What Ish Is Watching, The Under-Rated Comedies Edition:

I'm a comedy fiend, I eat comedy like I eat shitty take-away after a night out (quickly, with complete disregard about what it'll do to my mind/body). Recently however I've strayed into more off-beat comedy, nothing too wacky and out there but still quite different.

My staple phrase of 'do you watch SNL' has changed (to everybody's delight) to 'do you watch Rick and Morty?' which is largely met with uncomfortable silence. HOWEVER, like that guy who works at the casino always says to me, 'eventually you'll strike big'. When you do meet a Rick and Morty fan, you know you've met a Rick and Morty fan. Catchphrases of Rick (a spoof of Doc Brown from 'Back To The Future') such as 'WUBBA LUBBA DUBDUB' or 'Lick lick lick my balls' (he always says that (you'd understand that joke if you watch Rick and Morty)) echo through the room, and quickly favourite episodes are discussed. The premise is simple, the rest of it not so much. A scientific genius and his dumbass grandson go on adventures across universes and galaxies, ignoring all scientific theory, but  spending the time on ensuring hilarity, randomness and improvisation.
                                  
Rick and Morty works for a number of reasons, but they're also reasons some people may not take to it. Firstly, it's a sci-fi premise, which for most, and often myself, is a turn off (pun intended, bitches). The episodes that work best are the ones where they take a basic scientific theory/idea and then play around with it. Certain episodes perfectly encapsulate this theory. The inception-inspired spoof (which has gratuitous use of the word 'bitch' but works so well), the multiple time-line episode, the universes within universes episode THE LIST GOES ON.  If the wacky comedy that can come from those descriptions does not entice you this show probably isn't for you.

Another reason this show works so well is that it's completely made up, the beautiful brainchild of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. It's amazing to think that everything from mini universes, to 'bird-people' to creating a version of Ice-T where he is literally a block of ice in the shape of a letter T, has all come from their magnificent imagination. (This show is real weird and I love it for it)

An episode I would recommend and is a personal favourite is 'Interdimensional Cable Part 2'. The setting: Jerry (the father) is in an Alien Hospital and is being asked to donate his penis in order to save a Universally treasured Freedom Fighter (as one does, I hate it when I'm being asked to sacrifice my penis for such reasons). As this is going on, Morty Rick, Summer and Beth (the rest of the family) are watching TV channels from across the universe. This is used as an excuse for Harmon and Roiland to improvise (you can hear the pauses in their improvisation in the final sketches) and pen the weirdest set of sketches, with literally no rules. Also theres a lot of fourth wall breaking which I have a real affinity for.

I could bang on about Rick and Morty forever but really I'd just go for it and open your mind up to the wackiest, strangest, funniest take on Sci-Fi. (also there are only 20 episodes altogether so far so binge away!)

Number Duo,
The Grinder:

This is a strange one, it's pretty mainstream in terms of humour, but not garnered great success over here in the UK (yet). The premise is simple, the protagonist of a famous law-drama (imagine a spoof of Suits/any-show-with-over-the-top-depictions-of-law) moves back home to Idaho to live with his brother (a real lawyer) and help him with his cases. Rob Lowe and Fred Savage play the actor and brother respectively, and their chemistry is wonderful. Lots of humour comes from the show within a show aspect as you see lots of Rob Lowe's fictional show 'The Grinder' on the actual show, aptly named 'The Grinder'.  Along the way theres plenty of other great characters, shout out to Timothy Olyphant playing a fictional, more/less douchey Timothy Olyphant, and also Mary Elizabeth Ellis, who many will recognise and now wonder why she doesn't get better roles. The shows been rated the best new comedy of the latest season so thats something?

Why should you watch it? Because I said so, thats why. Also, the acting, chemistry and smart (and sometimes subtle) humour. Having an actor (Rob Lowe) acting like an actor, acting like a character from a show, in this show(take a moment to digest that) creates many fun moments that this show nails.

Return of the Tres,
You're The Worst:

In a way this is the one I sometimes feel everybody should watch, for so many reasons. In a nutshell, two self-destructive people meet and fall in love. But Stephen Falk's comedy is so much more than that. A negative, harsh and slightly up himself British writer meets an equally bitter, rude and messy LA PR gal who represents a famous rapper and his entourage. Quick word here, the rapper and his entourage are actually some of the funniest things about the show, they're the opposite of what you'd expect rappers to be like. They have a 'street' image, but discuss furniture, true love etc.

This show excels in constantly changing, the first season was smart, rude, obscene, genuine and had many themes running throughout it that worked well for it. Without going stale in the second season it in fact moved into an overarching story-line of dealing with depression. Surprisingly, it worked. I think for a sitcom to achieve that is never easy, the characters are challenged, the characters grow, yet the characters maintain the charm that makes you laugh. It goes against the status quo of sitcoms, an entire episode pretty much revolves around an entirely different couple we've never seen, until the second half where we see it's a depiction of a possible future the two main characters could have, and it's very real and very honest. It's neither happy nor sad (but the episode itself is funny) The episode is entitled 'LCD Soundsystem' in case you want to give it a go. Start with the first season though (there are only two so it's easy to binge!)

Quatrocinco

These two are very obscure shows that even I don't watch religiously but have seen a few episodes and enjoyed what I've watched. They're called  Review, and Nathan For You. The first is about a man (played by Andrew Daly) who will 'Review' any 'life scenario' a viewer sends in on his fictitious show 'The Review' (another show within a show whaaa). The best thing about this is the absurdity of the scenarios coupled with the sincerity with which he carries them out. An episode I watched he has to review what getting shot is like, then after that reviews blackmail (where he blackmails his nurse/now girlfriend who nursed him to health after his gunshot wound) and glory-holes. Thats one show. He's a pretty lame middle aged guy with a joyful way of speaking and it works well how seriously he takes the scenarios.

Nathan For You is an odd show. But it's great. Awkward comedian Nathan Fielder decides to help SME's around the US and comes up with the strangest solutions. Nathan's persona, improvisation and business plans really make this show and you spend the 20 minutes, cringing and creasing in equal proportions.

P.S. I'm not including a show called Happy Endings which ranks on my top 5 favourite sitcoms and is all around great, I could talk about it forever. Get on it, heres a clip of the gang.