Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Flight of the Conchords | |
|---|---|
 Flight of the Conchords intertitle. |
|
| Genre | Sitcom Musical |
| Created by | James Bobin Jemaine Clement Bret McKenzie |
| Starring | Jemaine Clement Bret McKenzie Rhys Darby Kristen Schaal Arj Barker |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Stu Smiley James Bobin Troy Miller |
| Producer(s) | Anna Dokoza |
| Location(s) | New York City |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | approx. 27 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | HBO |
| Original run | June 17, 2007 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Flight of the Conchords is a television comedy series that follows the adventures of the Flight of the Conchords, a folk duo from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show portrays a fictionalized version of the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who play themselves.
The show was created by James Bobin, Clement, and McKenzie. Bobin serves as the show's main writer and director. The first episode of the series aired on HBO on June 17, 2007.
[edit] Plot
The series revolves around the day-to-day lives and loves of two musicians, Jemaine and Bret (Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, playing fictionalised versions of themselves), who have uprooted themselves from their native New Zealand to try to make it big as a novelty folk duo in New York City. The two have frequent appointments with their band manager, Murray (Rhys Darby), a Deputy Cultural Attaché at the New Zealand consulate, who is overly officious and ineffectual. Jemaine and Bret constantly fend off the amorous attentions of Mel (Kristen Schaal), a married woman who is their sole fan and stalker. Their friend Dave (Arj Barker) works at a pawn shop and gives them advice on dealing with American women and culture. Other recurring characters include their landlord, Eugene (played by Eugene Mirman), Bret's short-term girlfriend Coco (Sutton Foster) and Jemaine and Bret's ex-girlfriend Sally (Rachel Blanchard).
Most episodes revolve around the five main cast members. The antagonists outside of this small group are usually either their girlfriends or Australians (see "Bret Gives Up the Dream", "Sally Returns").
Jemaine or Bret break into song periodically throughout each episode. The songs are built into the narrative structure of the show in several different ways. Some songs form part of the actual plot of the show. In these instances, Bret or Jemaine sings to another character. Other songs serve as the internal monologue of one of the two. Typically, at least once per show, a song is shot in the form of a music video. Some songs use a combination of the styles. For example, in the first episode, "Sally", the song "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" is a mix of Jemaine's inner thoughts, which are inaudible to those around him, and his spoken invitations to Sally to get a kebab and to go back to his place, while the music video for "Business Time" (from "Sally Returns") depicts a daydream that Jemaine is having.
The enthusiastic manner in which the characters express themselves through song is in stark contrast to the very low-key, monotone manner in which the characters express themselves throughout the rest of the show. Thus, when the characters cannot verbalize their feelings, the songs serve as inner monologues and explain the thoughts and feelings they are unable to communicate to others.[1]
[edit] Cast
[edit] Main cast
| Name | Played by | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jemaine Clemaine[2] | Jemaine Clement | Band member. Bret's roommate. |
| Bret McClegnie[2] | Bret McKenzie | Band member. Jemaine's roommate. |
| Murray Hewitt | Rhys Darby | Murray is the band's manager. His day job is Deputy Cultural Attaché at the New Zealand consulate. He has few friends and an on-and-off relationship with his wife. While he is passionate about the band and aspires to be a successful manager, he is largely incompetent in his well-meaning attempts at promoting the Conchords. |
| Mel | Kristen Schaal | Mel is the Conchords' lone fan and stalks them obsessively in pursuit of a romantic liaison despite the fact that she is married to Doug, her former college professor. In the episode "Bowie" it is revealed that she is a Junior Professor of Psychology. In "New Fans" it is implied that she has been through legal trouble for stalking. |
| Dave | Arj Barker | A friend of Bret and Jemaine who works at a pawn shop and dispenses advice. He lives with his parents, though tries to cover it up by pretending they are his roommates. |
[edit] Recurring guest stars
| Name | Played by | Description | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greg | Frank Wood | Murray's assistant at the consulate. In the episode "The Actor", it was suggested that he is Murray's only friend besides Bret and Jemaine. | 101-102, 105-107, 111-112 |
