Welcome to Podcast Portal: a spontaneous column that will highlight podcasts of all genres that are lesser known or new shows that are worth giving a listen. With the medium continuing to grow, it is hard to acknowledge all of them. However, I am going to try and find as many noteworthy titles as possible to share and hopefully expand your mind to the greatest growing medium out there. If you have any podcast that you feel is worth adding to the Podcast Portal, please make sure to inform me whether through the comments or through an e-mail (information in sidebar).
SHOW: The Ron Burgundy Podcast
HOSTS: Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy)
NETWORK: I Heart Radio
HOSTS: Will Ferrell (as Ron Burgundy)
NETWORK: I Heart Radio
EPISODE BEING DISCUSSED: "True Crime"
In Will Ferrell's career, there have been few characters that have resonated in pop culture as well as Ron Burgundy of Anchorman fame. While the film has gone on to be considered one of the best comedies of the 21st century, the character has taken on a life of his own as Ferrell continues to portray him at various functions. Audiences love the journalist with an aloof sensibility so much that when the Anchorman sequel came out, it produced several different versions of the same film ("unrated" as it were). For over 15 years, Ron Burgundy has been a pop culture mainstay and arguably one of the few depictions of newscasters that gets the majority of the public's love in these fraught times.
That still makes The Ron Burgundy Podcast a bit of an odd fit. Part of the character's charm is that he's great in small doses. They can produce memorable scenes that when strung together make for a memorable movie. However, that's mostly because of the supporting cast that featured several great improv actors at the top of their game. Here it's mostly Ferrell relying on his wits to produce a lengthy show that satirizes the art of podcasts. This isn't' the end of the road though, given the character's place in the past, a lot of the first episode does benefit from what can be described as old people humor. Basically: how does technology work? There's many moments that Ferrell revels in the obvious joke, but what makes the punchline work is his earnest commitment to it.
The show begins by focusing on a section that should be edited out. Why must we hear Ron Burgundy warming up for the show? It's a bit of an obvious joke about incompetence, but it's the feeling of a character creating his first podcast that becomes charming. The sound check may not be anything exceptional, but by embracing every odd error of a first time host (including music cues failing to play), the show has an authentic sense of awkward humor. It only continues as Ron Burgundy's confidence is shaken slowly over the course of an episode. He is the man in charge, but he's also capable of getting all of the information incorrect. That is the brilliance of the show's closing segment where a fact checker gives everything wrong with the episode. To hear Ron Burgundy sound flabbergasted at these errors is a thing of beauty.
As far as comedy goes, it does seem like there's limited appeal for this Anchorman character in the modern context. However, there has to be something there if an actor of Ferrell's stature would want to bring the character back every Thursday. One can hope that there's an underlying sense of growth and there's a secret charm to the characters that will develop. Maybe there's something of a narrative that has been implanted in the listener's mind and they haven't realized it. With that said, it's the only way that the show could become endearing when it gets past 20 episodes and everyone knows its gimmicks. Even those who love Anchorman will need something to keep them going. The incompetent making of a podcast is enough for now, especially if it's delivered with this deadpan of a style, but it too will eventually seem old.
Can Ferrell's addition to the podcast world become one of the best shows out there? It does seem likely, especially given that character driven shows like Womp It Up have slowly built universes that are more than silly segments. Maybe Ron Burgundy's relationship to his staff will lead to interesting developments. Then again, if this is just a parody of every podcast style out there, then it will get tiresome. It's easy to believe that Ferrell can pull it off given his love of the unsustainable joke. In just one episode he's even managed to prove that a character that's over 15 years old at this point is still rather funny. It may be more acquired in a long form format, but those who love Anchorman will get plenty out of this episode. It's fun to see him navigate this world with such a blatant deconstruction of the medium. The only question is what it all means in the long run.
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: Fans of Anchorman and Will Ferrell's style will likely be signed on until the show ends, though even then it's a strong maybe. The show is likely to still be funny in the immediate weeks to come, but the show needs to evolve from the sense that podcasting is weird. I'm sure Ferrell will find a way, but for now it's a promising new show that's character-driven in all of the best ways possible.
In Will Ferrell's career, there have been few characters that have resonated in pop culture as well as Ron Burgundy of Anchorman fame. While the film has gone on to be considered one of the best comedies of the 21st century, the character has taken on a life of his own as Ferrell continues to portray him at various functions. Audiences love the journalist with an aloof sensibility so much that when the Anchorman sequel came out, it produced several different versions of the same film ("unrated" as it were). For over 15 years, Ron Burgundy has been a pop culture mainstay and arguably one of the few depictions of newscasters that gets the majority of the public's love in these fraught times.
That still makes The Ron Burgundy Podcast a bit of an odd fit. Part of the character's charm is that he's great in small doses. They can produce memorable scenes that when strung together make for a memorable movie. However, that's mostly because of the supporting cast that featured several great improv actors at the top of their game. Here it's mostly Ferrell relying on his wits to produce a lengthy show that satirizes the art of podcasts. This isn't' the end of the road though, given the character's place in the past, a lot of the first episode does benefit from what can be described as old people humor. Basically: how does technology work? There's many moments that Ferrell revels in the obvious joke, but what makes the punchline work is his earnest commitment to it.
The show begins by focusing on a section that should be edited out. Why must we hear Ron Burgundy warming up for the show? It's a bit of an obvious joke about incompetence, but it's the feeling of a character creating his first podcast that becomes charming. The sound check may not be anything exceptional, but by embracing every odd error of a first time host (including music cues failing to play), the show has an authentic sense of awkward humor. It only continues as Ron Burgundy's confidence is shaken slowly over the course of an episode. He is the man in charge, but he's also capable of getting all of the information incorrect. That is the brilliance of the show's closing segment where a fact checker gives everything wrong with the episode. To hear Ron Burgundy sound flabbergasted at these errors is a thing of beauty.
As far as comedy goes, it does seem like there's limited appeal for this Anchorman character in the modern context. However, there has to be something there if an actor of Ferrell's stature would want to bring the character back every Thursday. One can hope that there's an underlying sense of growth and there's a secret charm to the characters that will develop. Maybe there's something of a narrative that has been implanted in the listener's mind and they haven't realized it. With that said, it's the only way that the show could become endearing when it gets past 20 episodes and everyone knows its gimmicks. Even those who love Anchorman will need something to keep them going. The incompetent making of a podcast is enough for now, especially if it's delivered with this deadpan of a style, but it too will eventually seem old.
Can Ferrell's addition to the podcast world become one of the best shows out there? It does seem likely, especially given that character driven shows like Womp It Up have slowly built universes that are more than silly segments. Maybe Ron Burgundy's relationship to his staff will lead to interesting developments. Then again, if this is just a parody of every podcast style out there, then it will get tiresome. It's easy to believe that Ferrell can pull it off given his love of the unsustainable joke. In just one episode he's even managed to prove that a character that's over 15 years old at this point is still rather funny. It may be more acquired in a long form format, but those who love Anchorman will get plenty out of this episode. It's fun to see him navigate this world with such a blatant deconstruction of the medium. The only question is what it all means in the long run.
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 out of 5
WORTH A SECOND GO?: Fans of Anchorman and Will Ferrell's style will likely be signed on until the show ends, though even then it's a strong maybe. The show is likely to still be funny in the immediate weeks to come, but the show needs to evolve from the sense that podcasting is weird. I'm sure Ferrell will find a way, but for now it's a promising new show that's character-driven in all of the best ways possible.
Comments
Post a Comment