George Carlin is a GOAT in the comedy field, and one watches this misfire with mixed feelings: a chance to see him at work in an unlikely context, but very sad to see/hear so many jokes fall flat.
The concept of him starring in a TV sitcom must have felt irresistible, but it doesn't work. The crummy set he's trapped in gave me feelings of claustrophobia, and the format was too close to Mr. Rogers for comfort. Basically he's a freelance writer, talking to the camera (with fake applause/laugh track detracting from the humor) delivering a broadside of sick jokes that include plenty of blue material as a prerequisite for an HBO production. The only thing about the show I found interesting is how he was able to split the time 50/50 (almost) between being the standup comic and alternately playing straight man (very well) to a half dozen comics cast as the visitors who constantly interrupt him while he's (supposedly) trying to work on his writing.
George also gets to play a down to earth Jesus Christ on a parody of a TV interview show, lightly mocking religion enough to offend but not funny enough to justify the airtime. His daughter appears as a punk version of a girl scout in a skit with dad that is brief enough to work. Not so lucky is a rube (redneck styled guy) who keeps popping up to tell George about the space aliens he's encountered. The actor Blake Clark reminded me of a cross between Bill Pullman and Robin Williams, but with little talent to show for this waste of footage afforded to him.
Frequent topical references are very, very dated -something one would expect George to have avoided: name dropping Sonny Bono, Scott Baio, Neil Sedaka, and "Prince Charles' big ears". Carlin spent his career honing his material to create some priceless routines that stand as classics, but watching "Apt. 2C" is a bit like watching him try out brand-new stuff before weeding out the lion's share of jokes that don't work.
