hank azaria

(S02E10) I was starting to wonder what the story arc for the rest of this season would be and it's finally starting to take shape: the similarities and comparisons between Craig and his father, Ben. It comes at a poignant time too. Now that Ben is gone for good (I honestly don't think he'll be back), it's left Craig to inherit all his father's flaws and mistakes. As much as Craig wants to not become his father, he has and it'll probably take him the rest of the season to realize that. Also, you might notice that I'm referring to Huff as "Craig" and not as "Huff." I have a point to make there, I swear. But I'll get to that later.

While everyone is BBQ'ing this weekend, HBO and Showtime have both made the wise choice of holding off on new episodes of The Sopranos and Huff this Sunday night. Instead, HBO will run a mini-marathon on the past three episodes of The Sopranos ("The Ride," "Moe n' Joe,"and "Cold Stones") starting at 9PM. The Sopranos will return the following Sunday (June 4) with the mid-season finale entitled "Kaisha."

Over on Showtime, this Sunday night at 10 will be a re-run of the Huff two-hour season two premiere, "Maps Don't Talk." Huff will also return on Sunday, June 4 with a new episode entitled "Bethless" at 10PM. It's the first of three new episodes before the season two finale which airs on Sunday, June 25.

The Simpsons will occasionally reference some obscure television show like The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo and Herman's Head. The latter is special to The Simpsons, however, because it featured two of the voice actors from the series, Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) and Hank Azaria (Moe, Chief Wiggum, Apu, and countless others).

The show, which ran for three seasons on FOX in the early nineties, centered on Herman Brooks, played by William Ragsdale, fresh from his role in Mannequin 2: On the Move. Oh yes, everyone said no one could top the first Mannequin, that no one could embodied the lead like Andrew McCarthy, but he proved them wrong. Who's laughing now, huh? Actually, I never saw that movie. Anyway, Herman was an aspiring writer who worked as a fact checker for a magazine. Inside his head lived four beings who each represented a different part of his psyche: lust, fear; sensitivity (played by a woman, natch), and intellect. Smith played a secretary at Herman's office, while Azaria played his womanizing best friend. It was a rather cheesy premise, and the show, save for the odd premise, didn't venture too far from normal sitcom stuff. Still, it had a fun, kooky feel to it. And really, if it weren't for occasional reruns of The Simpsons tossing the show back into the public consciousness now and again, it would probably have been long forgotten.

(S02E09) I often find that this show has a lot in common with Curb Your Enthusiasm. Mainly, that it frequently makes me feel uncomfortable during certain scenes. You know something is good when it literally puts you off just by watching it. In particular, one of the final scenes between Huff and Beth was done quite well. So well that I almost stopped watching because I felt so bad. But we'll come back to that.

Elsewhere in the Huffstodt home, Ben is back! He even went out of his way to get Izzy her license back... by threatening a judge. He laughed when he told her how he got it, but I actually believe him. I wouldn't put anything past Ben Huffstodt, especially now that we found out why Ben is back in town: he's in debt to the Malaysian mob. Good times.

(S02E08) I hate how this show makes me want to cry every five minutes. A dramedy with so many depressing topics (drug use, alcoholism, cancer, divorce) shouldn't be this good. But it is.

Beth and Huff are still going to couples therapy but it doesn't seem to be working. They argue just as much with the therapist as they do with themselves. The episode opened with them at their session and it was interesting that it started off that way because it led to both of them seeking therapy on their own terms later.

(S02E07) The Huffstodt home just can't have a quiet evening. With everything going on in this family, it's a wonder they haven't tried to kill each other... knock on wood. For the most part, the problems seem to be stemming from Ben. He's still hanging around, after he supposedly only had ten hours before he had to go away forever to who knows where. The odd thing is that he's suddenly taken quite the interest in his estranged family. I'm starting to think that maybe he's sick.

They gave us the impression that he's no longer with his Chinese (Japanese? Korean? I forget...) wife and he's clearly looking for some company. The only problem is that nobody, especially Izzy, wants Ben sticking around. In one of the most powerful scenes so far this season, Izzy completely went off on Ben and you can clearly see why Danner won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama series last year.

