Mark Halsey

"Huge in France" comes across as a unique style of television series, one which has not been seen quite much as of late; save for "Seinfeld" reruns, starring the titular Jerry Seinfeld, and the absolutely hysterical, gut-rolling, HBO series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm", which stars the character behind the aforementioned characters, the infamous Larry David. Known to his fans, as well as his detractors, as the funny and annoying bald man, who seems to always trip on his dick, and sometimes the dicks of others, whilst in the process of engaging in every single interaction, even those which are well outside of his purview. The forward noted above was written to assist others, those potential viewers who may have seen, or accidentally encountered, the television series "Huge in France", another hysterical and unique tv show, which was not well publicized in my opinion. It is everything like the shows mentioned, and also nothing like them, although they do surround a comedian, named Gad Elmaleh, or simply known as Gad to his fans. But wait, where did the fans go?! As one will notice while watching, Gad left them in France, to come to Los Angeles, California, so that he can spend time with his erstwhile son. As it becomes quite clear to Gad, and his 'fourth wall' fans, aka the Viewers, that his French fanfare is lost on a society of what can only be explained as the 'Who’s Who' in Hollywood, and not as easily explained as one would think of, as both a cultural, nor language, divide. We see this whilst attempting to take advantage of his connections to make his son happy, who just so happen to be French, living in France. As a result, in order for Gad to achieve success, he finds that he must rid himself of the preconceived notions when he left France for America, which involves not throwing his name around, as if it means anything, and not using Money as a means to Happiness. As many Movies and TV Shows I have watched over 40+ years, I consider myself to be a good judge when it involves overall Entertainment Value. Be that as it may, I believe this BBC Series content, "Huge in France" to be funny, hysterically funny at times, while also containing the human factor, which often seem to get lost in translation as it relates to the genre of Comedy. I highly recommend watching, or binge-watching, this show who brings the 'Seinfeld of France' to Los Angeles, of all places, where Gad is just some other wealthy guy, whose fame abroad, which is all that he knows, can’t do anything to buy the happiness he wants for his son. It is a blessing watching Gad work Hollywood, once he gets to understand their language, and turns it around to his advantage in some very clever ways. I would undoubtedly watch a second season if it were available, however unfortunately the show was canceled, or at least shelved for now. Additionally, I would give this show a 4.5, however the option simply doesn’t exist, so I gave it a solid 4 stars. Also, although this next comment would be best suited in the format of another review, it seems to fit well here, so alas. Once you’re finished watching "Gad", I would highly recommend another BBC series, with a similar theme and plot, starring Matt LeBlanc, of "Friends" fame, entitled...simply, "Episodes".

I concur almost precisely with your assessment of all of the #TrueDetective seasons thus far @DeborahDevone. I would agree that Season 1 was much more well developed, plot driven and acted, as compared to Season 2. As for those of you who have been told that Season 2 is not worth watching, don’t pay any attention to that nonsense. It is true that it did not live up to the grand expectations from Season 1, but given the various plot lines, the unique and twisted subplots, and more fine acting from Hollywood’s Elite in Season 2, from #VinceVaughn, #ColinFarrell, and the ever stunning, #RachelMcAdams, while just scratching the surface with the quality cast starring in Season 2. Considering the transition so many Big Screen Movie Actors have made to the proverbial Small Screen, how frenetic must one be, to avoid watching an award winning show’s sophomore season, solely because you may find Season 2 to be somewhat of a let down after watching the intensity of Season 1. However, that being said, having just finished Season 3, Episode 3, I believe that the True Detective series is more mind-bending than we have been exposed to in previous seasons. It is hard to argue that Season 3 will be as popular or successful as Season 1, especially given the initial “reveal” of the series, which comprised many phenomenal actors, two of which are considered some of Hollywood’s Finest, in #MatthewMcConaughey and #WoodyHarrelson. However, I believe that Season 3 is off to a phenomenal start, with the unique narrative, and multiple timelines created by, renowned author and Show Writer, #NicPizzolatto. Not to mention the dynamic character role of #WayneHays, played by the ever so talented, and extremely multidimensional actor, #MahershalaAli, who I personally believe is one of the best actors of our generation. I could go on with the tremendously well executed performances of the entire Season 3 cast, although I would simply be repeating the same message, pertaining to each of the character’s acting abilities and performances thus far. Some have mentioned that Season 3 is a little slow, but given the suspense, I would surmise that looking back, the build up is meant to come across in this manner. However, I digress. The point I would like to make, is that Season 3 will certainly not disappoint, nor dissatisfy, fans of the True Detective franchise. The real question will be, what twists and turns develop throughout the remainder of the season, and will it eventually be compared to the performance and ratings of the inaugural series plot development from Season 1. Regards, Mark Halsey