The gimmick with “Flight of the Conchords” (the title also being the name of their comedy act) finds the boys struggling to make a name for themselves as transplanted New Zealanders living on New York’s Lower East Side who seem to perform their folk parody act in their minds more than reality. Comedy Arts Festival by storm in 2005, named Best Alternative Comedy Act then.
The horn-rimmed Clement and grunge-infused McKenzie plopped onto the HBO radar while taking the HBO-run U.S. You know that clammy sheen that sticks to you like a houseguest with space issues? Clement and McKenzie have it so consistently that it seems a purposeful visual conceit to help ratchet up the squirm factor - a ratcheting we, in fact, hardly need. But the biggest problem with the first three episodes screened for review: Our slacker-nerd heroes are always sweating. In truth, the time period could help “Conchords” build buzz as an acquired taste. (though cushioned by its “Entourage” lead-in). This last fact might well be a deal breaker given that they star in this new 12-episode summertime series, albeit one somewhat buried at 10:30 p.m. Its two leads, the New Zealand music-comedy duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, are deadpan and clever but so cloyingly doofy that they’re not only tough to root for but difficult to watch for extended periods as well. Which brings us to “Flight of the Conchords,” which has its moments of wiggy charm but lacks an essential ingredient: star charisma. And while there is a certain consistency of vision in the likes of “Entourage,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Extras” - single camera, no laugh track, dry, subtle, eccentric - the laugh quotient is pretty much all over the map.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Apart from “Sex and the City,” HBO’s comedies inspire decidedly less buzz than do its dramas.