The Birthday Boys

:

Season 1
  • Network: IFC
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 18, 2013
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 8 out of 22
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User Reviews

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  1. stinkyWizzletoe
    Aug 7, 2014
    0
    Not sure what show everyone else is watching, but personally I find this show completely without humor. I have watched five episodes desperately wanting to find it funny, but it just isn't.
    Most of the sketches seem to be inside jokes that only they really understand, or seem to find funny. Case in point the Roofers, or the guys who know the secret formulas for different colas hanging    Not sure what show everyone else is watching, but personally I find this show completely without humor. I have watched five episodes desperately wanting to find it funny, but it just isn't.
    Most of the sketches seem to be inside jokes that only they really understand, or seem to find funny. Case in point the Roofers, or the guys who know the secret formulas for different colas hanging out, or just pick a sketch, none of them have any sense of the basic structure of comedy. They set up jokes and never pay them off, and most of the time they never even set up a joke.
    Go with the Kroll Show for sketch with comedy instead of a bunch of wanna be jokesters.    … Expand
  2. realTV
    Dec 12, 2013
    10
    This show is amazingly good out of the gate! The episodes really hold together well. Evokes Monty Python and obviously Mr. Show--both in sense of humor and in consistency of original ideas. First season gets better and better.
  3. concringewyrm
    Nov 29, 2013
    3
    Mr Bob Odenkirk must be turning in his grave. After 8 episodes perhaps 3 sketches have been funny. This show makes the Whitest kids you know seem genius and makes comedy bang bang seem watchable and funny once an episode.
  4. artyfarty
    Oct 22, 2013
    2
    Too many sketch group members, and none of them memorable besides the wide-headed chin guy. Slooooooooooow and too derivative. A Python rip-off, minus the wit.
  5. teshia
    Nov 28, 2013
    5
    It's not a bad show and some of the skits are good but it's lacking a much needed spark. It reminds me a lot of when The Kids in the Hall went off the air and they tried to replace it with The Vacant Lot. It simply doesn't bear the comparison to Portlandia that Odenkirk implied during the trailers. The group seems too large and the editing seems to fall flat.
  6. Afloogs
    Dec 21, 2013
    9
    The Birthday Boys, both the group and the TV show, adds an element to sketch comedy that really should be a lot more widespread in the genre: unpredictability. With few exceptions, The Boys avoid the common pitfall of sketches that do nothing but escalate, taking one gag and making it more and more extreme. There is always an element of unpredictability, stemming largely from the wideThe Birthday Boys, both the group and the TV show, adds an element to sketch comedy that really should be a lot more widespread in the genre: unpredictability. With few exceptions, The Boys avoid the common pitfall of sketches that do nothing but escalate, taking one gag and making it more and more extreme. There is always an element of unpredictability, stemming largely from the wide array of approaches taken by the group. Very little feels rehashed or overdone; the complete lack of topical sketches and very few pop culture references allow for novel ideas to flourish, and it's immediately clear why Bob Odenkirk was drawn to this production. This is quickly becoming my favorite IFC comedy (and one of the best on TV right now). It has the quirks and idiosyncrasies of Comedy Bang! Bang! but the hits:misses ratio is a lot higher. Here's hoping for a second season.… Expand
  7. davewood
    Dec 22, 2014
    1
    Truly awful. I have no idea where the Python comparisons come from. The sketches are weak and lack any subtlety. If you want absurd comedy try "Toast of London"

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Best TV Season of 2013
77
#77 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Oct 18, 2013
    70
    The more frequently Birthday Boys returns to seemingly unfunny or barely funny bits, the funnier they eventually become--another Python borrowing, and a good one.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Oct 18, 2013
    80
    The two episodes I've seen are very good--engagingly twisted, more invested in ideas than jokes, often funny, usually admirable.
    Read full review
  3. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Oct 18, 2013
    70
    The Birthday Boys is a consistently funny show for viewers who are regular consumers of pop culture and recognize the elements from TV and film that are being spoofed.
    Read full review
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