Salon.com > judd apatow

Lights out: 10 shows that ended too soon

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:59:00 +0000

To the dismay of Mike White and Laura Dern fans alike, HBO canceled its critically acclaimed dramedy "Enlightened" Tuesday evening. The show, which chronicled the cringe-inducing "recovery" of a business executive scrambling to put her life back together after an office meltdown, offered a searing critique of both the self-help industry and the corporate workplace. In 2012, it received a Golden Globe nomination for best television show in its category, and Laura Dern, who plays the show's lead character, Amy Jellicoe, won best actress for a musical or comedy series.

Salon's Willa Paskin described the sense of loss fans feel after losing a show like "Enlightened," writing: "Show cancellations, like show plausibility, are a very personal thing: Some gut you or make you insanely angry, while leaving others totally sanguine."

In memory of "Enlightened," here are 10 other short-lived shows that left their fans wanting more.

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Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow on why “Girls” is like “This Is 40″

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:50:00 +0000

In an intimate online conversation published in FastCompany, "Girls" creator Lena Dunham and the show's executive producer, Judd Apatow, revealed details about their working relationship and what they learn from each other. Though littered with interesting asides ("Sometimes I'll say something profound," says Apatow of his direction on the show, "like, 'Maybe we should show Peter Scolari's penis'") and observations (Apatow explains: "This type of show is an auteur's vision. It isn't collaborative in the same way as other shows. We are probably closer to 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' than we are to something like 'Friends'"), it's mostly a lovefest between the two comedy stars.

After agreeing that they work well together, Dunham asked if Apatow tries to get input from the cast members in his latest movie, "This Is 40," a slice of life comedy starring his wife, Leslie Mann, their children and Paul Rudd. The process, he said, starts with "a very intimate conversation over several years about how we feel about our lives, pitching scenes for our characters. What we're really doing is having a conversation with each other, one that's easier to have than if we, say, were talking about the characters."

Defending Judd Apatow’s midlife crisis

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:05:00 +0000

In the first week of its release on Dec. 21, "This Is 40” has been met with poor box-office sales and middling reviews, with many critics branding Judd Apatow's latest as sloppy, overlong, self-indulgent claptrap. Both receptions are a shame, since "40” marks not only a continuation of the filmmaker’s creative evolution but also a culmination of what has been most compelling in comedy over the past couple of years. With its unflinching honesty, ruthless candor, and fascination with uneasy truth over pat payoffs, Apatow’s latest feels less like his previous work and more like a 132-minute episode of "Louie." Sure, the aesthetic is markedly different — "This Is 40” has the gloss of slick studio product — but the spirit and sensibility are the same: It's a stark autobiography and uncomfortable confession, where laughter is the casual byproduct of situation and personality (rather than the other way around) and dramatic beats ring painfully true.

Judd Apatow fights with MSNBC host on Twitter

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Last night, MSNBC host Touré slammed Judd Apatow's new comedy, "This Is 40," with a short tweet, saying "Warning: 'This Is 40' is a horrible mess with a meandering plot and few laughs and characters who are hard to like. What happened?" Apatow noticed it immediately, however, and fired back an insult, prompting Touré to back down:

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A guy named Bruce then butted in, and Apatow unleashed his sardonic wit on him, too:

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For the next several hours, Apatow tweeted and retweeted reviews of "This Is 40," throwing in wisecracks at those who dared to insult him:

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So, what is the main takeaway from all of this?:

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Watch a new trailer for “Girls”

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:39:00 +0000

HBO has released a second trailer for Judd Apatow-exec-produced "Girls," which premieres on Jan. 13. This trailer focuses less on the stalkerishness of Adam Sackler (Adam Driver), and more on Hannah (Lena Dunham) transforming into a confident woman:

Judd Apatow on “Girls” and “This Is 40″

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:51:00 +0000

In an exclusive interview with Indiewire, writer and producer Judd Apatow talks about writing and creativity, the second season of "Girls" and explains how his upcoming "This Is 40" tells a "slice-of-life" story in a "lifelike, unique way."

Apatow also spoke on NPR earlier this week and has given advice As a Grown Man, too.

Paul Feig and Judd Apatow open up about “Freaks and Geeks”

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 21:00:00 +0000

In this month's special comedy edition of Vanity Fair, producer Judd Apatow and show creator Paul Feig give an oral history of the sorely missed "Freaks and Geeks," their short-lived NBC comedy from 1999 about a bunch of suburban kids trying to navigate high school. Apatow, who has gone on to produce major hits like "Bridesmaids," maintains that it's "the best thing I have ever worked on."

Feig and Apatow explain that everything about the show -- from its conception to the dialogue to the casting - -was authentic:

Lena Dunham: I don’t write for money

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Today's self-awareness award goes to "Girls" creator and $3.5 million book deal possessor Lena Dunham, who called writing for money "weird" in an introduction to Judd Apatow's script of "This Is 40."

Forbes:

Dunham ponders the “many reasons” people write which include “glory” and the ability to use the keyboard to “figure things out.”

As for filthy lucre? That’s deemed “a weird plan.”

Dunham's right if by "weird" she means "really bad." Still the optics may not sit well with Dunham's fellow young creatives, almost all of whom have internalized a bit more about the struggles that can precede artistic careers.

Even viewed in the worst possible light, however, Dunham's blithe attitude about her own success barely rates compared to that of Rupert Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth, from this week's blockbuster profile in the New Yorker: