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| Left to right: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
There has been a lot involving the Adult Swim brand that I have liked and disliked over its existence. One of the most baffling is Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, which attempted to parody TV by taking it to absurd, juvenile heights. It never clicked with me and the film that spawned from it, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, ranks among my least favorite movies of 2012. However, when creators Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim starred in the Comedy, a shift felt to be changing. Maybe it was just not digging the concept of the flagship Adult Swim show. Maybe their dedication to satire reached levels that only made sense to those invested in the genre. In fact, I consider the Comedy to be a great satire on mumblecore the way that Zelig was to documentaries: almost pitch perfect yet very funny in spite of everything.
It got me to reassess my opinions of the two comedians, though not enough to consider Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job anything of high quality. It worked within the context of Adult Swim's late night, anything goes crass nature. With the introduction to a new series called Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories, it seems like they are continuing to branch out and experiment with different techniques and satirical points. Much like Drunk History explores historic recollections through alcoholics, this show attempts to explore the tropes of scary horror tropes with their own brand of lowbrow, slapstick absurdity. The results are rather impressive.
One of the biggest issues with Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job was that it lacked a feel of central focus. Anything went, and while it did produce laughs, it was too aggressive for my tastes. With the first episode "Reading of the Will," Heidecker, Wareheim, and Zach Galifianakis move into a haunted house. The rest isn't so much deeply complex, but a look at crazy antics that take place within the confines of a singular set. There's the ghosts, bats, and haunted furniture gimmicks galore, but when amped up in ways that only Tim and Eric's aggressive humor can get, it becomes something more. Instead of frights, we get a sense of mental illness as the house comes across like a steroid-induced House on Haunted Hill premise. With plenty of pratfalls, the jokes manage to work within the confines of the show.
While this is all great, what makes it great is the follow-through and that there actually is a conclusion at the end of 14 minutes. Upon being stuck in the house, things are revealed to be an elaborate prank that Heidecker and Warehim threw together to mess with Galifianakis. As much as it seems cruel, it is played so sincerely that it comes across as stupid. Along with a scene in which Galifianakis breaks the fourth wall and complains about breaking his femur falling down stairs despite his stunt man doing it, only adds a more surreal level to the texture. Of course, the best part of the conclusion is that in the 50 years that take place in the episode, the actors who played ghosts are revealed and among them is a child who has impressively hasn't aged. It is a gag that goes unnoticed, which probably only makes it more brilliant. It all ends with a song about how Galifianakis wasted his life and wanted to be something more. It is sort of sweet.
By the reviews, I feel like I am alone in finding the concept of the show highly promising. It has been awhile since something that satirized horror has done anything halfway entertaining in very dumb ways. In fact, it is intriguing that the Adult Swim stalwarts debuted it tonight, especially since production for the show doesn't begin until 2014. It works as one of the closing Halloween specials for 2013, but also just as a promising look into something that could be great.
Of course, what makes the pranking of this show much more interesting is that it is called a special. To the naked eye, this is really a cheat, as it only runs a few minutes longer than an average Adult Swim show. In fact, the "filler" content features Heidecker and Wareheim doing an after show that highlights moments from the episode. In a way, this almost feels like the perfect antithesis to Talking Bad simply because Wareheim's gag for most of the segment features him plugging their Facebook page every five seconds. It reflects the shilling nature of after shows while also presenting the lack of depth that they often have. The "exclusive" outtake is just a scene from the episode. It is kind of brilliant.
With the two arguing over the closing credits, the show has sold itself to me. I believe that provided that the show improves on the satirical bent that it has established, I could be finally willing to invest in a Tim and Eric show for the long haul. It feels more focused than their past work and better yet, it has continuity and focus in their jokes that while are often meandering, are heightened thanks to the understanding of the genre. I cannot say that I like all Adult Swim shows, but somehow the live action satirical shows like Children's Hospital, NTSF: SD: SUV::, and Eagelheart are all great examples of why the 15 minute segments work. It doesn't last too long and it is a small dose of confusion that is sure to make you laugh. I can only hope that Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories can join that list next year.
By the reviews, I feel like I am alone in finding the concept of the show highly promising. It has been awhile since something that satirized horror has done anything halfway entertaining in very dumb ways. In fact, it is intriguing that the Adult Swim stalwarts debuted it tonight, especially since production for the show doesn't begin until 2014. It works as one of the closing Halloween specials for 2013, but also just as a promising look into something that could be great.
Of course, what makes the pranking of this show much more interesting is that it is called a special. To the naked eye, this is really a cheat, as it only runs a few minutes longer than an average Adult Swim show. In fact, the "filler" content features Heidecker and Wareheim doing an after show that highlights moments from the episode. In a way, this almost feels like the perfect antithesis to Talking Bad simply because Wareheim's gag for most of the segment features him plugging their Facebook page every five seconds. It reflects the shilling nature of after shows while also presenting the lack of depth that they often have. The "exclusive" outtake is just a scene from the episode. It is kind of brilliant.
With the two arguing over the closing credits, the show has sold itself to me. I believe that provided that the show improves on the satirical bent that it has established, I could be finally willing to invest in a Tim and Eric show for the long haul. It feels more focused than their past work and better yet, it has continuity and focus in their jokes that while are often meandering, are heightened thanks to the understanding of the genre. I cannot say that I like all Adult Swim shows, but somehow the live action satirical shows like Children's Hospital, NTSF: SD: SUV::, and Eagelheart are all great examples of why the 15 minute segments work. It doesn't last too long and it is a small dose of confusion that is sure to make you laugh. I can only hope that Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories can join that list next year.
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