Satisfaction (TV Series 2013) Poster

(2013)

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5/10
Bad Acting Drags It Down
renrizzuti22 November 2013
The acting in this show was really bad. I didn't believe these characters or why they would for some reason live together. Why would this couple want to live with a guy who is a total loser, who steals from them, who has no job even though he is old enough he should own his own house by now. I don't understand it. There is no logic to follow in this show. The two guys who live next door were bad too. We are supposed to like and laugh at a guy just because he's mentally retarded and make no mistake about it the way this character was in the show they were definitely saying he was mentally handicapped and we are supposed to laugh at his mental problems. Very funny that he burns himself with coffee I guess? What happened to writing good shows with good characters and having real actors play those characters? The other guy neighbour was also just an idiot. The guy from This hour has 22 minutes who has never been funny and can't act why would you put him on your show? Aren't there more than five actors in Canada? Can none of them be funny? What happened to stuff like Twitch City and Kids in the hall? The show was not as bad as most comedy they make on Canadian channels but the acting really hurt it. Sometimes it seemed like what I was seeing would have been really funny if the actors and characters had been better or more real for lack of a better word. Anyway it doesn't matter since I hear this was cancelled before just putting in my thoughts.
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4/10
Not Awful, Not Good Either
johns608731 October 2013
This show was all right. For a Canadian comedy TV series it was OK. The main problem as other reviewers seemed to have hit the nail on the head about is the acting in this show. I could not stand any one of the characters in this, and it starts with the three leads. The single guy could be funny at times but the other two couldn't make me laugh with the help of a truckload of tickle monsters. And the single guy was super annoying most of the time, like grow up buddy and why is a 40 year old playing somebody my age? Canadian TV can be so awful. The writing was OK I grant it but the direction was so insane, the show was very fast and nothing seemed to connect very well. The characters would be all over the place for no apparent reason. So you end up with a series of unconnected jokes where they just hope the jokes are funny enough to make us not notice, and sometimes they were but usually they were not, again I blame that on the acting. I hope in the last episode the characters all kill each other and Gary dies of some horrible STD.
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5/10
A Couple And Their Friend
proughley3 December 2013
This show wasn't the disaster some of you are saying it way but it wasn't hilarious either the truth lies someplace in the middle like it usually does. There are way worse shows on television in Canada even if you are just talking about comedy. I would say this show was funnier than Mr. D which has a star that isn't funny at all and that show has had what like four years now? I thought some of the jokes and a couple characters were pretty funny. I do think I agree that the main actors could have been more funny or better actors or whatever......to tell the truth I can't put my finger on it quite but there was something wrong with them whether it was their age or just timing for delivering jokes or how believable they or the characters were or as someone else here put it maybe they just weren't likable enough. I also agree the guy who ran the bar was awful and not funny at all but also I am not a fan of Gary he seemed to be trying really hard to be funny but wasn't. People too often drink the koolaid and either start saying "it is the worst show ever" or "it is the best show ever" when the truth is it is neither, it is an OK show that I think was canceled and won't miss too much depending on what they replace it with but if it comes back I would give it another chance. I hated the title Satisfaction though.
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2/10
The Main Problem Is The Actors
firoeske2 October 2013
This show is not good and has a lot of problems but the biggest problem is definitely the actors. The guy and girl in the couple are good looking but they couldn't read a line or tell a joke to get someone to laugh if their lives depended on it. It is like they posted an ad on Craigslist for two good looking people to come down then the first two that showed up were told they were now on a TV show and it doesn't matter if they can act at all. It looks like they have other credits and maybe they can act in drama but acting in comedy is somehow different because they stink at this. I can see where the jokes are but these actors just strangle those jokes to death like they hate comedy. Everyone in this show seems like they are just reading their lines for the first time so they can take their bags of cash and get out of there since like most Canadian comedy shows this is truly awful and will be cancelled following a long line of other crap which most of these people have also been in. Are there only 10 comedy actors in Canada? The fat neighbour is the guy had a show that was mind boggling it was so awful, he is actually OK in this as the moronic neighbour, his problem is more that the writing stinks than that he can't deliver any lines right, he seems OK and even made me smile a couple times. The guy who lives with the couple is also OK but it seems strange some other 40 year old guy lives with them but acts like he's 10, he is way too stupid to be believable and that's another problem, everyone in this show is an idiot, don't you know there should be different kinds of characters, Seinfeld had Seinfeld it wasn't just four total morons in a room each doing stupid things. This show makes me angry it's so bad. The girl is an airhead with big boobs. The guy who runs the bar and is a washed up athlete also can't deliver a joke to save his life. The other friend seems like a creepy paedophile and that actor always does but this character especially is creepy and not funny, if you have seen this hour has 22 minutes or Halifax comedy fest you know what I mean when I say this guy doesn't bring anything other than a quick nap he's so boring. Why does Canadian TV keep shoving the same unfunny wash ups down our throats? Even the guests on this show stink. They had Jeff Pierson from 24 on and he's a great actor and he looked like he couldn't believe he was doing such a crappy show and he is right! Same episode, Colin Mochrie not sure if he is a regular but apparently he will do any TV show for a dollar and a can of coke. I give this 2 out of 10 only because I have seen worse shows.
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3/10
So-So Comedy
itsmcpaolo3 November 2013
This show isn't very funny. Here are my grades based on the five episodes I have seen and I will not bother to watch any more based on it only being so-so enjoyable so far to watch for me and also because it is being cancelled so why bother to watch something that is not going to continue anyway.

