Miracle Workers - Steve Buscemi is God

[Small Man Big Horse]

That's not me over praising Buscemi by the way, he actually plays God in this new show which sees him as a rather petty deity who decides he can't be arsed with humanity anymore and so plans to destroy the Earth. Fortunately for us Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan are two angels intent on saving us all and so they bet God they can answer an impossible prayer and if they do so mankind will be saved. And if they don't Viswanathan has to eat a worm, because Buscemi's God really is a puerile dick sometimes. It's been given fairly mixed reviews but I liked it a lot, they have a lot of fun with the concept, Buscemi is on top form, and the plot line in the second episode where God wants to kill Bill Maher really made me laugh a lot, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.

[kidsick5000]

Sounds okay. The first Ep is free on US iTunes so will give it a go.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

The Abraham Lincoln stuff was gold.

[NoSleep]

My two favourite TV critics (SMBH & AFK) like it, so I'll have to take a look.

[Small Man Big Horse]

My two favourite TV critics (SMBH & AFK) like it, so I'll have to take a look.

That's awfully kind of you to say, and I've always admired your taste in tv a great deal too.

[NoSleep]

Sometimes it's almost just you, AFK & myself in the threads of some pretty damn good shows. It's been happening frequently in the last couple of months. For years really.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Sometimes it's almost just you, AFK & myself in the threads of some pretty damn good shows. It's been happening frequently in the last couple of months. For years really.

I've noticed that too, and always wondered why more people aren't in to US comedy. Or don't comment on it at least, I know the Jon Glaser Loves Gear thread has more posters than a lot of threads but a lot of people pm'd me for download links of the first couple of episodes of season 2 before it started turning up on Rarbg, but then never posted in the thread itself.

[Alberon]

I did catch the first episode of Miracle Workers last week, thought it was good, and then promptly forgot about it.

I'll have to go find the second episode.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I thought the second episode was even better, so I hope you enjoy it.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Sometimes it's almost just you, AFK & myself in the threads of some pretty damn good shows. It's been happening frequently in the last couple of months. For years really.

Hey, you and SMBH have been my references. If it works that way, we may have all separately recommended terrible shows that nevertheless became favourites due to the other two guys following the suggestion and building on it in some kind of closed circuit. I'll try to check.

(25 minutes later)

Now, I see it. We are wrong. "At Home with Amy Sedaris" is actually some seriously unfunny crap.

[NoSleep]

My eyes have been opened.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Finale is next week.

Episode 6 did a lot to flesh out God's character, including an interesting series of cameos involving a few actors usually connected to Tina Fey productions. The series has been a little too much on the cutesy side, but still quite enjoyable.

[McFlymo]

Yeah, I feel I miss out on a lot of new US stuff because of finding it hard to grab it, online.

I recently got 2 separate passive aggressive emails from Virgin for downloading films and haven't figured out how to hide my IP / traffic through my torrent app. Maybe I need to get into this VPN stuff, but always found them pretty laggy and unreliable in the past.

Sorry to derail the thread, but I have seen some recommendations on here for stuff that looks great, but I guess I get too lazy to chase after them.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Finale is next week.

Episode 6 did a lot to flesh out God's character, including an interesting series of cameos involving a few actors usually connected to Tina Fey productions. The series has been a little too much on the cutesy side, but still quite enjoyable.

I'm still enjoying it a lot, it could be a bit more twisted or vicious but it makes me laugh a fair bit and I hope it comes back for a second season, I was surprised when I discovered it was only going to be seven episodes. I'm glad they've fleshed out God too, he seemed too stupid at times but after his interactions with his family he's much more likeable.

Yeah, I feel I miss out on a lot of new US stuff because of finding it hard to grab it, online.

I recently got 2 separate passive aggressive emails from Virgin for downloading films and haven't figured out how to hide my IP / traffic through my torrent app. Maybe I need to get into this VPN stuff, but always found them pretty laggy and unreliable in the past.

Sorry to derail the thread, but I have seen some recommendations on here for stuff that looks great, but I guess I get too lazy to chase after them.

I used NordVpn for a while and found it pretty decent, it was a bit slower than normal but more than bearable. Also (and I could be wrong here so it's probably worth double checking) but I don't think internet providers can trace downloads via file lockers, and if that is still the case I'd suggest using https://rlsbb.unblocked.krd/ and using the ayefiles.com links

[olliebean]

I'd suggest using https://rlsbb.unblocked.krd/ and using the ayefiles.com links

Miracle Workers doesn't seem to be on there.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I get it through torrents, but you'll also find Ayefiles and Openload links on scene-rls.net. Don't know if it's blocked in your country, but it is one site that focuses on a a few good hosts rather than a long list with almost nothing interesting in it.

