Master of None and Organic Dramedy

    Last year Aziz Ansari stepped out of stand up comedy and became a showrunner. He released the first season of his Netflix show Master of None which focus on a fictionalized version of Aziz's life. Aziz plays Dev, an actor who predominately does commercial, who deals with a slew of social issues.   

The show features a diverse cast. Main characters include a black lesbian and an asian best friend. The only established name, besides Ansari, is Eric Wareheim. Eric, of Tim and Eric, brings an oddity to the show that mostly sits in reality. The romantic lead, Rachel, is played by Noel Wells, who was on SNL for a season.

The show is structured interestingly. Each episode stands on it's own for the most part and each deals with a social issues. Episode titles range from "Grandparents" to "Plan B". Dev talks about the first Indian person he saw on tv was actually a white actor in brown face. There are two plot lines that weave throughout the series: Dev has a small role in a major action film called The Sickening and Dev and Rachel's relationship.
Dev and Rachel's relationship is a microcosm of what the show makes the show so good. Dev and Rachel meet and hook up and after a condom malfunction they go to the pharmacy and get plan b. They meet a few months later at a party but Rachel has a boyfriend. This sort of complicated relationship beginnings are common today. It is these awkward realities that create comedy. It is also these realities that create drama. Dev and Rachel take a date to Nashville which showcases the couples' ability to work together and Dev's flaws. There is an episode the exists entirely in Dev's apartment that spans the stretch of time from when Rachel moves in until when she decides to move out. 

     Master of None takes issues of social justice such as minority and female representation and shows them in as a realistic light as its relationships. It's this reality that makes Master of None so funny and so sad. I think this blend of comedy, drama, and social awareness makes for something very powerful in just how real it can be. It's my favorite show on Netflix and a very promising start for a young showrunner/stand up comedian.

Man Seeking Woman

    Everyone should try Man Seeking Woman, a new comedy series on FXX. It's the weirdest and most unique show on television right now and is an interesting blend of romantic comedy and surreal story telling. 

    The show is created by Simon Rich, an SNL writing alum and Pixar staff writer before his 30th birthday, and based off his book The Last Girlfriend on Earth. The show stars Jay Baruchel, of This is the End and How To Train Your Dragon, who plays helpless lovetorn loser Josh Greenberg. Supporting cast include Eric Andre, of the already hyper weird Eric Andre Show, and Britt Lower, who plays Josh's overachieving and over-supportive sister. 

The pilot begins with Josh being dumbed by his girlfriend of six years. It only gets weirder after that.

     The first episode Josh goes on a blind date. As thoughts and concerns creep into his head that maybe this girl his sister set him up with will be ugly. Turns out his blind date is a troll. Not an ugly girl, an actual troll.

         

      The show isn't surreal like the Twilight Zone, it's unique. Instead of all the characters thinking it scary or strange that there's a troll present, everyone thinks it's completely normal. It's the opposite in fact, everyone thinks it's very rude that Josh is so opposed to a date with a troll. Later in the episode everyone gives Josh a hard time that he is uncomfortable with being at a party with Hitler. Like real Hitler; he's 126 years old. 

    It's the surreality that makes the show incredibly unique. It does watch a little like a book reads, the scene changes dramatically and all the characters are completely on board with that. This creates for a lot of heightened drama for a romantic comedy. In one episode Josh's mother tortured him ala 24, in another Cupid is going into rehab.

     The show is well produced and has attracted big name comedy guests for such a little known show, such as Bill Hader, Vanessa Bayer, and Tim Heidecker. The directors are important tv comedy directors, Jonathon Krisel and Ben Berman. Simon Rich clearly has the respect for his peers and it's no wonder; the show is new and creative and different than anything else.

     The performances are great and the show seeks the general in the strange particulars. The characters are relatable and emphatic even in such strange situations. I think the show is something audience should keep an eye on, as network tv starts to fall shows will become more personalized. Maybe this show is just for me but it's something everyone should test out. It's a hodgepodge of shows and styles and executes them all incredibly. It's theme, man seeking woman, is relatable to the core.

   

Why I Also Wish DeeVee Was My Son

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is probably the most inexplicable guilty pleasure of mine. It is the weirdest, weirdest, weirdest (there are literally no more adjectives at my disposal to describe it) show that I have ever seen. Its bizarre (hey! here's another adjective) parodies of public access television have garnered it an immense cult following.

Allow me to break down exactly why I have been singing "A Song for Dee Vee" everywhere I go, and what exactly makes their Chrimbus Special so special:

1. 0:05 - Right off the bat, the first funny thing is that they are singing a song for someone named "Dee Vee", and that someone happens to be a bizarre yeti-baby monster. Also: hilarious costumes. In context of the whole Chrimbus Special, they are celebrating a fictional holiday called "Chrimbus". One celebrates this holiday by keeping their "Chrimbus Bush" "trimmed and wet".
2. 0:10 - The song is about them wishing "Dee Vee" was their son. That in itself, is a joke, but Tim and Eric are above just making a joke. That's too obvious: they need to also make a hilarious face while singing. 
3. 0:13 - They dissolve to a shot of Dee Vee (a DVD monster), standing nobly as he is serenaded. Throughout this sketch (and all of their shows), they so perfectly parody the stupid, archaic whiz-bang tricks done while covering an in-studio performance. Dissolve to Camera 3, the shot of the strange munchkin ape-demon Dee Vee.
4. 0:16 - Tim has an incredible singing voice, and also makes a funny face. Funny faces = comedy. Write that down.
5. 0:20 - "You hairy boy, you need a trim. I'll get you wet for Chrimbus swim." I think at this point, it really sinks in that what you are viewing is absolutely absurd. Also, their harmonies are just as tight as their Chrimbus jumpsuits.
6. 0:32 - Tim sings "Oh, Dee Vee! I love you more than him." This in itself is a joke, but again, Tim and Eric are better than that. The real reason this is hilarious, Mom, is that Tim makes a gesture during the line. Realize how perfect that gesture is, and how completely it parodies beautiful time-honored singing events.
7. 0:40 -- the end - Watch this video. I cannot stop singing this song. I think any television student or hardcore enthusiast could at least see the value of how well the parody the stupidity of television events, programming, and commercials. If you do not fall into those categories, watch it anyways. Tim and Eric are the kings of surreal satirical humor (and anti-humor).