Idiot Box

Sometime before summer, Comedy Central ran some IDs where they spoofed the whole "reality TV" genre, proposing some really original programming like Really Blind Date (where blind people would go out on dates) and The Vault (like Big Brother at a concentration camp). Eventually, the station stopped using these IDs, and by the start of this month the reason was known: they were finally giving in to the "reality" craze with Last Comic Standing.

Actually, Last Comic Standing is not an original Comedy Central program, but an NBC show where the winner among a group of stand-up comedians will get a contract with the broadcaster and a special at the cable channel. So why is an NBC show running a repeat of the week's episode on cable? Maybe it was all part of the deal Comedy Central had to agree to in order to show repeats of Conan O'Brien's show during the week.

Anyway, as far as "reality" series go (or game shows, which is what most are), Last Comic Standing has a concept I can grok: on the first two episodes, we were shown the semi-finals where 10 stand-up comedians from the West coast and another 10 from the East were selected to move on to the next showdown; during this one, held at Las Vegas, the group was narrowed down to 10 finalists. So far, so good. The problem begins when said 10 finalist are made to live together under the same roof, Big Brother style, with a weekly challenge for immunity (sounds familiar, don't it?) and a voting process to select someone to be thrown from the place. The only saving grace to this final part is, the person selected to leave the house can challenge one of the comedians who voted for him to a laugh-off (is that how you call a showdown between comedians?) in front of a club audience, which will decide which of both comedians is the funniest. The winner stays in the house for another week, and it's "hit the road, Jack" for the loser.

Maybe it's just that I don't know the first thing about compelling television, but if this is a talent competition was it really necessary to follow the Big Brother blueprint instead of just having everyone do their act and let the audience decide who gets the prize? (OK, so that's the American Idol blueprint, but anyway...) The show's host and executive producer, Jay Mohr, describes the show as "8 Mile with jokes," but I'm just not convinced. After watching Search for a Playboy Centerfold last year, where there were no immunity challenges and the always pajama-clad Hef was in charge of selecting who got to stay at the mansion, I'm starting to believe this one was the better "reality" show (especially considering it was a one-shot special).

But if Last Comic Standing isn't a Comedy Central original, I'm with Busey is. At least, as original as you can get after The Osbournes and The Anna Nicole Show.

The pitch for I'm with Busey must have gone something like this:

(Show creator Adam de la Peña to Comedy Central execs:) Gary Busey hasn't been doing that much work lately, so I'm sure he'll agree to let a crew follow him around for, say, a low 6-figure amount. I'll be in the show with him, since I think of myself as his biggest fan and we can use that as our excuse to bring him out of mothballs. I'll ask him to teach me about life and stuff, and did you know he's a recovering addict? Hilarity ensues! ...No, sir, he's not the one who was on that rap sitcom... No, sir, that was Jake, Gary's son.

Uh-huh. Right...

And yet, hilarity does follow Busey. This Baytown, Texas, native is operating on a different frecuency, coming up with ideas like taking de la Peña in search of a "magic indian" out in the desert to teach him about survival, and spouting non sequitur wisdom at every chance. All de la Peña can do is whine and complain, apparently wishing he wasn't doing the show in the first place.

Maybe Busey will get rid him before the season ends.

Photograph of Jay Mohr © NBC

{Edited on June 26, 2003. Added a missing "addict" to the sentence "did you know he's a recovering?" and a missing "with" to the sentence "coming up ideas". Also, changed "Just like that, hilarity ensues!" to the more succinct "Hilarity ensues!"}

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