| Eugene | Eugene Mirman | Bret and Jemaine's landlord. | 101-103, 105, 108, 111-112 |
| Doug | David Costabile | Mel's husband. When Doug appears in an episode it is usually because he is driving Mel to a band gig or stalking mission. In the episode "Bowie" it is revealed that he was previously the Senior Professor of Psychology at the university which Mel attended, but was fired and is now unemployed. It's implied in the episode "New Fans" that he and his family had a restraining order against Mel at one point before he married her. | 101-102, 106, 109-110 |
| Coco | Sutton Foster | Bret's girlfriend for several episodes. Bret and Coco meet while working as part-time sign holders. They break up in the "Sally Returns" episode because it's clear that Bret still has feelings for Sally. | 102, 104-105 |
| Sally | Rachel Blanchard | Bret's former girlfriend. She dates Jemaine briefly on two separate occasions, but eventually accepts a marriage proposal from a rich Australian in the episode "Sally Returns". | 101, 105 |
[edit] Other guest stars
| Name | Played by | Description | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinjay | Aziz Ansari | A fruit vendor who discriminates against Bret and Jemaine because he believes they are from Australia. | 107 |
| Greeting Card Company Manager | John Kellogg Hodgman | The manager of the greeting card company with which the Conchords sign a recording contract. | 106 |
| Demetri | Demetri Martin | A keytar player who joins the Conchords after Bret leaves the band. In the end, he joins Todd, the bongo player, and they become famous after forming "The Crazy Dogggz" with the song "The Doggy Bounce" | 112 |
| Todd | Todd Barry | A bongo player who joins Bret and Jemaine as "The Third Conchord". He convinces Jemaine to kick Bret out of the band, but in the end joins Demetri (a keytar player who formed a band with Bret) and becomes famous after forming "The Crazy Dogggz" with the song "The Doggy Bounce". | 112 |
| Ben | Will Forte | An actor the band hires to speak with Murray about a record deal rejection. | 111 |
[edit] Cameo appearances
Several famous people have made a fleeting cameo appearance in various episodes.
| Name | Played by | Description | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club Owner | Kate Pierson | A club owner that turns the band away from a scheduled gig due to their reputation for causing damage. | 109 |
| Club MC | Daryl Hall | The MC of the Tuesday World Music Jam at which the Conchords play. He introduces them as "Flute of the Commodores" and ushers them quickly off stage several bars into "Rock the Party". | 110 |
| Jim | John Turturro | In a scene that runs during the credits, Turturro plays a cop in a fictional Martin Scorsese movie. | 111 |
| Pawn Shop Patron | Judah Friedlander | Judah's character tries to pawn a cake to Dave. | 101 |
[edit] Critical reaction
The show has received a generally positive reaction from critics. The best reviews were from the Detroit Free Press, whose critic described it as "TV's most original and irresistible new comic concoction"[3] and the San Francisco Chronicle, whose reviewer stated that it "may well be the funniest thing you've seen in ages."[4] At the opposite end, the Miami Herald reviewer wrote that it "feels less like a sitcom than a Saturday Night Live sketch stretched out to about six times its shelf-life."[5]
[edit] Episodes
Main article: List of Flight of the Conchords episodes
[edit] Songs
A list of the songs that appear or are mentioned in series one:
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[edit] Second season
On August 17, 2007, HBO announced a second season for Flight of the Conchords, originally set to premiere in 2008[6], but which may be postponed to 2009. Prior to the announcement, Jemaine Clement stated in an interview with The New Zealand Herald, "they [HBO] are interested in doing another series but we have to think about it. It's not a definite offer but they have talked about us starting writing but we've got other things we want to do as well".[7] Bret McKenzie has stated in several interviews that the band has used up "97 percent" of their old songs in the first series. In an interview with The Star Ledger, he said "We'd need some time to develop new material. It's like the second album syndrome. It might take a lot longer".[8] Shortly after the renewal announcement, Clement stated in an interview that the second season would likely consist of fewer than twelve episodes "so they could concentrate on 'quality not quantity'". McKenzie and Clement plan to write for the second season in Wellington, New Zealand, before they return to New York City in 2008 for filming.[9] The band subsequently announced via their official myspace.com blog that the second season is in production and set to premier in January 2009.
