When A Good Idea Becomes A Bad Joke: Recapping the biggest mistake the Emmys may have ever seen

When A Good Idea Becomes A Bad Joke: Recapping the biggest mistake the Emmys may have ever seen

Sometimes, a joke can seem funny the first time you think about it. An idea pops into your head and it can make you laugh and laugh and you think it’s the most creative and hilarious idea you have ever come up with. It’s only after a little time passes that you realize that while they may be elements that are comical, the crux of the idea as a whole was a stinker and this was one of those things that needed a person to tell you, “Hey… let’s really think about why you think this is funny and what it’s about.”

This is exactly what happened when comedian Nate Bargatze hosted Sunday night’s Emmy awards. Bargatze, last year’s highest-grossing comedian and someone I believe is one of the best joke craftsmen working today, brought with him a through-line that he believed was going o be the star of the broadcast. However, what happened was the joke fell flat, he was wildly criticized, and television’s biggest night became the kind of thing where you had to cover your eyes every time the host stepped onstage.

Let’s talk about what happened, why it didn’t work, and the easy way to have made the joke a lot funnier.


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Every Episode of King of the Hill, Ranked

Every Episode of King of the Hill, Ranked

King of the Hill is one of the most beloved shows in television history. A show that never went over the top, never lost it’s believability, and built characters that had a shelf life long before the initial run of the series. While many shows (looking in your direction, Simpsons) lost their way after obliterating every plot twist and premise possible, King of the Hill never felt out of place. It was always that cozy blanket or perfectly worn in shirt in the form of a Sunday night animated show.

The sophmore effort of legendary writer/producer Mike Judge, KOTH feels completely different than his first show, Beavis and Butthead. Even as different though as the shows felt, they felt like they existed in the same time and place. Judge tends to keep the shows he makes as slightly askew versions of the world he grew up in and lives in. Tom Anderson from Beavis and Butthead could very easily by Hank Hill’s actual father. Dale Gribble is what happened when you gave Beavis the internet.

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Hulk Hogan: 1953-2025

Hulk Hogan: 1953-2025

Ask any non-wrestling fan to name a wrestler. They might say The Rock. They could say John Cena or Randy Savage. If they are particularly big fans of the cinematic classic Roadhouse, they might even say Terry Funk.

Odds are, though, the first name they utter will be the driving force behind moving wrestling from a niche hobby to a worldwide phenomenon. The name they say will be synonymous with vitamins, America, and later on in life, reality TV, racism, and easy to fact check lies.

That is because, when you ask people about wrestling, the most likely person they know is Hulk Hogan.

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The Angel, The Devil, and The Bear: examining the new season of the most talked-about show where everyone calls each other “Chef”

The Angel, The Devil, and The Bear: examining the new season of the most talked-about show where everyone calls each other “Chef”

Over the last week, I watched the new season of The Bear (F/X and Hulu) with hesitation. Like most of the world, I have loved the first two seasons, set in a Chicago restaurant. But there seemed to be a growing cloud over this new season, which was decided to release in one installment perfect for mass consumption. People were not happy with the storylines that were given and how the season was told. Look, every show, no matter how good, has a season that is not up to the usual standard of excellence (looking at you, season 4 of Fargo). So I went in expecting to not have the reaction I had with the earlier offerings. Turns out, I had nothing to be worried about.

Season 3 of The Bear fucking rules, you guys.

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Jack Baker’s Best Moments on the WGN Morning Show, Ranked

Jack Baker’s Best Moments on the WGN Morning Show, Ranked

Jack Baker is, by all accounts, a very successful local comedian. He is the main editor on this very site, has a Youtube special, and this weekend, he will be headlining the Comedy Vault in Batavia on July 6th at 7 pm. Buy Your Tickets Here. To help drum up interest in his set, he was tasked with going on WGN Morning News on Wednesday to talk about his special, his life, and ostensibly, his lifelong war against milk.

This is a big deal for any comic. But as any comic worth his weight in cheap liquor knows, we are also a very vindictive bunch who doesn’t want to see anyone else succeed! With that in mind, let’s take a look at Jack Baker’s WGN Morning News appearance and go over every bit, then rank them at the end!

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Ren Faire Is Deliriously Stupid

They say that sometimes truth is weirder than fiction. Sometimes the truth is also dumb, brutally horny, and filled with wayyyyy too many Willie Wonka references. In the three part HBO Documentary, you get all of these things, along with a litany of other mind boggling, ostensibly true things.

The three part series follows aging pervert George, who owns the Texas Renaissance Festival. He knows exactly when he is going to die (according to him) and just wants to find love. He goes on several dates over the course of the show. Both women are 24 years old. George is 86. After the first date, the Festival owner muses that there is no point dating younger girls because they don’t read poetry and they don’t know how to bone. Then he goes on a date with another 24 year old. This, ostensibly, has nothing to do with the show. They just insisted on including it like a side quest in the show.

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Between The (Cringy) Gutter and the Stars: An Instant Reaction to the Tom Brady Roast

Between The (Cringy) Gutter and the Stars: An Instant Reaction to the Tom Brady Roast

Years ago, on a tribute to late comedian Greg Giraldo, Bob Saget spoke on how he felt when Giraldo was eviscerating him on stage. He talked about how he slunk into his chair, his shoulders sagging as Giraldo kept lobbing grenades over and over at him. I thought of Saget talking about this as I watched the life leave Tom Brady’s body during his Netflix roast on Sunday night.

Watching all the way through, you genuinely get the idea Brady thought the entire show was going to be him bro’ing it up with his football friends. He wasn’t ready for Jeff Ross to go after Robert Kraft and his massage parlor antics, which, judging by the rest of the sets, was on a very strict “DON’T TALK ABOUT THIS THING” list. He wasn’t ready for Nikki Glaser to pick up the crown that Giraldo left when he died as “best roast comic alive.” Lord knows he wasn’t ready for Tony Hinchcliffe.

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Brandon’s 100 Greatest Television Shows of All Time

Recently, Variety released their 100 greatest television shows of all time. And let me tell you…it was asssssssssssss. It was bad enough that i’ve come out of semi-retirement to write about it. If you do something so egregious as to make I Love Lucy as the greatest show of all time, you had better believe i’m going to write about it.

I’ve decided that I, and I exclusively I, am uniquely qualified to write my own list of the greatest shows of all time. What credentials do I have? Go to Hell! Those are my credentials!

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Fargo. Is. Back. (with 200% more pierced Jon Hamm nipples!)

Fargo. Is. Back. (with 200% more pierced Jon Hamm nipples!)

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written anything on this site. And, for me, when I stop writing, it takes a lot to get me writing again. Something has to have a deep emotional impact in me to get me to find the motivation to start typing on the keys. Anger. Depression. Confusion. All of these things have resonated in me so strongly that I have found myself writing. Today, however, what has caused me to stir from my doldrums is pure, unadulterated joy. And what has caused that in me.

Ladies, Gentlemen, and my Non-Binary Friends, season five of Fargo is now three episodes deep. And it is fucking amazing.

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