This parody of old TV romance mini-series has been described as an extended SNL sketch, but I'd actually describe it as an extended Carol Burnett Show sketch in style. They did a lot of these sorts of parodies (most famously a Gone with the Wind sketch), and the broad humor and general silliness remind me more of Burnett than SNL.What makes it more like SNL is that, like SNL, it's really not very funny. There are certainly cute moments, but there's a sophomoric quality to the humor that fails to resonate. Also, while the cast is fairly talented, for most of them this isn't their wheelhouse. These are not Burnett/Conway/Lawrence-style actors, and the very broad writing isn't pushed through by the subtler performance style.Humor is a very individual thing, and for some people this show is hilarious. For me, well, one user review said this show was a poor version of a series I'd never heard of, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, which also parodied an old, badly-made series, and I found the first episode of that on youtube. I watched just a few minutes of it and laughed more than during the entire first episode of Spoils (I was almost breathless during the handshake scene). So basically the best thing that came out of watching this is I learned about something a lot funnier.

The Spoils of Babylon is a great mini-series with a well developed storyline that is stretched out nicely in to six half hour episodes.There are plenty of very funny scenes throughout the series,the best ones involving Tobey Maguire,Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell,while every actor does their best in this series,these three seemed the most interested.The series is a parody of old drama series,this is funny most if the time,but certain times the joke of making the show seem "old and lazy" goes too far and stops being funny after awhile.There are a tone of very well known actors throughout the six episodes,there isn't one single episode that dosen't bring in a new character played by a very well known actor.While the Spoils of Babylon isn't a perfect and hilarious comedy series from start to finish,and I certainly think the show started off better and got a little weaker towards the end,it's only six episodes long,which won't take away a lot if time,and with a great comedic cast and plenty of hilarious scenes,it is definitely worth the watch.Story of Devon and Cynthia Morehouse (Tobey Maguire and Kristen Wiig),a young girl and her adopted brother,who start a relationship as they rise to power together because of their deceased fathers wealth.

That's all. Just stunned at the stupid. No, wait -- allow me to express my dismay, my crushed hopes and dreams, my abandoned faith. A stellar cast that must have lost a bet, or was somehow blackmailed into doing a Saturday Night Live skit that forgot it was a skit and went on. And on. And on. And on. And you are forced to sit through it because, well ... because there are incredible celebrities with amazing talent and something has to happen that is genuinely funny. Right?I will admit to a hearty chuckle at the beginning. The first couple of minutes. I am embarrassed to admit that I watched two full episodes. What is that? 40 minutes without the commercials? I will never get that time back. In fact, this is the first review I have ever written for a television show, and I'm pretty certain I am doing it to prove to myself that the 30 IQ points I lost while watching can somehow be regained by engaging in an attempt to articulate my dissatisfaction, my bewilderment and disappointment. Unless that's the point? Was that it? Are we supposed to be dumbfounded and confused by the stupid? That has to be it. That's the only logical interpretation of this I can come up with.------------------------------- UPDATE: (following day) Perhaps I was a little harsh. In retrospect, and because I can't stop thinking about it, and Will Ferrell is a genius (seriously, have you ever seen the short "The Landlord"?) -- I began to consider certain elements of the entire spectacle. I don't want to give away important details but I began laughing. Just sitting here at my desk, in between work, I was busting up. And that means this is genuine comedy that works. I don't know who is more ridiculous now. Me? It? Them? The mannequin? The compass? Tobey Maguire creating his own sound effects in a fighter plane? The tiny sets made out of epic plastic toys from -- presumably -- old train kits? Okay, Will Ferrell. You win, again. This is a wreck I have to keep watching. Darn it.

Simply stated, the first 2 episodes of this mini-series have entertained me and made me laugh were very little else has of late.There is a lightness and subtleness to the comedy that I really appreciate. The look, feel, lighting and soundtrack are perfect. Despite it being 2014, the use of models has a refreshing honesty.I am not a huge Will Ferrell fan, but his intro\outros fit well. You do get tones of SNL. However, where SNL skits bore and wander, this show is continually moving.When you consider the amount of tripe on TV from reality shows, laugh queue sitcoms, rich kid\witch\vampire\alien\werewolf\mutant teen melodramas and "learning" shows voiced by monster truck announcers over metal soundtracks...how can one not enjoy such a refreshing and creative 22 minutes of entertainment? Truly.