Garfunkel and Oates (2014) User Reviews

A Funny, Sometimes Dirty Reality Comedy

[hfan77 · 7/10 · 21 September 2014]

If you're a fan of The Big Bang Theory, then you probably heard of Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci, who have played guest roles on the show. Micucci played Raj's girlfriend Lucy in a number of episodes.

But if you haven't heard of Garfunkel and Oates, the group that consists of Lindhome and Micucci, then the IFC show is your introduction to the funny female folk duo.

I have seen every episode so far, and to me their songs are funny and sometime dirty. I also like the avant-garde style videos that appear in each episode. It adds a lot to the comedy.

Even though IFC ordered only eight episodes, it's a show that deserves to be back for a longer run next season. It's a show that would also work on HBO since there are no restrictions on language. Give the show a chance, you'll see two outstanding and funny female comedy singers.

fun female comedy duo

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 15 February 2016]

Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci star as their alternate self trying to make it in L.A. as the comedic musical duo Garfunkel and Oates. They have various misadventures as single gals in the modern world.

I love both Lindhome and Micucci individually in their various shows. Lindhome is obviously statuette but also shows a sense of humor when needed. Micucci is the quirky one with her bulging eyes and her ukulele playing. I didn't know they're a writing team but apparently they've been doing this for quite some time. They seem to be a part of a new wave of female comedy duos. Garfunkel and Oates is not necessarily the best but they are very, very good. They are very likable which balances out their edgy quirkiness. This is a small show still struggling to find its feet after an eight episode first season when it doesn't get renewed. The girls need to find a circle of supporting characters that could interact with them in every episode.

Love it

[Chembrat54 · 10/10 · 19 September 2014]

It took me a minute, but I totally love it. By the time I got to 'Speechless' I was hooked. I can't wait for more episodes. It's not going to be for everyone, but I'm all about it. The stories are clever and funny. That's really all I need in a TV show. The music is funny although, musical comedy is not my favorite. I like that they talk about stuff that's not typical "girl" comedy. They poke fun at themselves more than others, which is awesome. Its great to be able to laugh at other people's perceived short comings along with them. The show isn't mean when it does make fun of others because it's what we're all thinking or at the least, they make fun of themselves at the same time.

Entertaining, insightful, and funny

[drunkespeare · 9/10 · 22 August 2014]

I'm writing mine, I'm surprised there are only two IMDb reviews of Garfunkel and Oates, and both those reviews are by people who either didn't pay much attention to the single episode they watched or they think "to critique" a show means "to criticize" it. It certainly is OK to criticize a show, if you watched it with an open mind, and actually watched more than one episode.

For one thing, how could anybody have actually watched more than one episode and think, "most of the jokes revolve around them being 'super bad at sex.'" Doesn't matter what a joke is about. What matters is it being funny. Riki and Kate are funny. Even in the pilot episode, there was a lot more going on than a single subject joke. Garfunkel and Oates is humorous fictionalized personal anecdotes and social satire. Those reviewers who didn't understand the pilot episode wouldn't understand any of the others, so it's a good thing for them they've stopped watching.

Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci are not yet on the level of Marc Maron, Louis CK, or Amy Schumer, but they're getting there. Instead of stand-up before, after, or during their half hour skits, Riki and Kate use song parodies. The songs are short and humorous and always have something to do with the theme of the episode.

"As for the ukulele." OK, where are all those other ukuleles I've read complaints about? I watch a lot of TV and I've never seen any recurring character playing a ukulele except Kate Micucci as Shelley in Raising Hope. Actually, I've never seen many characters in recurring roles play any type of musical instrument.

Garfunkel and Oates is a lot better than the nitpicking contrarians will have you believe. Give it a chance. Entertaining, insightful, and funny. You might even learn to appreciate the ukulele, or maybe even get one of your own. You might not like Garfunkel and Oates, but those negative reviewers are grossly misrepresenting that show.

exceptionally funny and entertaining

[e-oosterhout5 · 9/10 · 21 September 2014]

of course, everybody is entitled to his or hers own opinion about what they consider to be funny. But don't forget that this is very personal. So it's unfair to judge these girls with "1" star because you do not share their (and many others) ideas on what is humor. To me they are exceptionally funny and original. The chosen topics are highly original and the dialogues are hilarious. The songs are fantastic, not only regarding the chosen topics. The lyrics are great, funny and written with great "sense of language" (is this correct English? I'm from the Netherlands so my English is not that great). These two girls bring us a completely new approach on TV comedy.

In short, they are great!

