Wonder Katzen

Fans of twisted, subversive comedy take note: The first season of MTV2’s often brilliant “kids” show, Wonder Showzen (which I first gushed about here), is set to be released on DVD March 28th according to this and this. I’m psyched, are you? (You sicko creep.)

And if that weren’t already enough, there’s even better news. According to an interview with (H.) Jon Benjamin on the January 7th episode of the Sound of Young America, Dr. Katz is finally coming to DVD! Benjamin discusses doing the commentary for the Season 1 DVD in the interview, as well as his thoughts on Squigglevision (the style of animation used on Dr. Katz and on the 1st season of Home Movies, another show which features his voice), hosting the ongoing comedy thing Tinkle with David Cross and Todd Barry, and why he doesn’t do traditional stand-up. You can hear the unedited Jon Benjamin interview here.

Anyway, this is awesome news for fans of Dr. Katz who have been petitioning for a DVD release for quite a while. My “temporary” copies of the series (previously discussed here), while good for quick fix, obviously can’t compete with high quality editions with commentary and all that. I can’t wait. [No release date has been set so far, and sites like Amazon aren’t yet listing it.]

January 12, 2007 | Filed Under Comedy, TV | Leave a Comment 

Wonder Showzen

Why have I not already heard about this? Tim and I were hanging around last night watching Aqua Teen when he told me about Wonder Showzen, this show on MTV2 he caught after watching Subterranean the night before (see my previous post…no, I don’t work for MTV). Anyway, it sounded mildly interesting…a twisted kids show with weird puppets and little kids saying crazy shit, strange cartoons, etc. Well it happened to be coming on, so we stayed up to watch.

Let me tell you, it’s fucking awesome. It’s completely twisted and dark but so hilarious. The kids on the show are great. In one segment, a girl is on Wall Street “interviewing” businessmen, asking them questions like “How many people have you exploited today?” or offering them a napkin “for the blood on [their] hands.” Then there are these bizarre cartoons and old educational films overdubbed and re-edited, some of which are really brilliant. I laughed out loud I don’t know how many times, and that just doesn’t happen much when I watch TV.

It sort of reminds me of a cross between Robert Smigel’s Saturday TV Funhouse and the “Druggachusetts” sketch from Mr. Show. Anyway, if you’re into weird dark humour, I recommend it.

+ Go here to see the pilot episode.
+ MTV2 has some clips here.

April 5, 2005 | Filed Under Comedy, TV | 1 Comment 

Slabs of Glue Have No Standards

I realized last night that VH-1 Classic’s The Alternative is much less fun to watch alone than with a friend. I mean, when something like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones comes on, who am I gonna talk shit with? My cat? Wally doesn’t care about how annoying Eddie Trunk is.

Tim’s got it right: They should just rerun every episode of 120 Minutes from beginning to end. That would be cool.

I keep meaning to catch this Subterranean show on MTV2. It looks decent, but for some reason I always forget about it. Oh yeah—because it’s on right in the goddamn middle of The Alternative (Sundays at Midnight).

I need a DVR.

April 4, 2005 | Filed Under Music, TV | Leave a Comment 

Arrested Development: Pass the Timosil

I’ve just finished watching the first season DVDs of Fox’s Arrested Development a second time. Man, what an awesome show. I don’t think I’ve seen anything on broadcast television quite like it. It’s a wonder it hasn’t been cancelled already!

The writing is top-notch, for one. It has this weird blend of really subtle and completely over-the-top moments to it. I mean, there are just as many dry, sarcastic lines as there are prat falls or fart jokes. This dynamic is at least partially character-driven, though the same could be said for the show itself. Michael (Jason Bateman), for example, is like the straight man in the middle being driven crazy and is very dry and acerbic, while Buster (Tony Hale) is at times a complete imbecile—hilariously childish and goofy.

Which brings me to the other cool thing about the show: the amazing ensemble cast, including one of my favorite comedians, David Cross (Mr. Show, Shut Up You Fucking Baby) as Tobias Funke. He’s really good, of course, though I can’t say he’s my favorite character. Gob, played by Will Arnett (Amy Poehler’s husband) and George Michael (Michael Cera) are probably my two favs, but all of them are funny (that’s the ensemble part). There are also some cool cameos, including plenty of Mr. Show cast members and various other “out-of-the-mainstream” comedians (e.g. Poehler and her fellow Upright Citizens).

What else can I say? This is a really good show. It’s got clever writing, a great cast with funny people…oh, and fart jokes, a couple of fart jokes here and there. Let’s just hope it’s not too good, if you know what I mean.

January 16, 2005 | Filed Under TV, Video | Leave a Comment