What I'm Watching (Volume 7): Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is one of the rare shows in which the title tells you just about all you need to know about the show. Hosted by Jerry Seinfeld, the show features him driving around, picking up comedians, and talking to them in the car and at coffee shops.

The show was formerly on Crackle, where I first watched it, but has now migrated to Netflix. I absolutely abhor that they've reordered the series for Netflix by the way. It's so hard to remember which ones I've watched and which I haven't, so I truly wish that they'd go back to the old way of doing things.

I recently caught up on the last season (I think, due to the confusing new order of the show), and mostly enjoyed it.

Seinfeld is always engaging and hilarious, but the show tends to rise and fall based on the guests. It's pretty apparent that some of his guests are close personal friends, while others are acquaintances, and the closer to close personal friend you get, the better the episode.

Additionally, some of the comics are just naturally better fits for the show than others, with some delivering extremely memorable appearances (Larry David, Louis C.K., Norm MacDonald) while others are frankly very dull (Howard Stern, Christoph Waltz). This tends to be my biggest complaint with the show, as I feel like there are probably too many episodes, and I'd rather see repeats with some of Jerry's closest friends rather than trying to have tons of new people on all the time, especially if they end up being boring episodes.

The show is shot and edited very well, and the scripts for Jerry's introduction of the car which they'll be driving that day are always very good. Jerry's passion for cars shines through the show, and even as a non-car person, he clearly communicates his love for the subject in a way that's engaging for me.

All in all, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is a nice getaway type of show. It's nothing extraordinary, but it revels in its celebration of ordinary relationships and doing ordinary things, and in that it's remarkably comforting. I'll give the show an 8.5/10.

-TRO