Review of Blunt Talk

For me this is a very rare 10 and an even rarer review. I should disclose to begin with that I have a pretty weighty man-crush on Jonathan Ames, the creator of the show. His memoirs, fiction, and TV work all have the same vibe of sweetly honest strangeness, and I find them all disarming and hilarious. He's a weird guy, but he's not ashamed or proud of it, he just presents it as is, and the result could maybe be described as absurdist realism? There's nothing fantastical about the world or the characters, but everything's just slightly off-kilter so that there's a vague surrealism pervading everything. (A comparison could be made with Miranda July's stuff.) But the human relations and emotions are completely real, and they manage to steer clear of mawkishness even though your heart's always feeling snug and warm by the end of an episode. You haven't laughed at anyone's expense, you've just laughed at humans being humans and trying to connect, and you switch the TV off and go to bed with a smile. This is my favourite of all Jonathan Ames' creations, I think. (Or is it only because I just now finished the first season? Maybe I'll go back and have another look at Bored to Death, just to make sure…)