Netflix Friday: Quick Hits

This week I thought I would hit a few things that I found on Netflix I thought were interesting but didn't feel like writing a full review about.

PHINEAS & FERB 
It would be hard for me to express how much I really love this series. I think this is one of the most imaginative and well executed animated series to come along and years. Is about two brothers on summer vacation. Everyday they do something outrageous like build a roller coaster across town or have a robot rodeo -- all of which drives their sister crazy and she spends her time trying to "bust" them. If that wasn't enough, they also have a pet platypus that is actually a secret agent fighting to save the world from an inept mad scientist.

The show is fantastic because it has well rounded characters, interesting plots and killer music. And did I mention that it's completely clean? There are no dirty jokes or subtle innuendoes here. In many ways it is the opposite of Family Guy and American Dad. Netflix has about 35 episodes online, plus their Movie. If you decide to give this series a chance, I suggest that you watch about two or three episodes to get into the rhythm of it.

HOT IN CLEVELAND
My wife and I recently discovered this show and it's become one of our favorite late-night diversions. This series is really a classic, old-school sitcom that enjoys its retro vibe. It's about three 40-ish women from Hollywood who accidentally get stuck in Cleveland, Ohio when they have airplane problems. These women are attractive, but in Hollywood they are considered old and over the hill, but in Cleveland they are "HOT." Men buy them drinks, hit on them and they love the attention, so they decide to move there.

The three women are  Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. Yup, you definitely remember seeing these people on TV before from: One Day at a Time, Fraiser, Just Shoot Me, and too damn many shows to mention.  There a good summary of the cast and characters over at Wikipedia.

The show is not particularly new ground as the actresses play toward their strengths: Valerie is cute and spunky, Wendy is self-centered and vain, Jane is a bit ditsy in a cute British way, and Betty white plays the caretaker of the house (she lives in the guest cottage behind the house, which she actually owns but rents out for the money). Her character, Elka, is like a transporter accident had fused her two best characters:  Sue Ann Nivens and  Rose Nylund.

Aside from having a cast with great chemistry, there are also a lot of veteran sitcom actors who show up in cameos: Rhea Perlman, george wendt (who actually makes a "NORM!" entrance into an Amish bar), John Schneider, Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Bonnie Franklin, Hal Linden,  Peri Gilpin, John MahoneyJon and more.

Netflix has at least two seasons of this available, and we're enjoying it a lot.

See you next Friday for more!