And it's unlikely to get a second season, given that Radcliffe and Buscemi signed precisely because they knew they wouldn't be tied to the project for years. Geraldine Viswanathan may also want to focus on a promising film career. But, more importantly, the show is an adaptation by Simon Rich of his own novel, which isn't very long, and he may not be interested in developing a sequel directly for TV. All of this screams miniseries event. That's totally different from You, Me and the Apocalypse, where they weren't able to secure a second series.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Miracle Workers doesn't seem to be on there.

It's there for me - https://rlsbb.unblocked.krd/searchp/search/miracle+workers

And it's unlikely to get a second season, given that Radcliffe and Buscemi signed precisely because they knew they wouldn't be tied to the project for years. Geraldine Viswanathan may also want to focus on a promising film career. But, more importantly, the show is an adaptation by Simon Rich of his own novel, which isn't very long, and he may not be interested in developing a sequel directly for TV. All of this screams miniseries event. That's totally different from You, Me and the Apocalypse, where they weren't able to secure a second series.

Ah, I didn't know any of that but thanks for the info.

[olliebean]

It's there for me - https://rlsbb.unblocked.krd/searchp/search/miracle+workers

Found it now. Turns out my ad blocker was blocking the search results.

[NoSleep]

And it's unlikely to get a second season, given that Radcliffe and Buscemi signed precisely because they knew they wouldn't be tied to the project for years. Geraldine Viswanathan may also want to focus on a promising film career. But, more importantly, the show is an adaptation by Simon Rich of his own novel, which isn't very long, and he may not be interested in developing a sequel directly for TV. All of this screams miniseries event. That's totally different from You, Me and the Apocalypse, where they weren't able to secure a second series.

I suppose they could continue with a new cast, like MASH or The Odd Couple TV series did (I'm sure there are more recent examples but those two came immediately to mind). No guarantee of the quality if all the main players have left the stage, though.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I've just been reading an interview with Simon Rich and he apparently wants to continue the show, but it could feature different characters each time:

You've envisioned this as an anthology series. Is there anything you can tell us about ideas for future seasons?

Rich: I probably shouldn't, but yes, I do have ideas and I'm really excited about them.

Would you use some of the same cast members necessarily, like American Horror Story?

Rich: Yeah, that's the plan.

And is the plan is to always be set in Heaven?

Rich: No.

[NoSleep]

Having watched a couple of episodes I'm getting a vibe similar to "Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell" so far (essentially a comedy set in an office); but swapping Satan/Hell for God/Heaven. Heaven does seem a little hellish, too.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Having watched a couple of episodes I'm getting a vibe similar to "Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell" so far (essentially a comedy set in an office); but swapping Satan/Hell for God/Heaven. Heaven does seem a little hellish, too.

Is that any good? I watched the first episode when it came out but wasn't grabbed by it and then never got round to watching the rest, but I like the concept so may well give it a second shot if it's worth doing so.

[NoSleep]

I love YPFIGTH, but I come to it as a fan of Dave Willis' other work with Aqua Teen Hunger Force & Squidbillies (all three feature Dana "Master Shake" Snyder, too). Jon Glaser is even in one episode. It is a bit uneven but worth it for episodes like "Krampus Nacht".

It doesn't have the production standards of Miracle Workers, but that works for me.

Just had another thought about office comedies and I guess Corporate is another hellish one (all three shows have hellish bosses for one).

[olliebean]

I preferred Man Seeking Woman, Simon Rich's previous thing, to this. Thought that had more potential to be continued, too.

His Radio 4 series is mostly pretty weak. More wry playlets than comedy sketches.

[samadriel]

Well, you were right about The Good Place, so I'll check this out.  It sounds similar -- is it?

[Small Man Big Horse]

I love YPFIGTH, but I come to it as a fan of Dave Willis' other work with Aqua Teen Hunger Force & Squidbillies (all three feature Dana "Master Shake" Snyder, too). Jon Glaser is even in one episode. It is a bit uneven but worth it for episodes like "Krampus Nacht".

It doesn't have the production standards of Miracle Workers, but that works for me.

Just had another thought about office comedies and I guess Corporate is another hellish one (all three shows have hellish bosses for one).

Well I'm very fond of Squidbillies (even though I've still only watched the first three seasons and need to get round to the rest) so I'll definitely give it a go as you like it so much, thanks for that.

Well, you were right about The Good Place, so I'll check this out.  It sounds similar -- is it?

I guess sort of, though I much prefer The Good Place, but this is only seven episodes and you'll get an idea as to whether you'll like it from the first one.