[edit] Filming locations
Filming for the series takes place at a variety of locations and landmarks around New York City. Flight of the Conchords has, however, been consistent with its geography with respect to their neighbourhood. Some of the primary locations are listed below. Information on locations specific to particular episodes may be found on the page for that episode.
- Exterior shots of Bret and Jemaine's apartment, for episode 102 onwards, are filmed at 28 Henry Street in the Chinatown area of New York City. Apartment exterior shots for the pilot episode were filmed at a different location further east down Henry Street between Clinton and Montgomery.
- The building that serves as the exterior of the New Zealand consulate is nearby at 232 East Broadway. The real New Zealand Consulate is located approximately four miles uptown at 222 East 41st St in Manhattan.
- Dave's 'pawn shop' can be found just around the corner from the 'consulate' at 10 Montgomery Street.
- Steiner Studios, Brooklyn, New York.[10]
- McGolrick Park, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was used at the setting for a musical montage.
[edit] Recurring themes and running jokes
[edit] Roll callBefore every band meeting, no matter where it is held or how few are present, Murray takes roll-call. Bret and Jemaine are not enthusiastic supporters of this piece of meeting etiquette. Often one or the other refuses to respond. Murray's belief that all meetings must start with a roll call causes confusion in the episode "Bowie", when the card company manager's failure to take a roll-call results in Murray being unaware the meeting has started. [edit] Confusion over nationalityOther characters are commonly confused over Bret and Jemaine's nationality, often mistaking them for Australians or Englishmen. Their best friend Dave also admits to being unclear on the matter and has accused them of having various nationalities including English ("Sally"), Scottish ("Drive By") and Irish ("New Fans"). The whole plot of the episode "Drive By" is centred around the misconception of another character that New Zealanders are Australian. [edit] New Zealand accentSeveral episodes have featured scenes where the flat vowels of the New Zealand accent have caused confusion. In two different episodes, women that Bret was talking to thought his name was 'Brit'. In "Mugged" there is an extended sequence where Dave is confused between the words 'dead' and 'did'. Later in "Mugged" a police woman imitates Jemaine's voice only to have Murray comment "That sounds more like a South African accent". [edit] Australia as nemesisAustralia is featured prominently as a source for the boys' misfortune. In "Bret Gives Up the Dream", the band's performance at a travel expo is outshone by a flashy Australian booth. In "Sally Returns", Jemaine and Bret are dumped by Sally in favor of an Australian suitor. The conflict re-emerges as in the "Drive-By" episode where in the ending credits both Jemaine and Bret are seen "flipping the bird" to the guard outside of the Australian Consulate. This episode also involves Bret and Jemaine as the targets of discrimination, because a fruit vendor believes them to be Australians. [edit] New Zealand cultureNew Zealand culture is depicted as quaint or old-fashioned. For instance, a VHS] tape (which Murray refers to as a DVD -- a "dubbed video dub") from New Zealand television contains an advertisement for the telephone, suggesting that it is still an unfamiliar concept within New Zealand. In "Mugged", Bret tells his mother over the phone that there are "more than four" channels on American television to which she responds "Wow". Characters are often confused about the nature and history of New Zealand. In the episode "Bret Gives Up The Dream", for example, Coco believes that New Zealand has Vikings. Several references are made to the Lord of the Rings movies — filmed there by Peter Jackson — as being the only thing Americans know about New Zealand. He has one line, asking Arwen to come back. Also in the episode "Sally", Murray is seen wearing a New Zealand All Blacks rugby shirt when the band is getting a "camera" from Dave. Finally, in "The Actor" the character Ben refers to New Zealand as a "backward country that no one has ever heard of." [edit] Bret quitting the bandA number of episodes include Bret quitting or getting fired from the band, only to rejoin later. In "Bret Gives up the Dream", Bret is forced out because his job interferes with the band schedule. In "Yoko", he quits in support of his girlfriend, whom Jemaine dislikes. Later in the first