This weekend Donald Trump will be hosting Saturday Night Live. A 40 year old institution Americans turn to for its take on the issues, SNL is known for its impact on elections. But in this case instead of going after the political agenda they're inviting one of the candidates to do it themselves. The reason they're doing this is hardly a questionable matter, ratings baby. People are going to watch Donald Trump on SNL. A trick that might be expected from any other show but from SNL? An institution that prides itself on its content and voice above cheap tricks, well so a seasoned comedy fan like myself would like to believe. But what's more upsetting is the lack of outrage surrounding his appearance. Donald Trump is known for his famous remarks, where he called illegal Mexican immigrants "rapists". Imagine instead of Mexican immigrants it was replaced with Jews or black people? Would NBC so quick to allow him onto one of their shows? Of course not. Because advertisers would be fleeing left and right. However because Trump's remarks were towards a group of people our country deems fitting to criticize without limit, there he will be on Saturday night, being as welcomed into our homes as Alec Baldwin or Steve Martin.
That's not to say there aren't some people taking a stand against his appearance. According to a report on the Huffington Post "Several dozen activists gathered Wednesday in front of NBC’s
headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center demanding the network rescind an
invitation to GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump to host “Saturday
Night Live" on Nov. 7 and vowing to pressure the network's advertisers
to join their cause." The activists have gained over 500,000 signatures on their petition to get him off the network but to no avail. SNL has never been one to bow to pressure and with the network and the anticipated ratings on their side they're not likely to start now. As SNL fan myself, I just hope they have a few tricks up their sleeves, and knowing SNL they're likely to as well.
I've recently become obsessed with the sketch-comedy series Portlandia, a show which parodies life in Portland, Oregon. The show was created and written by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, who also star as the various roles throughout the series. Fred Armisen is a former cast member of Saturday Night Live and has guest starred on other comedies such as Broad City. Jonathan Kreisel also co-created the show, and directs it. It is currently in its fifth season and airs on IFC, which airs other shows such as Comedy Bang! Bang! and The Birthday Boys.
Portlandia is a very peculiar (but amazing) show, because it does not have a running storyline that continues for seasons on end; it's mostly sketches that focus on the hipster/feminist/vegan lifestyles that people on the West Coast lead. It's definitely not for everyone- the sketches are very quirky and the jokes can sometimes run a bit dry. The show is scripted, but a lot of the skits are improvised.
Some of my favorite parts of the show include the "Women and Women First" bookstore sketches, where Fred & Carrie play two feminist bookstore owners and they are absolutely hilarious. Here's an example of one of those sketches.
Portlandia also has some outstanding costume and set design. It is all very interesting, colorful, and detailed, which is why I think I enjoy the show so much, because it is so aesthetically pleasing. It also has a really cool sound mix, where the music score coincides with the jokes that are occurring. And obviously the script is just plain hilarious, and very easy to relate to.
I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves sketch comedy and quality tv. All seasons are available to watch on Netflix.
Comedy Bang! Bang! is a tv show on IFC featuring some of the most well known comedians of tv. The show is a parody of a talk show, the set obviously not completed and the host is consistently a poor interviewer. The show focuses on surreal and outlandish humor, often altering reality. In many episodes the furniture talks to the host openly. The characters are over the top, the celebrity guests are caricatures of themselves, and the whole show is a whacky 22 minute ride.
Comedy Bang! Bang! is the brainchild of former Mr. Show writer Scott Aukerman. The road to the show was a long one, Aukerman started running the show live in 2002 as Comedy Death Ray. A Comedy Death Ray podcast was started in 2009 and in 2011 the name was changed to Comedy Bang! Bang!
The television show on IFC was spun off from the podcast in 2012, Aukerman bringing on comedian and one man band Reggie Watts to cohost. The show features a similar brand of comedy as the podcast but with a television twist. The podcast is a celebrity playing themselves and a comedian playing a character. The entire show is improvised on the spot and Aukerman releases everything recorded.
Comedy Bang! Bang! works so well because it's so original. There's nothing before like this, the most similar thing is Mr. Show which was purely a sketch show. The combination of improv and sketch creates something that comedy has never done before. The sketch's are weird, the guests are weird, but that's what they need to surprise the audience. It's also incredibly impressive, that we see these comedians develop these characters on the spot.
It should be noted, for those looking at the television business, that many comedians featured on the show and podcast are getting series of their own. The Kroll Show, Review, No You Shut Up!, The Birthday Boys, and even Parks and Recreation feature Bang! Bang! regulars and continue to be reviewed highly by critics.
Each episode promises something new and original. If you're bored with comedy today you shouldn't be, the comedy revival started at improv and is moving up to tv. Networks have figured out how to package these weird and niche markets and thus create incredibly creative content.
Scoot Fluxerman is gathering a bunch of his funny friends in a tv studio and making something truly unseen on tv before.
One of the most
underrated shows on television, in my opinion, is a satirical sketch comedy
series entitled Portlandia. Portlandia is a show that takes place in Portland, Oregon, and
basically parodies all of the strange goings-on around that area. In short, we
see a lot of material about hipsters, veganism, thrift stores and saving the
environment. Part of the brilliance of this show is the way in which it pokes
fun at these Portland dwellers. Portland is a city that is definitely known for
being different, and a little wacky at times. I have even met a few people from
Portland, and when asked about how similar it actually is to the show, they almost
always rave about the accuracy with which it is portrayed.
Portlandia
stars Carrie Bradshaw, alongside Saturday Night Live alum, Fred Armisen. They
play a whole host of different characters, and with each one, they bring
something totally new and different to the show. Each episode often features well-known
comedic guest stars who are recruited to play a supporting role. One of the
most exciting things about the show is how unpredictable it can be. You can
never tell what they will come up with next. After five seasons of the show,
one would think that they might be running out of ideas for new material- after
all, how many sketches about hipsters could they possibly make? However they
always seem to keep producing ideas. Since it is not a show that follows a
specific plot line, it also gives the writers a lot of freedom to create any
idea that they want, and it still will fit within the parameters of the show. Another
interesting aspect is that the show itself is almost 90% improvised. This gives
the actors the ability to know the basic plotline, while still being able to
work freely with it and make each sketch their own. It certainly fits with the
show and adds a sense of randomness and weirdness that works very well with the
overall feel that is trying to be achieved.
