining but rarely thought-provoking. I mean it could have been a brilliant discourse on cultural relativism, but a lot of the time it just seems like they pick things for Karl to do that will irritate him rather than picking things to do that are culturally relevant or significant.

2/22/2011 2:56:48 PM

Quote :

"it could have been a brilliant discourse on cultural relativism"

Yeah, but then it wouldn't be funny. I think it has a nice balance.

2/22/2011 3:06:05 PM

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. If Gervais and Merchant weren't busy working on other projects, they could have put the time in on this to make it great. I don't think it's a stretch to say this show has a good deal of unfulfilled potential.

2/22/2011 3:14:06 PM

the things that Karl says are the funniest part of the show to me. he has a very unique and hilarious view of the world around him.

2/22/2011 3:49:35 PM

Yeah his constant whinging always cracks me up as does the complete anxiety-riddled crap that floats through his brain and makes it's way out of his mouth

2/22/2011 9:36:48 PM

The egypt episode was great. The deaf KFC was good.

3/2/2011 11:22:32 PM

a friend of mine just told me about this show - and i'm watching it right now

hilarious

3/5/2011 9:51:08 PM

watching now, pretty funny stuff, innit?

[Edited on March 5, 2011 at 10:36 PM. Reason : .]

3/5/2011 10:35:49 PM

I just found out about this show earlier this week (AIA), freakin awesome

3/5/2011 10:36:01 PM

finished up the series today... I really enjoyed him in India but every episode was so good. I'd really like to see another season of this

3/13/2011 10:08:13 PM

just saw there is going to be a 2nd season, Idiot Abroad: Bucket List. DEEEEEEEECEEEEENT

3/13/2011 10:42:32 PM

my girlfriend and I have had a great time watching An Idiot Abroad

3/13/2011 11:20:28 PM

awesomely good show, I'd personally love to see Fool's Gold, thatd be hilarious

3/13/2011 11:28:21 PM