series, his fluctuating band status starts to be remarked upon. After Murray quits in "What Goes On Tour", Jemaine says "You can't quit the band. Bret usually quits the band". In the episode "The Third Conchord", Bret is explicitly reminded of his erratic status within the band when he is fired in favor of egotistical bongo player Todd. The obvious irony is that without one of its two members, a duo like Flight of the Conchords can hardly be called a "band," and indeed, in "Bret Gives Up The Dream" we see Jemaine performing live alone, accompanied by a tape player. [edit] Murray's lack of knowledge of musicMurray often accidentally reveals that he knows very little about the music industry. In "Sally" he had to acquire robot costumes for the Robots music video similar to Daft Punk's, but he admitted to not knowing "who he is" (Daft Punk is a duo). When he mentions a good era of Fleetwood Mac, Bret says "Rumours," meaning the album, but Murray says "No, it's all true." When Bret mentions Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album, Murray says "Yeah, he is." Murray uses Wham! as an example of a band that doesn't have girlfriends, though George Michael is openly gay. In "The Third Conchord" he refers to the band "The Police" as "The Policemen," as well as misquoting John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" as "Give Pete a Chance," referring to their open hatred of Todd the bongo player. Murray has mistaken Led Zeppelin for a female band, when requesting that Bret cut his hair. He also consistently books the band for gigs in the middle of the afternoon, even though they would probably do better performing at night. |
[edit] "Rock the Party"Whenever the band is seen actually playing a gig, the song they usually play is "Rock the Party", though this is often cut short, and never shown played in full. The song's chorus is apparently "Who likes to rock the party? We like to rock the party." In Episode Two, Jemaine composes and then later plays a verse of this song (at the New Zealand expo booth). The lyrics he adds here are "All the hotties at the party feeling naughty shake your boobies yeah/All the ladies with their babies make your babies shake their bootees yeah". [edit] Unsuccessful relationships with womenBret and Jemaine are depicted as being clumsy and inexperienced with women. An example is Jemaine's confusion over how to deal with Sally in the pilot episode. In the episode "What Goes On Tour" they are flirted with, and ultimately duped by, the more sophisticated women of a university sports team. In addition, Bret and Jemaine often accompany one another when one goes on a date with a woman. [edit] Mel's obsessionMel is depicted as a stalker with a romantic obsession for the two band members. She is present at every band performance, no matter how insignificant, and is commonly found outside the band's apartment whenever they leave the building. In "The Third Conchord" she feigns innocence over her presence, asking "What are the chances?" Jemaine replies "One in one". [edit] Financial failuresThe band continually fail in their attempts to remedy their poor financial situation. The song "Inner City Pressure" is based on Bret and Jemaine's poverty in the inner city. In "Bret Gives Up the Dream" it is revealed the band had $10, but Murray has spent $6 of their money on a strongbox, leaving them with $4. In "Sally Returns", Murray wants to set up a retirement fund and hearing that people often invest in real estate, buys three stars for $50 each. In "Mugged", Bret refers to only having fifteen dollars in his bank account. In "Bowie", a promising scheme to have their music played in greeting cards emerges, but their naiveté means the band receives just 50 cents in royalties. In "What Goes On Tour", Bret and Jemaine waste their per diems on leather suits instead of "food and necessary items", and blow out the tour expenses with their wastefulness, clumsiness and naïveté with women. [edit] Bret and Mel's t-shirtsBret's wardrobe consists of a variety of t-shirts and sweatshirts with unusual designs, many featuring animals. A number of the shirts make regular appearances including Bret McKenzie's "famous" red and black striped pullover that he has worn many times in "real life" performances. In "The Actor", Bret wears a shirt constructed from an item his character crafted for Sally in a previous episode. The character of Mel also has a set of unique apparel. She is usually shown wearing a different Flight of the Conchords t-shirt in each episode. Mostly these shirts appear to be home-made and often feature