Twitch City - The Complete Series
One of the most subversive sitcoms ever,Twitch Citytells the discordant tale of Curtis (Don McKellar,Last Night, who also wrote the series), a stunted slacker who's emotionally incapable of leaving the apartment he shares with his despised roommate Nathan (Daniel MacIvor,The Five Senses). When Nathan is arrested for accidentally murdering a bum, Curtis seizes the opportunity to rent out Nathan's room and woo Nathan's neurotic girlfriend, Hope (the ever-delectable Molly Parker,Deadwood,Kissed)--so long as their romance doesn't interfere with watching lurid talk showThe Rex Reilly Show(host Reilly was played byKid in the HallBruce McCullough inTwitch City's first series, then byKid in the HallMark McKinney in the second). The hero of this Canadian series is lazy, narcissistic, untrustworthy, and addicted to television, but that's not what makesTwitch Citysubversive; it's something far more slippery, something to do with the show's all-around unwholesome flavor--imagine, if you will,Three's Companyas directed by David Lynch. Your average sitcom doesn't build entire episodes around mysterious pineapple almond cookies, cats controlling the world, or infestations of Nazis. Needless to say, many viewers will find this show repellent, but if you're the right person,Twitch Citywill scratch an itch you didn't even know you had. This dvd has all 13 episodes; the extras are minimal--a few commentaries and bios--but the show speaks for itself. Co-starring Callum Keith Rennie (Battlestar Galactica,Hard Core Logo).--Bret Fetzer