Shark Bytes

I remember this as a decent show. Not a masterpiece, but pretty good. It could have gone on for another season though. I agree that Everybody Hate Chris and Oliver Beene have some similarities, such as the adult version of the protagonist narrating and the fact that they both take place in the past. But I think that Everybody Hates Chris is better. It just seems more today and seems to appeal to more people.

I just want to know when I can buy the Oliver Beene series. I watched The Wonder Years and Malcolm, but I still thought Oliver Beene was quirky in its own wright. I even thought The Tick was a gass; but then I was raised on Wallace and Ladmo; which will mean nothing to the majority of those who read this, your loss. To each his own for what makes one laugh. I don't see the point in tearing someone elses commentary down for expressing their likes and or dislikes. Change the channel and leave well enough alone.

I like the gay kid. But I think it didn't know who it was aimed at - adults or younger people. Some of the humour would just go over kids' heads, and some of it's too childish.

And Chris Rock ripped this off for Everybody Hates Chris, it seems.

Man did this show jump early. I thought it was funny in a stupid way up until episode 6 where Oliver was trying to learn to dance and eventually went with his brother to hunt for communists and suspected the superintendent of their apartment building was a commie spy just because he was originally from Russia and he had a suspicious device delivered to him. The mysterious device turned out to be the part for a record player and someone from the 60s should have known that if you ask me. Not only did Oliver judge someone based on their nationality but he also was ignorant of something that he should have known about. It would be like someone nowadays not knowing what a computer mouse was.

Oliver Beene was a more comedic version of "The Wonder Years," and I always thought it was the kind of show "The Wonder Years" should've been. One thing that made it so great was the quirkiness of the people and things that were going on around him, such as the fact that his friend Joyce Heller(Daveigh Chase, who has grown into quite an attractive young woman latley) was convinced that she and Oliver were destined to become husband & wife when they grew up. Chase also provided the voice of Lilo on the Disney cartoon "Lilo & Stitch: The Series," and there's no reason she couldn't have been able to do both. Unfortunately, her leaving the cast, combined with already low ratings sent the show straight down the toilet.

I was one of the apparent few who thought this show deserved a longer run. I thought it was funny and the episode where they invite the black family over for dinner was hilarious. Unfortunately the show didn't catch on with the public, and Fox administered the coup de grace by scheduling it early on Sunday nights, letting football pre-empt it.

Elke (The Swedish girl) that has moved in this latest season has slowly caused the show to start to die. She is a terrible character that is ruining Ted's character EVEN MORE than it used to be. She would be okay, IF she wasn't in EVERY SINGLE new episode. She's only good for one joke, Ted's obsession with her, which is done EVERY episode now.

The Show Jumped on one of its first (the first?) episodes when Oliver's (horny) brother passed on "first sex" with a gorgeous older lady that he had met at the country club that the (predictably) idiotic parents wanted to join. Having the kid turn down the older babe (a.k.a. MILF) was more a reflection of the Politically Correct 21st century and not the Playboy- Hoarding/National Geographic-Seeking Adolescence of the 1960s in which every red-blooded American Male fantasized about having an older EXPERIENCED woman teach him about The Facts Of Life. The Producers made the safe choice, not the funny one. Once again, THE FORMULA KILLED THE CONCEPT!!!

This show is so friggin' stupid. A recent episode centered around Oliver spilling soup on himself on a bus, and everyone makes fun of him because they thought he threw up. WHERE THE HELL IS ANYTHING REALISTIC? And that gay stereotype kid is horrible.

Well, Oliver is back and that first installment made me think the Great White is at the hygienist sharpening his pearly whites ! Then I tune in to see if it can be salvaged and what do you know ! A WINNER episode ! The gay kid helps Ted score, even though the actor is being pushed to Lisp a bit much. He was much more convincing last season. The mom realized that she can't really bond with a "Daughter" The dad is still a bit shallow but Oliver (despite the voice changing) is still relatable. But he is inflecting a bit of Yiddishness into the dialog ! So now we see a good installment and a mediocre on and some worse. Oh well, can't ask for too much consistency !