candid photos of a surprised Bret and/or Jemaine. [edit] New Zealand tourism postersThe walls in Murray's office have featured a variety of humorous and odd New Zealand tourism posters. Examples include: "New Zealand...it's not part of Australia", "New Zealand: Don't expect too much - you will love it", "New Zealand...Cool", "New Zealand: Just like The Lord Of The Rings!", "New Zealand...Why Not?" and a poster with a photograph of a rocky outcrop superimposed with the slogan "New Zealand...Rocks!!!" [edit] Animals with Bret's headThe show has depicted Bret's head on an animal body in several episodes. In the episode "Sally Returns," Bret makes a painting of Sally and a wolf with Bret's face on it. In the song "Prince of Parties," Bret is seen riding a horse while singing only for the horse to take its head off and have Bret's head revealed as the actual head of the horse. In the episode "Bowie," Bret describes a dream in which he was a guinea pig, only with his own face. [edit] Murray's wifeMurray's somewhat secretive and on-again off-again relationship with his wife are a feature of several episodes in the latter half of season one. She left him when she found someone online as featured in the film clip for the song "Cheer Up Murray". In "What Goes On Tour", he and his wife have gotten back together but she calls him on his mobile to berate him for using money from their savings account to fund the tour. She is clearly not a supporter of his ambitions to become a successful band manager. [edit] CakeCake is repeatedly referenced in the show. Jemaine tries to cheer up Bret by saying "Let's bake a cake" while doing his talking stove routine. In another episode, when Jemaine is bored, Bret tells him to go to Dave's house and bake a cake. Dave rejects a cake that a man tries to pawn at his shop, even though it was a "beautiful cake." [edit] Bret's SpeechesAfter performing Bret will go into a long-winded speech thanking the audience and reminding the audience that they are the Flight of the Conchords. Jemaine usually whispers to Bret to stop, expressing his disapproval with the speeches. On one occasion, in "The Actor", Jemaine corrects Bret on stage that he doesn't thank the fans for coming. |
[edit] International broadcasters
Flight of the Conchords is aired on the following stations around the world:
| Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere |
|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Network Ten | May 11, 2008 |
 Brazil |
HBO | |
 Canada |
Movie Central, The Movie Network | June 17, 2007 |
 Chile |
HBO | |
 Finland |
Canal+ | 2007 |
 France |
TPS Star | March 2008 |
 Hungary |
HBO | March 1, 2008 |
 Iceland |
Stöð 2 | 2008 |
 Mexico |
HBO | |
 New Zealand |
Prime | September 17, 2007[11] |
 Norway |
Canal+ | 2007 |
 Portugal |
FX | 2007 |
 United Kingdom |
BBC Four | September 25, 2007[12] |
 United States |
HBO | June 17, 2007 |
[edit] References
- ^ Behind the scenes preview video from HBO (YouTube)
- ^ a b Vernon, Polly (2008-02-10). The accidental sex gods. The Observer. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ Duffy, Mike (2007-06-15). A GIGGLY FLIGHT OF FANCY: 'Conchords' mixes mirth and music. Detroit Free Press. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ Goodman, Tim (2007-06-15). Musical misfits hoping for their big break. San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Garvin, Glenn (2007-06-17). Weird how Kiwis in the City doesn't work. Miami Herald. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ HBO Orders 2008 Editions Of CONCHORDS & ENTOURAGE!!. Ain't It Cool News (2007-08-17). Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- ^ Baillie, Russell (2007-08-16). Doubles Champ. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2007-08-16). Funny 'Conchords' is ready for takeoff. The Star Ledger. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- ^ Cardy, Tom (2007-08-20). Conchords get second TV series. The Dominion Post. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
- ^ Filming locations for "Flight of the Conchords" (2007) IMDB.com
- ^ New Series - Flight of the Conchords (Prime)
- ^ Official BBC site
[edit] External links
- Official HBO site
- Flight of The Conchords myspace
- Flight of the Conchords (TV series) at the Internet Movie Database
- Official BBC site
- TV series page on 'What the Folk!' fan site
- AV Club interview with Bret McKenzie on the making of the show
- On set video with Eugene Mirman from Kristen Schaal's video blog on Vimeo
- FoTC Reality Tour (map of NYC locations)
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