"True Detective" is getting the most buzz but it is not the only example of A-list actors coming to TV in the next couple of days. There are Oscar nominees everywhere you look, including IFC and Showtime. The former features an all-star cast in a '70s mini-series spoof courtesy of the hilarious folks at Funny or Die called "The Spoils of Babylon." As he did with "Casa de mi Padre," Will Ferrell takes his ridiculous concept and pitches it with a straight face, producing a star-studded mini-series about a lost boy who grows up to be a wealthy World War II vet who happens to love his adopted sister.
Ferrell introduces each half-hour episode as Eric Jonrosh, the author of the books on which this fictional mini-series is based and the director of the film.These introductions, in which Ferrell reminds one of Orson Welles in his later years, are often the funniest parts of the episodes.The mini-series itself, which features Tobey Maguire & Kristen Wiig in the leads, supported by Tim Robbins, Jessica Alba, Michael Sheen, Val Kilmer, and more, is flat-out ridiculous in narrative and production value.