Performances- Bad These people act like cartoons

Writing- OK

Directing- OK

Producing- Bad it looks cheaply done, the credits and commercials were really stupid, the show seems like a confused mess of cartoon characters.

Laughs- OK not so bad as most Canadian shows but still not near enough

Attractive- Yes the girl is good looking!
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2/10
Not Funny
veganmitch5 September 2013
They say in showbusiness "Criticism is a Miracle" and that's true unless you're talking about the Toronto/Canadian TV arena. I understand that a lot of work went into this production, but watching it I kept asking myself "where's the funny?".

To write comedy you must find the "funny in situations, not funny situations". I would ask the writers if they have always been told "they're funny", have people always said "you're funny, you should be a comedian". If not, don't try to be funny.

One last thing. Only in Toronto do they think standup=writer and funnyactor=standup. They don't, and if they stop trying to stick square pegs into round holes they might have something. Also, if you can't write funny then don't.

Break a leg with the rest of the season, hopefully you'll find the funny. :-)
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5/10
O'k
marchingbandgeek17 December 2013
This show was OK. There were a lot of funny parts to it with jokes that actually made me laugh sometimes. I really thought it would have benefited from a better cast. Not to say these people are horrible actors or anything they just didn't seem right. Three people in their 30 somethings living together in one apartment especially when one of them is a couple seems pretty bizarre and hard to swallow. Why would they do that? Also so many of the actors were playing characters that were deliberately annoying which was a big mistake because why does anyone want to watch people who are annoying? The worst cases were Gary the neighbor and the sports bar owner who were both terrible. I wish this had more time to try to iron out the problems. But this is Canadian TV so everything gets canceled right away. This show wasn't very good but it was not very bad either, for example it was way better than Package Deal which is still on the air.
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9/10
Funny!!!
guidedude88823 July 2013
So I'm finally catching up with this show that some friends of mine have been talking about and laughing my head off. Some seriously funny jokes and lines. Everyday people get caught in some hilarious situations and just a ton of laughs. If you are looking for a show that cares more about the comedy than the situation and are fans of great writing and some awesome characters, then this is the show for you.

Have seen a few episodes now and it just keeps getting better and better.

It's a straight up comedy with some great actors and a really great addition to summer viewing.

