'Sit Down, Shut Up'

'Sit Down, Shut Up':

Sit Down, Shut Up follows a group of unconventional teachers and staff members working at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town

Premise:

Sit Down, Shut Up is more about the dysfunctional personalities that run the high school more than the students. The show draws its humor from our failing education system, and the sorry lives of the teachers and staff, including a principal who is on sick leave from a series of accidents, that may or may not have been attempts to escape.

Characters:

The characters of Sit Down, Shut Up include: Larry Slimp (Jason Bateman, Hancock), the gym teacher who should be teaching something more academic; Sue Sezno (Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live), the negative acting principal; Miracle Grohe (Maria Bamford, The Comedians of Comedy), the flaky woman Larry's in love with; Willard Deutschebog (Henry Winkler, Arrested Development), a defeated German teacher; Helen Klench (Cheri Oteri, Saturday Night Live), a librarian whose expertise is easily outstripped by Google, and Will Arnett (Blades of Glory) as Ennis.

Creators:

Sit Down, Shut Up is based in a hit live-action show in Australia of the same name. Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested Development) created the show, along with Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men). Other executive producers include Bill Oakley Josh Weinstein (The Simpsons).

My Two Cents:

It's a shame we have to wait until spring of 2009 to see this show. I loved Arrested Development, and the cast is absolutely top notch, with many main players from Arrested Development as well as Saturday Night Live. (Where have you been, Cheri Oteri?!) From the short clip I saw, the humor is smart and cutting. Social commentary abounds, obviously focused on our educational system. I'm looking forward to Sit Down, Shut Up much more than The Cleveland Show, because frankly, I don't see a need for another Family Guy. But this looks new (literally, with animation imposed onto live-action backgrounds) and refreshingly funny.