Brand X with Russell Brand

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!

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.

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.

The first few shows left me feeling a little perplexed. It wasn't comedy, but rather a comically dressed person trying to express his world-views in a funny and vulgar way. With every episode, the show has become more enjoyable, but I think that the theme of exploring today's world basically stuck.

Since I was expecting more comedy, I didn't enjoy the show that much at first. I identified with some of his views, but that is not why I watched it. Gradually, the comedy part caught up with the rest. However, what I love about the show now is mainly the 'philosophy behind his mental illness'. He tries to portray the most extreme individuals as people (spoiler: 'as long as they don't have sex with animals') and, tries to open a dialogue free of condemnation. While he (or any of this) can't be taken seriously, I think he's still trying to send an important message.

The laughs are solid and I think most people will enjoy his more recent shows. I am giving this a 10/10 because I like what he's doing.

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.