****Definitely an acquired taste. Some viewers will find this gut-bustingly hilarious; to others it will seem merely stupid and pointless. I tend to fall into the first category, though I'll be the first to admit that I find some episodes and songs much more entertaining than others (the trippier sequences--"Prince of Parties" and "Boom", for example--were not as appealing to me, though I think Albi the Racist Dragon is pure genius).
In the vein of Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and The Office (UK version), the show follows our two intrepid (and possibly challenged) heroes, Bret and Jemaine, through their lives as novelty singers from New Zealand trying to make it in New York. They are assisted (or more often hindered) by their ineffectual and oblivious manager-cum-consulate employee Murray Hewitt, and are perpetually stalked by die-hard fan Mel, while worldy wise (sort of) pawn shop owner Dave explains to them the vagaries of American culture and relationships.
Many episodes feature, well, not much in the way of plot development and actual events (hence the Seinfeld comparison), and the audience is forced to endure a good deal of awkwardness along the way (as in the British Office). The zany, ridiculous, off-the-wall nature of the humor is reminiscent of Arrested Development--so quirky, in fact, that a significant portion of the audience may not find it funny at all.
For me, though, the true genius of the series is in the music. I listened to the album long before I actually watched the show, and I knew right away I would be a fan--with such lyrical masterpieces as "Robots", "Business Time", "Not Crying", and "The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)", how could I not?
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