Spike Jonze pops-up in this new UK pilot starring David Cross and Will Arnett, airing on Channel 4 in the UK. Proving apparently, that he would have been cast in Arrested Development Season 4. Don’t get too excited, though. The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret isn’t likely to be more than one episode(* 01/26/10 – It was announced that More4 (UK) has picked up a six episode season), as it’s part of UK series that showcases only pilot episodes. I know… England. As much as it sucks that Spike’s only screen role since the Clooney film Three Kings

(’99) isn’t going return, it’s pretty amazing that it even got made.

The UK right now is miles ahead of everyone else when it comes to TV sitcoms. It’s just the way the develop programming over there. Especially when you consider The Office (UK) and Peep Show came out of BBC sponsored workshop programs, that anyone could apply to. Essentially, keeping things fresh. And the language! Oh. Whereas is in the US, you might hear a few premium F-bombs dropped to remind you that you’re watching HBO – over there, the basic stuff  is loaded with all sorts of commonplace profanity. And coming from high school kids half the time, like in The Inbetweeners, from some Flight of the Conchords alumni. So to make any vulgarity sound sensational you really have to try – and Todd Margaret does. The best line from this episode is delivered by Will Arnett to Spike Jonze…

“Shut up, fucktard.”

You could never pull off saying that.

“Super Hans,” Kristen Schaal and the girl from Sisterhood of the Travelling Fat Pants (who’s also dating Dave Cross) show up here as well. Super Hans, of course, from our Peep Show call out earlier in the 3 Best Shows on YouTube, that you’ve never seen.

The wierdest part is that this is second illicit David Cross video that I’ve put up on YouTube without a hitch… sort of. I got a message from YouTube, that while I do not have the right to infringe on the copyright of this program by reposting it on YouTube, they’ll let it slide – for now. Their bot was smart enough to pick it out as a TV show owned by Channel 4, but then it decided that those intellectual property rights don’t extend beyond the United Kingdom. At least in any enforceable way, so they they sent me nice breakdown of where I can’t show this. Which says a lot about where content programming, ad revenue and digital analysis are heading… (UPDATE 02/24/2010: YouTube took down the videos after New York Magazine’s blog, along with Warming Glow and /Film embedded it without tossing any credit our way. Now begins other hosting options. It is also available here)

THE INCREASINGLY POOR DECISIONS OF TODD MARGARET

Tags: Ad Revenue, Spike Jonze, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, UK Television, YouTube
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