Keep up the great work!
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5/10
Better Than Package Deal
csiddall-886-9580841 January 2014
Why would they keep a horrible show like Package Deal and then get rid of this show? This show was not perfect I admit and some of the show's elements were down right annoying like some of the characters I admit were not the best or maybe just were not cast correctly. But there were a lot of funny parts and good jokes and it was cool seeing a different kind of comedy show in Toronto with some funny jokes in it instead of the usual garbage Canadian sitcoms geared toward old people or people with zero sense of humor. That brings me back to Package Deal. Totally predictable garbage jokes with zero entertainment value at all. Satisfaction needed work and maybe re cast a couple characters or just change it up a bit to make it work better or bring in some new characters but if it had a second year it would have at least had a chance to do that and be a good show. Instead Canadian TV keeps churning out more horrible comedies made with the same unfunny cookie cutter.
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10/10
Hilarious
stingle22-745-40693023 July 2013
This show gets funnier with each episode. A friend of mine suggested it, I've watched for the past three weeks and I'm already hooked. It's time for Canadians to take notice. This show rules and the actors are funny. It's like if the show Friends moved to Toronto and then had a ridiculously funny neighbour. So excited to see more. We need to support quality Canadian shows. Looking forward to watching more. Also, please bring back the old doctor. His absent-minded approach to medicine was really great. Oh, and Jessica Pare was a lot of fun as the neighbor. Andy Kindler was good, too. Not usually my speed but he was funny as the uptight government worker.
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1/10
I gave it a chance
mitch-cutler6 September 2013
I decided to watch two episodes of Satisfaction before writing my review and unfortunately it is not a good one. I will say that it is refreshing to finally see a Canadian comedy follow the already established sitcom business model of the U.S. networks. Before those who know nothing about TV but everything about Tim Horton's get all huffy, TV is a business and it has to be run that way. It's not an "us being like them" issue or a Canadian identity issue as the BBC learned to use this format so well, British sitcoms were even adapted for U.S. audiences (Man about the house = Three's Company; The Office). Everyone else seems to get it so what's with us? I really found it hard to relate to any of the characters despite having interest in the same 'activities' as it were. Firstly, single guys that move into apartments with couples is never funny, it's awkward. Secondly, nobody or very few people pick up a keg of beer for a guy's night.

I didn't find the show funny; I was more amused than anything. I really found many of the jokes to be rather sophomoric and typical. Simon getting his ass kicked in two separate games by females in one episode for instance, the fact that there was no mention of this by one of the character suggests the writers didn't think about it either. Also, I'm not even sure why they allowed that DJ gag in the first episode and I don't think I need to explain why. Overall, I found I could not relate to the characters and found them very two dimensional. Jason's character reminded me of a live action Homer Simpson and that is not a compliment or any nod that this show is as clever as the Simpsons were 15 years ago. Same goes for Maggie's character which I can only describe as the Dumb Blond character. Two women who I was watching the show went so far to be offended with her character's weakness and overall stupidity. I did think Ryan Bellville did a good. I've seen his stand-up on more than one occasion and I do think has talent. Unfortunately for Ryan, there was no balance to his strong comic roll. On Seinfeld for instance, Kramer was eccentric and a little out there but he had three others that weren't nearly as wild as he was so the role was balanced out. Hopefully, this will be a stepping stone for him to be cast properly where he can show off his comic chops. This show should have been animated as really the characters are cartoons. It would be nice though if they could hire some writers that are actually good and maybe breathe some life into this show. Fortunately for them, Bell Media has been ordered by the CRTC to spend $200 million on original content as a part of their Astral TV merger. That money has to go somewhere, so as long as no better ideas come along Satisfaction may see a third season, maybe.
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4/10
Slightly More Bad Than Good
hereispierre28 October 2013
This Canadian comedy show has good things going for it and also bad things taking away from it, just like most other shows on TV.

I have just heard this show has been canceled and wanted to come put in my two cents before it is put to rest.

The show's main star Luke McFarlane is horrible in this. I'm sure he's a good actor and if you look at his credits he's done a lot of drama, but good actors do not necessarily make good comedy performers. He is just not believable, seems to be too old for the role he is playing, and to be very blunt and a bit cruel I guess he is just not funny.

The female star Leah Renee (Luke M's love interest) is OK I could take her or leave her and she is very pretty.

The other male lead Ryan Belleville is not as bad as other reviews here suggest. He is also too old for his role and is a very silly character but he's silly in a way that he is supposed to be, he is a very immature guy with zero responsibility and very selfish.

The other characters are good and bad. Cat lady and Simon are funny, Gary is unfunny and annoying and the hockey playing bar owner is maybe the character I hate most, so awful and not at all funny.

The show was also very fast paced which I think hurt it, there are so many silly characters going in different directions that I think it really hurt the show over all.

I wish this show had one more season to see where it could actually go but I am not at all surprised that they are pulling the plug.