As I'm absolutely shattered today, I'm just copying and pasting the review I wrote for my site of the final episode, which contains major spoilers:

Simon Rich's Miracle Workers has proven to be an extremely enjoyable watch over the past seven episodes, as Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Viswanathan and their fellow angels have done their best to save the Earth after Steve Buscemi's rather petty and childish God decided he couldn't be arsed with the planet anymore (and who can blame him?) and intended to destroy it. However in the last episode he changed his mind after visiting his family and being mocked by them, only to discover that he couldn't – and the only possibility of our continued existence was for Daniel and co to get Sam (Jon Bass) and Laura (Sasha Compère), a rather socially inept couple, to fall in love.

The final episode was a slightly frustrating beast though (like a cute kitten with dysentery, then) as while there were some great moments and funny gags it felt a bit predictable, and a couple of things didn't quite add up. Starting with all of the employees of Heaven going through their exit interviews and generally grumbling about their jobs being shit (nipples were supposed to squirt orange juice for instance, which they never got to work), all are happy it's coming to an end, bar our miracle workers who are still hoping they can get Sam and Laura to kiss. Unfortunately no one's on hand to help as they're all at an end of the world party and having the time of their deaths, until Lolly Adofope's Rosie threatens them with the removal of their severance packages so they all head back to help out. What doesn't really make sense is that despite their early behaviour they're happy to try and save the planet, and most do everything they can to support people they've previously had no interaction with.

The way they get to Sam and Laura to kiss is initially funny as they pull out all the stops to get the couple to reconnect, including freak weather, electrical damage, broken sewer pipes, falling flower pots, and Craig finally steps up and risks his life by using a dangerous device to control bees and use them to attack Sam. And when they finally do meet the angels step back, having learnt their lesson in previous episodes that sometimes things can't be forced and should just happen naturally. It's a sweet ending even if it's perhaps a little hard to understand why this was an impossible prayer, it was only a kiss after all and there's no guarantee that love will inevitably follow.

There's also a few funny scenes with God (Steve Buscemi) who wants to help out but by constantly smashing the lightening button is only making things worse, as he tends to do. So Sanjay (Karan Soni) manages to get rid of him by dumping in the department of Mammoths and due to his illiteracy he falls for it, at least until he discovers that the new device he's supposed to repeatedly touch is unplugged and nearly screws everything up. This scene contains an especially great moment when Sanjay finally snaps and screams at him "You're an idiot. You're a moron. You made a stupid, crazy planet and now it's going to blow up. It's all your fault, it's all because of you" and when God tries to leave he even manages to fuck that up.

Given the unpredictable nature of the show I had no idea if we were going to get a happy ending, which is definitely a positive thing, and I have to admit that I hoped that they'd fail, or perhaps succeed but then the doomsday device would malfunction and destroyed the planet anyway. This is an oh so slightly nihilistic view it's true, but I can't help but feel it would have been funnier than what we actually got, which was everyone getting their happy ending, and a very pat and contrived one at that. Suddenly everyone's partying again but this time it's because they're happy the Earth's still there, completely contradicting everything we've seen in this episode and the previous ones. Sanjay even tells God he loves him, Eliza and Craig flirt and dance, and the newsreader the show has featured throughout announces he's taking some time out and suggests to everyone "You've got to seize the day", which is rather on the nose and just a bit much, some subtlety was definitely needed here.

Despite my issues with the ending I'm aware many may disagree, and enjoy this very happy piece of denouement, and it certainly didn't spoil the series as a whole for me. Whether or not it comes back for a second season is unknown, the ratings are middling but not disastrous, but I really do hope it does, it's been an endearing and very funny series, the angel's often brutal resolutions to problems have been hilarious to watch and it would be a real shame if we didn't get to see more of this world.

[NoSleep]

Lolly Adofope

It took me by surprise to find a member of the cast who's also in This Time With Alan Partridge at the moment.

[Small Man Big Horse]

It took me by surprise to find a member of the cast who's also in This Time With Alan Partridge at the moment.

She's in Shrill as well, there's literally no escaping her. Apart from not watching tv, but that's clearly not an option.

[Brundle-Fly]

I've noticed that too, and always wondered why more people aren't in to US comedy. Or don't comment on it at least, I know the Jon Glaser Loves Gear thread has more posters than a lot of threads but a lot of people pm'd me for download links of the first couple of episodes of season 2 before it started turning up on Rarbg, but then never posted in the thread itself.

You've got me into loads of new US comedy because of your recommendations, SMBH, I'm just getting too old and lazy at posting opinion these days. Thanks man.

[Small Man Big Horse]

You've got me into loads of new US comedy because of your recommendations, SMBH, I'm just getting too old and lazy at posting opinion these days. Thanks man.

That's more than fair enough, and admittedly I do watch a lot of shows I don't post about so I know where you're coming from. Glad you've found stuff you've liked though, that's the main thing.