# Bored to Death (2009)

> A struggling Brooklyn writer drinks, dates and stumbles his way into playing private detective to escape his stalled life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/28634

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, crime, mystery
- Created by: Jonathan Ames
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson, Heather Burns, Jim Jarmusch, Parker Posey, Kevin Bacon, Amy Spanger
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255913/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: wry, deadpan, irreverent, melancholic, boozy

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively for its offbeat blend of comedy and noir detective storytelling anchored by Jason Schwartzman's performance.

## Synopsis

Bored to Death (2009-2011) is an American HBO comedy series created by Jonathan Ames, blending comedy, crime and mystery in a neo-noir register. Jason Schwartzman plays Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer whose painful breakup, drinking and stalled second novel leave him adrift, so he moonlights as a private detective to feel like a hero. Zach Galifianakis plays his best friend Ray, a cartoonist eager to join the escapade, while Ted Danson plays George Christopher, a magazine editor whose tangled relationship with Jonathan fuels much of the comedy. Each season is a run of eight half-hour episodes in which Jonathan takes on a new odd case while his personal life keeps unravelling. The series holds a continuing story across its three seasons, with each case functioning as a vehicle for the characters' romantic and creative struggles. Set in present-day Brooklyn and Manhattan, it is wry and deadpan, with a melancholic undertow beneath its boozy, irreverent surface. Fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls and Chinatown will find resonance in its self-deprecating neurosis, urban texture and noir sensibility.

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