Don't judge a book by its cover

[dtnewton-41525 · 9/10 · 16 April 2015]

So the funny thing about me liking this show is that i'm a guy 0_0... it is just full of everyday issues that the two face and its actually very funny and i have to wonder if some of the situations are based on real life events... or all of them. i don't think I've ever seen two people have this close of a bond (it shows so very deeply and i like that). Now the acting..... isn't bad either! i'm serious when i say that its well written and the two just portray these awkward, emotional, and embarrassing moments very well. I had seen their youtube stuff which led me to wonder if they could write a TV show just as funny as their songs and believe it or not... yes, very much so. I gave it 9 stars because its not everyday you catch a glimpse of something different. I hope they keep moving forward.

quietly, an amazingly funny show

[kelsi · 10/10 · 13 April 2015]

I stumbled across this in Netflix, and it is my favorite find, so far. I was a fan of the duo from 'Pregnant Women are Smug' and similarly funny youTube videos, but this show exceeded all expectations. Especially the second half of the season, where each episode seems to start with a ridiculous premise, and hilarity reliably ensues.

Each episode is dense with jokes and charm, I'm only sorry that there aren't more episodes. The plots are light-hearted, but every thread seems to pay off by the end of each episode. Both characters are well-developed an their friendship is endearing. I especially love the Natasha Leggero and other great cameo appearances. I hope this show can return again soon!

A musical comedy for relaxed viewing...

[Dr_Sagan · 28 November 2014]

This new comedy has a lot more preparation and work than you might think at first.

Except the scenes where actress–songwriters Kate Micucci (Oates) and Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel) talk to each other, delivering some quirky and funny dialogs, the show includes some unique musical cuts that have an almost surrealist feel! These musical interruptions (sang by the duo) are related to each episode's plot but presented in a unique way, that may include animations or even ...muppets! They are carefully designed and you might even get 2 or 3 in each episode.

Because Garfunkel and Oates are 2 single, liberal young women, relationship and sex themes are inevitable, but think of it more like a lighthearted, easy going, relaxing comedy with music and songs.

Also they spared us from any annoying fake laugh track.

Overall: Check it out and decide.

These ladies are a perfect example of how to NOT be funny

[zen-state · 1/10 · 26 August 2014]

Their comedy and general humour are simply not funny to me, and their quirky alt girl fashion and behavior died out in the 90's for everyone else. There is absolutely nothing about these ladies that interest me. Once again, their quirky alt girl ways died two decades ago for everyone else, but not for them. I hope they get canceled soon. The one good purpose they do serve is to show other female (or even male) comedians how not to do comedy.

Hilarious.

[allison-67124 · 9/10 · 13 July 2019]

The show description is wrong - the show is not about 20-somethings but rather two 34yo women. I mean, they both say their ages at various times in the series, how can they get this wrong? One of my favorite comedies ever. Great guest actors, too.

I blew through this on Netflix before I knew it was only one short season

[scarletminded · 10/10 · 1 April 2015]

Not sure why this was only one season. It is brilliant and a lot more funny than other shows out there. It has satire and depth. I really like the intelligence of their songs. I have watched them on You Tube way back. I was hoping some of the songs would get another video like "Douche" but you cannot have everything. I am not sure why shows like The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men stay on the air forever, yet real insightful comedy gets pushed to the side, every time. I liked Oates on Scrubs too. Ditto Raising Hope, another super funny show that was canceled before its time. My favorite song of this duo are "Pregnant Women Are Smug", "Sports Theme", and "Loser", though I am unsure if the last one is supposed to be happy or sad. I like those "Douche" and "Bland- job" songs too. I was so happy they got a proper cable show and so sad they did not get to keep it more than one season. But what a season. I will have to watch them again.

This is a brilliant show

[wood-gledhow · 10/10 · 10 March 2016]

Of all the inexplicable cancellations and failures to renew of TV shows this is one of the most puzzling. This is one of the most truly creative, intelligent, insightful and funny TV shows ever. Why wasn't it renewed for season 2? I know I'm a bit late saying this but I've only just stumbled across the show on Netflix. Come on Netflix pick up the baton - fund it! Make season 2! Catch up folks and watch this show. It's brilliant. The song writing is inspired and funny. The script is literate (in a good way) and funny. The acting of the two stars is spot on and funny. The guest stars are note perfect and funny. There aren't many shows out there with the continued level of inventiveness and wit of Garfunkel and Oates.Someone please make season 2.

Amazing

[gillies · 9/10 · 28 March 2015]

Garfunkel and Oates play themselves, i.e. two 30-something comedic musicians who write and perform parody songs that are not as clever as the Tom Lehrer songs of the 1970's, but are a homage. The shows are about their real life experiences as a female duo sort of like "Laverne and Shirley".

While the first two episodes are kind of bawdy, the third episode ("speechless") about not talking on dates, and watching sports, is hysterically funny and very creative. I started watching, hoping for something like Tom Lehrer, but what can you expect when these two women are doing IT ALL, producing the show, writing the shows, writing the songs, performing them, and acting in the leading parts? I am amazed.

I am pretty certain there has NEVER been a show like this on TV, about a comedic song group. The successful big-budget musical shows of the 60's (Monkees, Partridge family) had only very serious songs, and hoardes of backup staff to make them successful. The monkees sang their own songs but I think that David Cassidy had backing vocalists for the Partridge Family recordings. While a fraction of the songs from those shows were from singer-songwriters, this show is from singer- songwriter-show-writers-producers, which is frankly, amazing.

