The Spoils Before Dying was a comedy miniseries made by the same people who made The Spoils of Babylon, but instead of Tobey Maguire, whose face I hate, it stars Michael Kenneth Williams, who played Omar in The Wire and in this production plays a jazz pianist trying to clear his name of murder. It follows the same style as that production in tone and the way that the narrative is presented. A film director provides bookend commentary about his movie in a dining establishment while the majority of the episode shows a portion of the movie. I think that if you paid close attention to the actual story of the two miniseries instead of just waiting for the jokes like I did, you would appreciate this entry more because technically it is a sequel with many of the actors featured in the movie portion having a hilarious history with the director.
It is not the kind of TV show that you can multitask while watching because then you’ll miss most of the visual gags such as the shadows of two people who are doing something completely different from the people who are fighting and shown in the foreground. Unfortunately I didn’t follow my advice, left very little time to watch the show before Netflix removed it from streaming and rushed through the whole process. Even though there are only six episodes with the total running time of an average movie, my prioritizing skills were off that day, I started watching the miniseries too late on a weeknight, and I was sleepy.
I barely remember anything about The Spoils Before Dying except instead of a spoof of epic miniseries like The Thorn Birds, it felt like a spoof of film noir movies with a larger conspiracy framework. While I enjoy film noir movies, I’m not so familiar with them to pick up on all the nuanced jokes that poked fun at that genre. Also a part of me regrets not paying closer attention to the undercover Nazis storyline because after hearing all the thinly veiled jokes about bad acts by Robert Durst, Bill Cosby and Weinstein, I’m beginning to think that comedians are secretly giving us big scoops on the news, and we’re too dumb to notice. Also don’t forget that Adam McKay directed and Will Ferrell produced Vice and The Big Short, two people deeply involved in this production. So be better than me and distinguish which sections are jokes versus revelations.
The Spoils Before Dying is just as much a parody of the time and aims to be a period piece set in the 1950s. It specifically mocks the media concept of beatnik culture: jazz, drug use, philosophizing, etc. There is a theme about whether or not the main character should sell out and record a more appealing album with strings. Again this era and that genre of music are not my jam so I’m not fluent in those particular cultural contexts to appreciate the jokes on more than one level.
The Spoils Before Dying ended up in my queue because I love Kristen Wiig, but other draws include Will Ferrell resuming his role from The Spoils of Babylon as the Orson Welles figure, Kate McKinnon, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows and Jimmy Fallon, whom I do not see it for. Haley Joel Osment and Tim Robbins returned for this sequel, but played different characters from their roles in The Spoils of Babylon. Notable dramatic actors such as Michael Sheen, Ted Levine, Louis Gossett Jr. and Jesse Williams make appearances if you’re fans and must see anything that they are in. There is also a cat.
If another Spoils miniseries is made, I’ll definitely check it out, but it isn’t entertainment that I relish. The Spoils Before Dying features so many talented actors that it seemed a shame to miss it, but ultimately it is forgettable unless you are familiar with the time and culture that it mocks.