It's not really fair to judge any program on only a handfull of episodes, but so far so good with "Oliver Beene". It's also not fair to compare this program to "The Wonder Years" or "Malcolm". "Oliver Beene" is far more satirical and 'just for laughs' than "Wonder..." and I love it! My major concern is that like "Malcolm", there will be too much attention on the brother and parents instead of the young leads, ("The Wonders Years" very wisely focused exclusively on Kevin). As far the Michael kid...this is really a "hyper-stereotype". The point is to really satirize the tradition stereotype by going so absurd it's funny. It's like Flanders in "The Simpsons" in a way and the boy who plays Michael was perfectly cast. To the brass at FOX TV: Please crank out as many episodes of "Oliver Beene" as you can before puberty hits your cast!" (Look what puberty has already done for "Malcolm"...eek!)

Oliver Beene has yet to jump the shark. It seems like everyone is saying it's a rip-off of Malcolm in the Middle or The Wonder Years. Although it falls in the same genre, I'd have to say Oliver Beene is the best of the 3. It has more attitude than Oliver Beene, but is less off-the-wall than Malcolm in the Middle. MITM is one of my favorite shows but something extreme is always happening, like a building comes crashing down or someone is throwing a wild party. Plus, the characters of MITM are too angry and aggressive, especially the mom. The fact that she's emotionally abusive and humiliates her children and yells at them is NOT funny. Oliver's mom, on the other hand, is a good role model for women of the 1960's. Back then women were just supposed to be house wives while their husbands were the dominant figures of the household. Mrs. Beene is great, she's a strong female figure who puts her husband in his place when necessary and is rightfully disciplining with her kids. The episode where she lost to Ted in the table tennis game but still made him go to his room was classic. "I'm the mom, you're the kid....life's not fair." Only thing is they need to stop doing so many gay jokes with Oliver's gay friend. Smithers from the Simpsons is funny because his gay jokes are in moderation, there's only been a handful of them throughout the 300+ Simpsons episodes. If OB does 5 gay jokes in every episode it's going to get old quickly. Also the background music needs to be more decade-appropriate, (someone else pointed this out too) in one episode they played a Weezer song. But Oliver Beene is a hilarious show that often has me in tears, especially the "PERVERT!" stamped on his mug shot and the occasional fart joke.

You people seem to think Oliver Beene rips off both Malcolm in the Middle and The Wonder Years. I can agree that it's a clone of The Wonder Years; it's got that same emphasis on an an insecure kid going through the process of growing up. But Malcolm in the Middle? I don't see the connection. The parents' dynamic on Oliver Beene is completely different from that of Hal and Lois. And Malcolm has three or four kids who get into trouble all the time, while this show appears to have only Ted. (I know Oliver Beene gets into trouble sometimes, like with the black kid, but that's more of a misunderstanding, like something that would happen on the Wonder Years.) So while this isn't as good as a lot of other shows, I say it has the potential to be a decent substitute for The Wonder Years in this decade.

Before I talk about how much this show SUCKS, let me comment about the above poster. This is Jump the Shark. Unless you are Jon Hein (bless you Jon), you don't tell us how to vote. If we think the idea jumped before it aired, this is fair game. Also, I elect the right to say that this piece of crap is a crappy clone of "Malcolm in the Middle," WHICH IT IS. Now, if Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide said that this show sucks MONTHS before it aired, and FOX continues with it anyway, then what does that tell you about FOX? Since this show has already been moved to the Sunday at 8:30 P.M. time slot, it will be a matter of time before the guillotine falls on this piece of crap. When will writers learn that crude jokes, sexual innuendo, and fugly child stars do NOT make ratings?

When someone decided to remake The Wonder Years, only without the humor. And all the actors are ugly.