The central character is Jonathan Ames (played by Jason Schwartzman), a writer who's struggling with a second novel. In the first episode we see him just being dumped by his girlfriend because he drinks too much white wine and smokes too much pot. As she closes the door of the trunk, in his last defense he says "They give it to cancer patients", she replies ''You don't have cancer'', and with his adorably moping eyes he answers ''Not yet''.
In his grieving, he takes inspiration from a Raymond Chandler novel "Farewell, My Lovely" , and decides to advertise his services on Craigslist as a private eye. The series narrative is structured around the cases he takes and situations he gets into as he tries to solve them. But, Johnathan is hardly anything you would expect from an private eye- he’s short, melancholic, self-pitying, dorky and lovable. He explains to his friend “I say that I’m not licensed, and that makes it more legal ... ish”.
Schwartzman's is staying true to his Wes Anderson roots, and gives Bored to Death an indie dorky hipster noir angle
Jonathans best friends are Ray (played by Zach Galifianakis) and George (Ted Danson)
Ray is also an artist who is also struggling to make success
He is almost constantly stoned, emotionally fragile comic artist, who invented an alter-ego superhero called Super-Ray, to help him with his problems.
But he is more pragmatic with his problems than Jonathan (“I’m not going to change, I’m going to pretend to change. I can’t change, that’s impossible.”).
He tries to look like he doesn't care, but more than anything he needs to feel ''needed'' and tries to be the best father he can to his son, born to a lesbian couple who used his sperm (and I will not even start writing about this and spoil you the fun).
George is Jonathans mentor and a magazine editor, he's struggling too, but with the death of print, his sagging authority at work, and his own physical decline. He is wise and compassionate, yet outerly confused. He loves to drink wine and martinis, but more of all he craves pot.
He uses Jonathan as an assistant, a youth consultant, and a dope provider.
As one critic puts it:
''Am I alone in thinking that this is the best work he’s ever done on TV? Sam Malone was cool, but George Christopher had more depth. He was wise and compassionate, yet endearingly confused. When George Christopher said things like, “Let’s go get stoned and get something to eat in Brooklyn,” he made them sound profound. At the very least, “Bored to Death” will be remembered as the show that enabled Danson to pull a Bill Murray in “Lost in Translation” and jump start a new growing-old-while-cool chapter of his career.''
My favorite scene with Danson and Galafinakis is in the episode when Jonathan has to recover a sex tape from a blackmailer. And the two of them are getaway drivers, but end up super stoned while waiting.
Ray asks George "How long has Jonathan been in there?" and he replies "I don't know, I'm on marijuana minutes."
These are good people with bad habits and very pretentious tastes who get themselves into very sticky situations. They love each other and we love them, no matter how much they fuck up.
And they never stop fucking up.