(S02E06) Once again, this show continues to mesmerize me. So many different and varied things happened in this episode that it boggles my mind when you think about how well it all flowed together. Only this show could hop back and forth between a tearful father/son reunion and crystal-meth fueled house party.

Yes, in case you skimmed that first paragraph, I did say father/son reunion. Ben Huffstodt is back, he's only got ten hours until he has to disappear forever, and in true Ben Huffstodt fashion we have no idea why. But before he goes, he wants to see Teddy and maybe Izzy. Obviously, he comes to Craig first. For those that saw the first season of Huff, you may have noticed that Ben looked a little different. Formerly played by Robert Forster, the role of Ben Huffstodt now belongs to Tom Skerritt and I thought he handled the role much better (even though it seemed like a different character).

(S02E05) Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Eighteen episodes into this spectacular series and up to this point, every single one of them has been nothing short of incredible. This episode? Not so much. I just didn't find myself all that engaged. The story was all over the place, which isn't that unusual for an installment of Huff. But this episode felt especially disjointed.

That being said, there was still plenty of good stuff going on here. You know a show is pulling it's weight when it has Sharon Stone exit from her guest-starring stint only to be followed up by Angelica Huston in the very next episode. Unfortunately though, to make room for such stellar guest stars, storylines involving the main characters (What happened to Byrd and his new hobby?) get pushed aside.

(S02E04) I feel like I went into this episode with an unfair advantage. I got to screen it early and speak to creator Bob Lowry about it. Now that I've watched it a second time, so many things stood out. You want to talk about a show with multiple levels ... it's like a 50-story apartment building. Wow, I can't believe I just wrote that - worst analogy ever. But you get what I'm saying? Yes? Good. Moving on.

The episode started with a bang. Dauri is still a patient of Huff and as one would expect Russell is covering the cost of the sessions. But that's what Russell does. He throws money around without bothering to try and have a real relationship with anyone. With all the problems Russell has, it's hard to believe he hasn't figured out one of life's simple truths. Money doesn't fix everything but I think Kelly is going to teach Russell a few things in that department. But his connection with Dauri makes a startling leap forward which I'll address later.

Only three episodes into the new season and Huff creator/executive producer Bob Lowry is already back for more. After speaking with Ryan last week, I had the opportunity to pick Bob's brain a second time. We chatted about this Sunday's new episode ("Sweet Release") as well as some other things to expect before season two comes to a close. A heads-up to our readers though: the interview contains a few spoilers, fair warning. However, there is one thing that all Huff fans should be excited to know. Bob let me in on a little secret. They'll know on May 2 if the show is going to come back for a third season, so everyone keep your fingers crossed.

OK, let's get to it. Here's what went down between myself and Bob Lowry on Wednesday morning:

Jonathan Toomey: Bob Lowry! Good sir, how are you?

Bob Lowry: My new best friend! Thanks for calling.

(S02E03) This episode was just full of surprises, but before we get to that a brief note. We here at TV Squad have started to label our show reviews with their corresponding season and episode number. For those that are confused as to why this is the third episode of the season, and not the second, it's because last week's two hour premiere actually counted as episodes one and two. I'm kind of bummed about that because it means we're getting one less episode than I originally thought. Oh well.

Back to the surprises. I was really caught off guard that Teddy survived. But he is a driving force in this show so I suppose it makes sense that he's OK. But c'mon, he took a swan dive off the balcony of a Mexican church and all he got was a broken wrist? That's lucky. I'm glad he's still around though. Some of the things he comes out with - priceless.

Easily the most unique. Definitely one of the most entertaining. And arguably the only show on TV right now that can successfully make you feel like bawling your eyes out and then laughing hysterically within a ten second span. Season two of Huff, from creator Bob Lowry, picks up just a few weeks after the events that finished out season one. Teddy is still on the run, reeling from his mother's neglect. Huff isn't on speaking terms with Russell, following the discovery that Russell and Izzy were sleeping together. For those who missed last season's finale, Izzy is Huff's mother. Now you see why he no longer speaks with his best friend? Beth and Huff continue to move away from each other as Beth deals with her mother's spinal cancer. Byrd doesn't seem to be around too much, but he has developed a liking for scotch and he hasn't attended anymore rainbow parties. After everyone's current status was revealed, tonight's premiere took off and didn't look back.