Rest In Peace Satisfaction we hardly knew you.
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5/10
Just Average
thevocalcoach19 November 2013
This show isn't as awful as most of the negative reviews here but also is not as great as most of the positive reviews here. I would agree with what the negative reviews seem to be saying about the acting that bad acting or characters is the major problem with this show. I for one did not like or believe the main couple leading the cast of the show. They did not seem like believable characters and especially the lead male actor was not very likable. I didn't ever feel like I got to know any of the characters and never felt like I should care much about them or their lives. They are poor losers but can afford a huge apartment in Toronto? Why not get a place with one less bedroom so they don't have to share with their equally old friend? I just never understood why these three people were living together especially when they have nothing in common but also don't even really seem to like each other. Their mooching friend gave them nothing and was never nice to them. That character was also unbelievable and annoying as a person but could sometimes be funny, but the main two characters never seemed very funny to me. I don't have a problem with the other characters in their lives. It was neat to see a Canadian show set in Toronto and I actually know the storefront they are using for the coffee shop because I walk by it every day! I think the show was maybe too ambitious, another reviewer mentioned how maybe things are going too fast and maybe there was a bit too much going on quickly. I don't feel qualified to judge the directing and writing but it seemed like there were some very funny jokes and also stuff that fell flat, so I think an average vote over all is fair! 5 out of 10!
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3/10
Poor on all fronts
rudyardk22 July 2013
If it's hard to single out where "Satisfaction" goes wrong, that's only because it goes wrong in so many ways...

Writing: Generic. There's not a single original idea to be had, nor a single memorable character.

Casting: Basically at the level of a student film. It seems as if a dozen people showed up for the auditions, so they were simply cast in the dozen roles that were available.

Direction: At best pedestrian, and certainly not tuned to the rhythms of actual human interaction.

Production: The show looks (and feels) cheap and rushed. For all the producers, executives and consultants listed in the credits, and all the funding and tax credits the Canadian government seems to have given them, one can only wonder where the money actually went. The only sensible assumption is that the credited execs paid themselves handsomely, leaving little money left over for the finished on-screen product.

In short -- this is bad. Elsewhere in the world, it wouldn't even be a series: the pilot would simply be put in a vault, never to be shown in public. Here in Canada, production money has been spent, and Canadian content regulations must be filled, so "Satisfaction" gets a series order.

A SMALL series order, mind you, and one that will be run off in the summer, far, far away from sweeps week. After all, the people that greenlit this series may be buffoons ... but they're not complete idiots.
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1/10
This is not a review. This is a warning about how bad this is.
fastpuppy23 July 2013
This is bad... no seriously it's bloody awful. Absolute garbage.

Bad dialogue, brainless plot, no story other than a meandering from one poorly though out gag to the next. Low brow doesn't begin to describe this.

Sadly the cast is trapped in this fiasco and judging from their previous work they are better than this. Leah Renee was in Blue Mountain state and the playboy club which were OK, and MacFarlane was in Kinsey apparently. It doesn't come through in their performances though... most likely because of the poor quality of the material.

There are jokes that aren't funny and some of what passes for humour in this show wouldn't make the grade on children's TV.

I am embarrassed for my country that this garbage was produced in Canada and will likely continue to air because of Canadian content regulations.
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10/10
LOVE IT!!!! Great Comedy
andsoonandsoon23 July 2013
One of the best finds for me this summer has been the new CTV series Satisfaction. The characters are incredibly likable, the stories are real (with a serious comedy kick) and the jokes are non-stop. I love how the people are just people - a bunch of friends living their everyday lives and bringing a ton of comedy into their world. Really, really like how the friendships show how much they care about each other, even when they aren't perfect, make huge mistakes or don't do the best thing by one another. They still stick with each other.

Loved the episode where Mark goes looking for women with Simon as his wingman. The pick-up lines were priceless. Must be doing something right with all the guest stars they have been getting. Jessica Pare was awesome this week! Pretty cool to see her do a comedy.

Just reading through some of the other reviews. Do people really still use the word retarded? Yikes.
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1/10
The Worst Acting and Maybe Worst Show Ever
lusbygordonok30 June 2013
This show stinks. It's funny that it's called Satisfaction because watching it leaves me totally unsatisfied. Worse than that. Sick to my stomach and angry that I just wasted 30 minutes of my life that feel like six hours that I won't ever get back. Why does Canadian TV always have to suck? It is getting worse. This is even worse than This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Royal Canadian Air Farce and Red Green because at least those shows weren't trying to be hip and cool.

