I appreciate what the series has tried to do. In some ways, it succeeds. In others, it falls uncomfortably flat.
The historical narratives are the best part of the series by far, and there were some very amusing lines poking fun our species' self-destructive tendencies. I especially loved the spot-on comments about America.
But the interviews of "experts" were cringeworthy and painful. Frankly, I was impressed at how well the interviewees handled the attempts to humiliate them, presuming the interviews weren't scripted. They didn't seem to be. Cruk's questions and comments were so inane and juvenile, the guests couldn't respond in any humorous or meaningful way, squandering opportunities for humorous interplay. What was left were one-sided displays of indulgent self-centeredness by Cunk. Had they minimized these painful interludes, I would have given the series a much higher score. If the group behind this project reunites in the future, they need to reduce or eliminate the interviews all together, or better yet, clever up the writing so the interviewees can actually participate in the fun.
The historical narratives are the best part of the series by far, and there were some very amusing lines poking fun our species' self-destructive tendencies. I especially loved the spot-on comments about America.
But the interviews of "experts" were cringeworthy and painful. Frankly, I was impressed at how well the interviewees handled the attempts to humiliate them, presuming the interviews weren't scripted. They didn't seem to be. Cruk's questions and comments were so inane and juvenile, the guests couldn't respond in any humorous or meaningful way, squandering opportunities for humorous interplay. What was left were one-sided displays of indulgent self-centeredness by Cunk. Had they minimized these painful interludes, I would have given the series a much higher score. If the group behind this project reunites in the future, they need to reduce or eliminate the interviews all together, or better yet, clever up the writing so the interviewees can actually participate in the fun.