A&E

TV review: IFC’s ‘The Spoils of Babylon’

Image
Spoils of Babylon, a Funny or Die production, stars Tobey Maguire.

Two and a half stars

The Spoils of Babylon Thursdays, 10 p.m., IFC.

It’s not surprising that The Spoils of Babylon is a Funny or Die production, since it feels a bit like an overgrown web video. The concept is amusing: It’s a parody of the bloated, self-important network TV miniseries of the 1970s and ’80s, productions like The Thorn Birds and North and South that were based on giant bestselling novels. Will Ferrell plays the author of a fictional doorstop bestseller, introducing the long-lost miniseries version of his book, which features an impressive cast led by Tobey Maguire and Kristen Wiig. Creators Matt Piedmont and Andrew Steele (the team behind Ferrell’s Casa de Mi Padre) impressively recreate the cheesy, dated look and style of epic miniseries, but Spoils is pretty much a one-joke affair. By the second episode, Piedmont and Steele are already resorting to random absurdity to keep the parody going. A three-minute trailer probably would have been enough.

Share
  • The Tony Award-winning musical “Follies” will take the stage at Access Showroom at Aliante Casino & Hotel for six performances starting on April 11.

  • Since opening at the Linq Promenade in March 2014, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas has been a destination for some of the best and most under-appreciated ...

  • Sagittarius, for your own selfish sake, you need to pour out more adoration and care and compassion than you ever have before.

  • Get More A&E Stories
Top of Story