The show is about a couple that live with their almost retarded friend. The actors are so awful it can't even be put into words. The lead couple are attractive enough but it's as if somebody is just broadcasting two cardboard cut outs with a robot voice added in later. They are flat, not likable, not believable, terrible. The friend is worse for the other reason. He acts and delivers his lines way over the top like he's a twelve year old shrieking for attention. Another unbelievable and unlikeable character. It is sad because I've seen him do stand up comedy and he's really very funny (no really!) he just can't act worth spit.

The supporting cast is also terrible. Why does Mark Critch get put on TV? He's got zero talent and he's not funny. They took him from This Hour Has 22 Minutes, gave him a silly moustache and hair combo (I'm sure they laughed for hours and hours about how funny he looked) and he's trying so hard to do some kind of funny accent and failing miserably. The only time I laughed watching this show was when this stiff walked on screen and started talking and I realized it was a real character and not some joke. I'd like to have his stupid jacket though.

The director gets a total fail because the entire unwatchable show is on his or her shoulders. And whoever writes this crap deserves a hard kick in the wang.

Somebody please fix Canadian TV or it will die and it should if these are the shows you're going to make.
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9/10
Hilarious!
kristamacleanon14 August 2013
This show is SUCH a good time! Totally worth watching. The characters are all so funny. Marc and Simon play off each other so well, their banter had me laughing til I cried. Simon is the nerd next door, always up for anything Marc has planned. The two of them are enough to keep you laughing the whole half hour, but the main couple Jason and Maggie are just hilarious as well. Jason is kind of a nerd (but hot!), but with Marc as a best friend he obviously knows how to have fun. These actors are so great together, I love this show! I've seen about five episodes so far, and it gets better and better. Also, Jessica Pare and Jerry O'Connell were each on the show, and really added to the funny. I'm excited for the next episode!
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1/10
Terrible Show
edfyfe723 July 2013
I will try to be brief. The actors have no chemistry, probably because they are the same actors and comics who are competing against each other for that latest TV commercial gig. The apartment is dark, boring and ugly, well at least that is accurate since it's supposed to be in Toronto.

The speed of the dialogue is too fast, a lot of stale jokes. The same tired old sex clichés and scenarios. Underwritten and overacted. Shame on Canadian TV for being so lame in the last 10 to 15 years!

What makes a sitcom great is the characters. Satisfaction has a whole cast of one dimensional characters who are shallow, selfish and it's hard to have sympathy or concern. As the viewer I could care less if their meat spoils from a blackout or they can't score pot. Or how about winning in a trivia contest? These are story lines that are not even good enough for a mid summer replacement.
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5/10
Decent Effort
ronnieyearwood8 January 2014
This show is not so bad if you are just looking for a mindless half hour of televised comedy. There are some decent jokes in it and yes of course the plot doesn't always make sense and the characters can be very awkward and annoying but they are supposed to be! This is a comedy with not super fleshed out characters where the annoying people and awkward situations is what they are going for. Some people don't like awkward shows like The Office but some people like me do. That's not to say this show is anywhere near as good as The Office was but it is that same kind of awkward humour so if that is something you don't like then from straight out of the gate you will not like this show. For those people like me who do get that kind of humour this show isn't bad.
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1/10
Quite Bad
eatcrowepls4 August 2018
This show was quite bad. The acting was completely awful with two leads who just plain cannot do comedy, their roommate-slash-costar was a huge ham and the other supporting actors were even more cringe inducing, like the terrible bartender and unimaginably unfunny guy from This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The writing was just as bad with awful scripts and jokes. Seriously how do they write scripts this bad and actually produce them and not realize at any time how completely unfunny they are, or how bad the acting is?
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9/10
Canadian Comedy at It's Best
sheila915021 August 2013
My husband and I have been PVR'ing every episode this season and have had a lot of laughs. The characters always get themselves in hilarious situations, but are still relatable to everyday experiences we all have. Mark and Simon have some particularly funny moments together - the episode where they went clubbing was a riot. Also loved the latest episode with Peter Keleghan as he is one of my favourite comedians! People can sometimes criticize Canadian comedy, but this show proves Canada can still produce great sitcoms. The writing is strong and the supporting characters help to elevate the level of comedy. Will continue to be watching until the end of the season and hoping for a season two!!
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