Bob and David
Finished binge watching Master of None and in need of another brand-spanking-new Netflix original to aid in filling that 10 episode-sized hole in your heart? Tired of the perennially hit-or-miss sketch comedy of Saturday Night Live that, as of late, seems a lot less like Melo Trimble at the free-throw line and a lot more like Evan Smotrycz from three? Well, look no further than W/ Bob & David, the zany, millions of miles outside of the box, five-episode (counting the behind-the-scenes “Episode 5”) series starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, the sketch-comedy titans who introduced the world to the cult classic Mr. Show with Bob and David 20 years ago.
Each episode of the new series begins with an abrupt, cold opener that makes no sense at first, but then goes on to be masterfully explained in a proceeding sketch. Thus, the viewer is drawn immediately into the bizarre universe of Bob and David, waiting for the moment in which each respective episode’s origins become relatively clear. However, there is nothing otherwise predictable about the structure or content of W/ Bob & David, with everything from a Jewish freelance pope to Hitler in heaven being safely in-bounds topics.
Almost every sketch in the series warrants continuous laughter, beginning with the “real-time machine” introduction in which the simple use of a hyphen in between “real” and “time” has Bob and David spending 17 years in an oversized porta-potty instead of whizzing into the future in a state-of-the-art time-traveling vessel.
Odenkirk and Cross, along with a writing crew consisting of fellow Mr. Show staff members Brian Posehn, Paul F. Tompkins, Jay Johnston, Dino Stamatopoulos, Bill Odenkirk and several other indie comedy masterminds, capitalize upon finding humor in the most obviously overlooked of situations. Highlights include sketches about how the renowned photo of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out came to be, a Know Your Rights video gone hysterically wrong and a chef competition show that turns into a battle of background sob stories. Ultimately, it provides the sort of refreshing, almost brilliantly stupid laughter that seems to be missing in a world where many seem to have forgotten that fun is still necessary.
Now, that’s not to say that the show is without error, as there are some moments in which sketches extend to the tune of dwindling laughter. In “Episode 3,” a sketch satirizing the digital revolution and the sort of developers meetings led by Steve Ballmer or Jobs harps on the same joke almost entirely. The same episode features the story of fictional Olympic skier Waif Nicholson, and Odenkirk’s character continuously explains that he won the gold in record time because he despises skiing and just wanted to get off the mountain. It’s a funny concept, but the same punch line falls exponentially flatter with each repeated use.
Even when the jokes do extend past their welcome, “Episode 5,” featuring a behind-the-scenes look at show, illustrates just how much the cast and crew genuinely enjoy creating content together. The episode is in itself a show-stealer, giving insight into the comedic process of a group of seasoned writers who you would think would hold their tricks as close to their chest as David Blaine or David Copperfield. Cross and Odenkirk sing each other’s praises to no end, and ultimately, you are left desiring more and more from a comedic duo that seems as in sync as Justin Timberlake, JC Chesez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass on “Bye, Bye, Bye” (I’m so sorry).
W/ Bob & David is a sketch comedy show not just for the die-hard Mr. Show fans or the uber-intelligent comedy snobs who claim to understand and relate to every reference known to man, but also for people who just enjoy decompressing while watching some genuinely funny television. There’s at least one moment in each episode that will garner at worst a chuckle from any audience member with the ability to laugh and often is enough to leave you doubled over on the floor or annoyingly begging your friends to watch. One can only hope that when Bob and David choose to reunite for another round of content, the sultans of sketch choose not to take another 16-year hiatus before their surely triumphant return.
