Every HBO Comedy Ranked From Worst To Best
36. Family Tree
Christopher Guest, it must be said, is one of the greatest comedic minds of our time. As the co-creator of This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, and plenty more, his improvisational style helped reshape the comedy landscape, particularly on TV. His return to the small screen with 2013’s Family Tree seemed like the king coming to reclaim his throne.
And there’s plenty to like about the loose, character-filled sitcom, especially for those already into Guest’s style. Starring Chris O’Dowd as a man exploring his lineage, it takes Guest’s usual mock doc format and roves around the O’Dowd’s extended family, with Ed Begley jr, Michael McKean, and plenty more comedy greats making appearances.
The problem is that the setting isn’t nearly so engaging as most of Guest’s other works. With so little to go on, the characters are asked to do a lot of heavy lifting, and while there are plenty of gags in there, a decent amount of it unfortunately falls flat.
A charming show you’d love to see succeed, but my episode eight it had definitely run its course.