If you like brilliant, dry, self-deprecating humor, you should give Garfunkel and Oates a try

[tom_e_thomas · 10/10 · 27 September 2014]

These two performers are brilliant! I've enjoyed several of their song videos on the web, and just watched the premier of their series. I was cautiously hopeful, maybe a bit doubtful, that they could weave together a coherent show in the longer format, but they nailed it.

Funny, insightful, self-deprecating, honest, awkward, topical humor that's a rare find these days among U.S. comics. It's a real pleasure to find this kind of sophisticated talent without having to look to Australia or the U.K. Please sign them up for another season!

To provide some context, one of my favorite recent comedic shows is Rake - The Australian series, not the horribly lame Hollywood remake that wastes Greg Kinnear's talent. My favorite all-around comedic actor is the U.K.'s Steve Coogan. If you have a taste for that kind of humor, you should give Garfunkel and Oates a try.

Would it work for me if it was called "Simon and Hall"?

[Twins65 · 5/10 · 29 September 2014]

Doubtful.

For some reason this show is always on IFC when I'm up in the middle of the night for any variety of reasons (but mostly urinary issues).

Anyway, if I can't get back to sleep, it's time to start flipping channels, and these two quirky gals are enough to make me stop the churn.

I first saw them on an episode of "The Soup" and was curious enough to find out more about them. Turns out they've been "LA musical comedy stars" for at least five years, and IFC gave them a shot at a show. The show is interesting and ironic, the jokes come pretty fast, the ukulele certainly is today's go-to instrument for hipster comedy, BUT THE LAUGHS JUST AREN'T THERE for me.

Your mileage may vary, as I'm just a boring, early-onset AARP white guy and not an early 30-something single navigating this world we call 2014, so check them out if you care to.

I we telling everyone I know to watch this show! My new favorite!

[ryderkate-68782 · 10/10 · 29 March 2015]

This was one of the funniest shows my husband and I have watched in a while. The jokes were so clever. There was humor in almost every line. If some people did not catch the humor they are probably not smart enough to get it.

I hope some other network picks up this show. This is a show I would watch when I want some guaranteed laughs.

Again, I loved this show and I hope there is a network that is smart enough to see these girls are great!

My husband and I have been married for 20 years and we both found laugh out loud humor in every episode. I would love to see more!

Those Songs!!! LOL

[charlottesudlow · 10/10 · 31 March 2015]

I saw this show on Netflix and as a HUGE fan of both Simon & Garfunkel and Hall & Oates, I was drawn to it and decided to see what it was about. At first I wasn't too sure; I expected another one of those We're-Trying-To-Be-Funny-But-It-Just-Isn't-Working- That-Way shows that has the stereotypical duo that have wild adventures that certainly wouldn't happen in real life. HOWEVER, this is NOT one of those shows.

Garfunkel and Oates made me laugh hysterically a few times (SPOILER: especially when the guy "accidentally raped" Kate when she fell asleep while having sex with him and the guy said he felt like he needed to prevent a rape in order to be zero on the Rape Scale, LOL) and other times I released a chuckle or two. Their songs are seriously relate-able ("Handjobblandjob I don't Understand Job" was particularly so, hahah) and hilarious if you actually pay attention to the words. "Sports Go Sports!" was funny as heck, too.

I did not even realize they were a real Youtube duo until the show and I ended up watching almost all of their videos and laughing even more after I finished the show.

Overall, a really great and believable show to watch. Garfunkel and Oates have captured my attention as an avid TV show/Film watcher. A MUST-WATCH!

Phoebe from Friends meets the Conchords. Constant grinning.

[joachimokeefe · 1/10 · 6 February 2021]

That's Phoebe from Friends, the singer/songwriter with Dunning-Kreuger syndrome ('Smelly Cat', anyone?), and the Conchords (very funny NZ song duo).

These characters have been refreshed to include upfront references to the female dating & sex experience at the expense of any character conflict whatever. It's like inane double presenters on TV news; completely interchangeable except one is short, dark, smiley and ditzy, and the other is tall, blonde, smiley and ditzy. Stop grinning, one of you!

All they do is recite laboured risqué comic dialogue to each other (and the short, dark one garbles her lines - no, I'm not deef) and then do overwrought comedy songs with underwrought 'dance' routines and unintentionally cheap-looking SFX. Nothing to grin about there.

Forgettable, thank goodness.

Can't hardly...30 things I hate about...General Alt Girl Interest Hour

[perspectivous · 5/10 · 24 October 2021]

It was well enough done when it was big, it's just an obnoxious show overall. Great for a certain niche but one that ought to come stock w an easel and painting set, overalls, self doubt, insecurities, and beret w horn rim glasses. Haha you made a risqué joke about men. Haha the small woman has a ukulele and that's hip; As another reviewer had suggested it's very much like friends in that regard. It's (was) trendy. No depth, labored humor, playing more than one campy jingle is annoying. Know how you walk past the guitar busker in the city without dropping any change but you respect their effort regardless? That's this show. Big ups and respect for the effort and for the target audience, just for the rest of us it's about as worthwhile as a trendy hashtag.