Schwartzman, Galifianakis and Danson: Not a law firm, just Bored to Death

By April MacIntyre Sep 20, 2009, 17:00 GMT

Jason Schwartzman - The premise involves Jonathan Ames, a drifting, drunkard and lost young Brooklyn writer navigating a painful break-up, suffering writer\'s block and keeping company with enablers. © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Tonight, September 20th sees actors Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis star in the latest comedy from HBO, "Bored to Death."

The premise involves Jonathan Ames, a drifting, drunkard and lost young Brooklyn writer navigating a painful break-up, suffering writer's block and keeping company with enablers.

Rather than face reality, Jonathan jolts his reality with hair-brained fantasies – moonlighting as a private detective – because he wants to be a hero and a man of action.

The series kicks off its eight-episode first season tonight, Sunday, September 20 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), on HBO, followed by other half-hour episodes debuting on subsequent Sundays at the same time.

Background:

Created by Jonathan Ames, the show follows the misadventures of a fictional Jonathan Ames as he pursues his quixotic dream of emulating his heroes from classic private detective novels.

The Cast:

Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ames; Ted Danson as George Christopher, a high-profile magazine editor and Jonathan’s boss; and Zach Galifianakis as comic book illustrator Ray Hueston, Jonathan’s confidant.

Guest stars:

Olivia Thirlby, Heather Burns, Kirsten Wiig, Parker Posey, Bebe Neuwirth, Oliver Platt, Patton Oswalt and John Hodgman.

The Premise:

Mixing noir mystery and neurotic humor, "Bored to Death" opens with Jonathan’s girlfriend, Suzanne (Olivia Thirlby), moving out of their apartment in Brooklyn, on the grounds that Jonathan devotes too much time to smoking pot and drinking white wine instead of focusing on his writing and their relationship. As Jonathan returns to his empty apartment, a neighbor who witnessed the parting suggests he look for a rebound date on Craigslist.

After sifting through his abundant supply of noir suspense novels, Jonathan idly decides to offer his services as a private detective on the site instead. As responses to Jonathan’s Craigslist post roll in, he begins taking cases – and usually finds himself injecting his own personal problems into his client’s situation.

Jonathan’s needy boss, magazine editor George Christopher, frequently interferes with his newfound career, forcing him to work his cases in increasingly ludicrous ways. Jonathan also meets regularly with his best friend Ray, a struggling graphic artist who does his best to advise him, but can barely keep his own life together.

From HBO, Episodes include:

Episode #1: “Stockholm Syndrome” Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 20

After his girlfriend Suzanne (Olivia Thirlby) moves out because of his failure to stop drinking and smoking pot, between-books novelist Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) peruses his favorite Raymond Chandler novel, “Farewell, My Lovely,” and is inspired to place an ad on Craigslist offering his services as an unlicensed private investigator.

Within hours he gets his first case, involving a 19-year-old girl’s (Reyna de Courcy) desperate search for her missing sister (Fiona Dourif). Despite the fact that he should be working on his second novel, and despite the fact that he is on deadline for a magazine piece, Jonathan heads out into the urban night to track down the girl, embracing his newfound noir-detective status.

At the end of a (very long) day, Jonathan earns his fee – and finds he’s got another case. Written by Jonathan Ames; directed by Alan Taylor.

Episode #2: “The Alanon Case” Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 27

During an unsuccessful attempt to win back Suzanne, Jonathan gets a phone call and a new case: A woman named Jennifer (Kristen Wiig) wants him to tail her boyfriend Gary (Peter Hermann) to see if he’s been unfaithful. After learning that he and Jennifer share a common pastime – drinking – Jonathan goes in search of her boyfriend, with uncomfortable results.

Meanwhile, Ray (Zach Galifianakis) brings Jonathan along to his colonic for moral support, and George (Ted Danson) hatches a knockout plan for Jonathan to help him cover up an unsightly sore before a big speech.

Written by Jonathan Ames; directed by Alan Taylor. Jonathan Ames (executive producer, writer) is the author of eight books, including the graphic novel “The Alcoholic” (illustrated by Dean Haspiel), “I Pass Like Night,” “The Extra Man,” “What’s Not to Love?,” “Wake Up, Sir!” and “I Love You More Than You Know.” His new book, “The Double Life Is Twice as Good,” was published in July.

Episode #3: “The Case of the Missing Screenplay” Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 4

At a New York film-society party, George (Ted Danson) introduces Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman) to filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, a fan of Jonathan’s first book, who is interested in having him rewrite a screenplay. Later, after leaving his personalized script in a therapist’s (Denis O’Hare) office during an ill-advised late-night tryst with a (very) young party girl (Vanessa Ray), Jonathan convinces Ray (Zach Galifianakis) to pose as a patient in order to retrieve it.

Meanwhile, George is flummoxed when he runs into his sexy ex-wife Priscilla (Laila Robins) and her arrogant new husband, fellow publishing magnate Richard Antrem (Oliver Platt). Written by Jonathan Ames; directed by Michael Lehmann.

Episode #4: “The Case of the Stolen Skateboard” Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 11

Jonathan falls for his latest client (Parker Posey), the mother of a boy whose skateboard was stolen by a neighborhood bully (E.J. Bonilla). Meanwhile, Ray agrees to help a lesbian couple (Rosie Benton, Jenn Harris) start a new family, to his wife Leah’s (Heather Burns) chagrin, and George has a nostalgic “armpit crush” on a young publicist (Emily Wickersham) he hopes to woo at the opening of a new Brooklyn restaurant. Bebe Neuwirth also guest stars.

Episode #5: “The Case of the Lonely White Dove” Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 18

A smitten Russian parolee (Lev Gorn) contracts Jonathan to track down a chanteuse (Branka Katic) known as “the Lonely White Dove.” After a vodka-fueled reconnaissance mission at the Brighton Beach restaurant where the singer works, Jonathan persuades Suzanne – along with Ray and Leah – to join him there for dinner the next night, without revealing his true purpose.

Meanwhile, George decides to get in touch with his feminine side as a way to drive sales of his sagging magazines. Written by Jonathan Ames & Donick Cary; directed by Paul Feig.

Episode #6: “The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer” Debut: SUNDAY, OCT. 25

Jonathan is enlisted to retrieve a sex tape that a female escort (Trieste Kelly Dunn) is using to extort money from a married New Jersey man (Geoffrey Cantor). With Ray and George in tow, Jonathan ends up in a motel room with the escort, who attempts to blackmail him as well.

Can the very stoned Ray and George save Jonathan’s neck before the woman’s enraged brother (Anthony DeSando) breaks it? Patton Oswalt also guest stars. Written by Jonathan Ames & Martin Gero; directed by Adam Bernstein. BORED TO DEATH was created by Jonathan Ames; executive producers, Jonathan Ames, Sarah Condon, Stephanie Davis, Dave Becky and Troy Miller; co-executive producer, Tracey Baird; producers, Mark Baker and Anna Dokoza.