After years of outstanding ensemble work in acclaimed television series like Silicon Valley, Portlandia, and Burning Love —as well as unforgettable scene-stealing cameos in films like Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and Central Intelligence — comedian Kumail Nanjiani has been long overdue for a chance to solidify his leading man status. The Big Sick, […]
Continue ReadingLast Friday, it was revealed that Seeso, the comedy-oriented streaming site owned by NBCUniversal, was issuing a series of layoffs. If that weren’t troubling enough, it was also revealed that the service had yet to accumulate an impressive number of subscribers, currently operating in the low six figures. Between this and the departure of Evan […]
Continue ReadingWhat do Jared Kushner and a trio of Greasers have in common? Yes, loved ones who obsessively groom their ridiculous hair but also: this week’s column! We’ve highlighted two contributions that don’t seem to share much DNA at surface level. Upon digging a little deeper, though, you might discover that each makes commendable use of a simple, easily producible premise, […]
Continue ReadingAuthor, producer, screenwriter, and GWAR fan Emily V. Gordon is no stranger to the philosophical principle that comedy equals tragedy plus time. And not just because she traffics in the business of being funny, although that certainly helps. Gordon, years before she became a successful author (Super You), standup showcase producer (The Meltdown with Jonah […]
Continue ReadingYou must have seen it: the commercial/trailer for “Steve Martin Teaches Comedy.” Facebook tells me it surfaced in early March, when my brother excitedly posted it to my wall. And it was quite the trailer to be sure, with its lush production values, zippy pacing, and promise of quality guidance from an unimpeachable comedic figure. I […]
Continue ReadingRory Scovel’s newest hour, entitled Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up for the First Time, dropped today on Netflix. If you haven’t watched it yet, please bookmark this article and come back after you’ve seen it because this is the kind of special that is best viewed with little to no advance information. Conceptually the special encapsulates […]
Continue ReadingPod-Canon is an ongoing tribute to the greatest individual comedy-related podcast episodes of all time. I finally caught up with the zeitgeist-capturing surprise blockbuster Deadpool for the Lukewarm Takes column on my website, and though I enjoyed it for the most part, it most assuredly did not live up to all the hype. How could […]
Continue Reading‘Structurally Sound’ is a recurring feature where each week a different structurally unusual, rule-breaking anomaly of an episode from a comedy series is examined. “What’s good?” “How about a cup of the best piping hot apple cider on this side of the Mississippi and a slice of cinnamon pie that may just bring tears.” At […]
Continue ReadingMariah Smith is a comedian, writer and producer in New York City. In 2015, Smith created Keeping Up With the Kontinuity Errors, a blog that tracks the continuity errors in Keeping Up With the Kardashians, using Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and common sense. KUWTKE can be seen most widely on seen New York magazine’s The Cut […]
Continue ReadingOn Wednesday, the country was shocked by the events in Alexandria, Virginia, where a gunman targeted a congressional baseball practice. The event re-sparked our national debate about gun violence, and was yet another reminder of how prominent of an issue this is in America. As a response to the shooting, NBC pulled an episode of […]
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