Matt Huether

Think I might swan around in linen pants this summer. Really looking to do some swanning.

my favourite film genres:

5. original comedy/genre film from 1984

4. 90s music video director/Charlie Kaufman script

3. SNL movie adaptation (Mike Myers vehicles only)

2. No one believes in person with new idea, they overcome the odds, especially if baseball

1. Affleck and Damon, together again

Did Joe Biden write Zero Day? Is that why he got that CAA rep?

Next up, My 10 Favourite Uneven Shows That Still Have Perfect Seasons/Runs

10. The single episode of The Late Late Show hosted by Adam Pally and Ben Schwartz during a blizzard - an hour of chaos that you can’t believe was actually on the air; worth seeking this one out, too

YouTube video by Chris Gethard S2E9: Paul Scheer & Jason Mantzoukas in "One Man's Trash"

9. The Chris Gethard Show, S2E9 “One Man’s Trash” - this show is always wild, but this episode is incredible. Paul Scheer & Jason Mantzoukas are guests, so it’s already good, but the concept & turns make this an all-time great episode of TV. Don’t spoil it. Just go watch it: youtu.be/Nwi_kE0gy94?...

7. Ricki Lake - in a world of Springer, Donahue, and Sally Jessy, Ricki Lake felt less trashy & younger, but never less fun or interesting

8. The Larry Sanders Show - a total cheat to get another show I love onto a list, but it DID use the format & have legit celebrity guests, so it’s a grey area!

5. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee - sharp and pointed, always funny, but also felt about as vital as comedy can feel

6. Late Night w/ Seth Myers - somehow both blue sky and starkly political; a good hang; with joyful interviews, and great recurring digital-only bits, like Corrections

3. Conan - an absurdist, almost surrealist take on the late show format, wringing comedy from bending the form but never breaking it; great interviews, too

4. The Daily Show - smart, sarcastic, and at its peak, culturally important; also a great launch pad for so many incredible comedians

1. Letterman - in high school, my sister & I would always come home to watch together; a bridge to old-school tv, but still felt new & bratty; big guests, great bits

2. Late Late Show w/ Craig Kilborn - only 5 seasons; incredible recurring bits; didn’t take itself seriously in the best possible way

Picking up this thread again.

To recap, I’m gearing up to my 10 Favourite Shows of All-Time, running through 140 honourable mentions in 14 categories before I get there. You can look back in the threads to see a bunch of the categories.

Now… My Favourite 10 Talk Shows:

Incredible television front to back. There’s a scene where all the lawyers finally get together, and you can feel the actors all being like, “*that’s* how you’re playing it?!” and I just love it.

Just landed at LAX

Next up, My Favourite 10 Talk Shows

9. Sort Of - one of the absolute peaks of peak TV; small and beautiful and human and warm

10. Baroness von Sketch Show - reliably hilarious comedy from a specific collective voice and viewpoint; never surprised to see these sketches regularly going viral

8. Letterkenny - another show about small town Canadian life which rings true while also being stylized way beyond the bounds of any reality; its use of language is inventive, hilarious, & unlike anything on TV; rare show that successfully draws you into a whole new lexicon, rewarding repeat viewing

6. Mary Kills People - I wrote for season 3, but *loved* the first 2 seasons before that; dark & slyly funny, a fun cat & mouse, & about really big ideas of right & wrong

7. Odd Squad - for kids, but so funny; Naked Gun in tone, great young cast, & the best use of Canada’s wealth of comedians on TV

4. Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays - way ahead of its time, a lot of shows of the past few years have touched on anxiety, but almost 15 years ago this one took it straight on; very funny, too

5. Trailer Park Boys - fun to watch this with my Dad, who recognized it as feeling like his small home town

3. Degrassi - nobody’s written more Degrassi than me (including a Degrassi Next Class Halloween movie no one will ever see!) but I was already a massive fan of all the seasons & generations that came before me. Small, specific, human stories told truthfully enough to sometimes be banned in America!

My Favourite 10 Canadian Shows

1. The Kids in the Hall - hilarious, weird, bold enough that it’s hard to imagine the early seasons even being on TV today

2. The Porter - gorgeous period piece with great character work, strong serial arcs, & big episodes. Should have been so much more of this show

I’ve got multi-cam coming up, too!

I sneakily already included My So-Called Life and Freaks & Geeks on another list. And there will be other teen shows on later lists. My whole project here is built on cheating the categories.

Only the pilot, I think.

Next up, My Favourite 10 Canadian Shows

9. Pen15 - the central gimmick of adult Maya & Anna playing teens made the show hilarious; somehow it also made it devastating

10 Yellowjackets - the present day part of this show is nostalgic for teen shows of the past, while the flashback part is the ultimate horror extension of those teen shows

7. Skins - more youthful and messy than most other shows on this list, and spun out bigger stars than most, too

8. Felicity - most teen shows have love triangles and pining and longing but Felicity and Keri Russell were masters

5. The Gilmore Girls - Somehow both warm & gentle and edgy & exhilarating; there’s a reason young people are still discovering it and endlessly rewatching it

6. Reservation Dogs - Incredible young cast, an invitation into a world, and the promise that episodes could be absolutely anything

3. Veronica Mars - somehow both a procedural & a YA show that goes hard on teen issues; something that maybe could only have been carried by Kristen Bell

4. The OC - TV execs right now say they want YA shows. What they mean is The OC— a family soap with voice. But good luck finding a new Adam Brody

My Favourite 10 Teen Shows

1. Dawson’s Creek - in high school, my guy friends & I would get together to watch this show; as a TV writer, I learned so many lessons from it— the biggest being: your show needs a Pacey

2. 90210 - earnest & iconic, aspirational & relatable, endless memorable moments

Next up, My Favourite 10 Teen Shows