Brand X with Russell Brand

First off, I would like too say I still don't completely understand the concept of this show. That being said you will either like it or you won't.

I myself am not a huge fan of Russel Brand (Though I did enjoy his work in Forgetting Sarah Marshall), but his show was on after Louie so I decided to check it out. Ehhhhh. It wasn't great nor was it terribly bad. One of those shows that if absolutely nothing else is on then you watch it, not something you go out of your way for. It's just their.

Brand himself makes the show and yet breaks it at the same time. His personality makes for a sporadic, blunt, humorous, and annoying show all at once.

Each episode begins with a topic of discussion. Brand takes it from there with many different comedic views on the topic. Some funny, most not. But what sets this show aside from most is the audience interaction. Brand often walks into the audience to get opinions or he'll just poll them with a system similar to that of AFV. This is not a new concept, but offers the show something different than just an annoying British guy on stage.

All and all I don't think this is a show that will attract a major audience like FX's otherwise fantastic line up of shows or will continue past two seasons. But a show that may just be different enough to attract a cult following.

I've watched a few episodes, and I was well entertained and had some good laughs, but I feel the show hasn't yet reached its full potential. Russel Brand really wants to bring up important issues, and make deep, meaningful points - but when he gets too close to doing that, it seems he gets scared and flimsy, and pulls a bunch of sex jokes out of the pocket of his skinny jeans.

I don't have a problem with balancing serious with funny, I love that concept, but Russel the producer should tell Russel the performer to chill once in a while, and actually explore a subject deeper, even if it's not instant laughs every two seconds.

Russel Brand has a very warm personality, and he connects with his crowd in the studio so well, he takes us to the brink of awkward, but brings us home safe:) I want to see this show evolve!

It's funny how such a simple show can be so entertaining. Russell just gives a standup performance in what looks like a small college lecture room with Power Point presentations and kind of a bland professor sidekick who seems to do nothing other than be someone Russell can make fun of. You can see the subtle catering to the college crowd as almost everyone there appears to be young and it's much like seeing a college lecture. He really knows how to work the audience, taking audience participation a step further, rather than maybe send an intern into the audience to put a mic up to them, he goes in and sits on their lap, male or female. One of the best shows on FX and barely costs anything to make, it's a good part of the guy show lineup on the network.

Mr. Brand gets dinged sometimes for inconsistency, but who among us is 100 24/7/365? Whether one series of his is deemed stronger than another is less important to this reviewer than the generally high observational value presented at any time.

So why is it that humorists with English bloodlines (a nod to Konstantin Kisin here too) are often at the front of the satirist line? Deeper literary genes perhaps. Close geographical vulnerability to aggressive forces in two World Wars maybe too.

Whatever the nature of the decidedly English truth-to-power acumen, it typically rings deeply to the observer paying attention. And Mr. Brand carries that tradition with joyful aplomb.

I was skeptical at first, because I didn't understand the format. I was glad when it evolved into something more varied. I have to say that I adore Russel Brand for his wit and intelligence. I love how he brings in people with hateful views and then has a discussion with them to try to mellow our their hatred, but also doesn't shy for calling them on where their reasoning is idiotic, and in an eloquent and glib way that isn't actually disrespectful. The fact that he brings homeless people into his show is very touching to me. I always think about how cool it must be for the guy to be on TV. It doesn't solve their problems, it's just a cool experience that the world has probably largely denied them. And it makes you realize that such people exist - not only the ex-homeless, but the currently homeless, with an unpleasant predicament, and they are people like you and me. Most of all, this show is funny and made me laugh so hard that I cried on a few occasions. I really hope that it stays on air.