Peacock shows

So I signed up for Peacock Premium for the discounted rate, and I got caught up on Amber Ruffin's shows, but she has so many breaks between new episodes. I also finally returned to a couple of sitcoms I started while on the free tier, Rutherford Falls and Killing It.

Rutherford Falls is set in small town named for a founder who allegedly made a fair peace treaty with the local Minishonka tribe. Nathan Rutherford protests moving a statue of his ancestor while his best friend Reagan Wells tries to convince him to compromise. And there's a dispute with Terry Thomas, owner of the Minishonka casino where Reagan works in the pathetic museum display. The show has a lot of Native cast and staff, and addresses lots of issues about culture, racism, history, and politics. The show can be amusing at times, but often goes for awkward moments such as Reagan being hated by her fellow Minishonka people, and trying too hard to win them over. I liked the show somewhat, but I was always annoyed with how self-centered Nathan is, demanding that Reagan and Bobbie Yang cater to all his crises, while ignoring things that they need. Season 1 developed Terry Thomas's character in an interesting arc. He's not really a villain, but is trying to to help his people, while being hyper-focused on winning against the white corporate power structure. I started season 2, but lost interest in the mayoral election plot, especially with Nathan continuing to be bumbling and self-absorbed.

Meanwhile Killing It stars Craig Robinson as man with a dream to start a saw palmetto business. He tries to get a bank loan, but loses his job and meets an Uber driver named Jillian; she has a side job killing invasive pythons for the state of Florida. There's even a snake-killing contest for $20,000 so Craig decides to enter and he eventually joins up with Jillian as a team. But the show is not just about the snake contest. It's also about Craig's brother Isaiah who is always stealing or running a scam. It's about social class and capitalism, with wealthy elites just running bigger scams to swindle little guys out of their cash and their dignity. It's a world full of snakes eating each other, and several people have long elevator pitches that they rehearse constantly for the day when they need to make their speech to gatekeepers. It's rather dark and pessimistic for a sitcom, and even when Isaiah finally opens up to Craig about their father's death, he afterward goes back to being joking and dismissive about the tragedy. I do like many characters in the show, though I'm not sure I like the cynical tone or the dangerous plot about Craig's brother and Rodney Lamonca. It's a good show if you like edgy darkness and don't mind violent murders.

So Peacock does try ambitious sitcoms, but they don't always succeed. Rutherford Falls was cancelled after 2 seasons.