Maya & Marty

SNL alumni Maya Rudolph and Martin Short host a prime time variety show produced by Lorne Michaels. It's hour long episodes. There are six of them. It's a summer replacement show. They have big name guests with many from SNL. The question is whether this genre can return. The short answer is no. This has a few issues. The biggest is that Maya and Marty are not really connected performers other than their stints on SNL. Quite frankly, Marty was a short term hired gun while Maya was part of a major female wave that signified an era. They don't have much in common. It's nothing like Marty and Steve Martin. Another issue is the song and dance aspect. I appreciate the old school variety but it's not that fun. The skits are hit and miss. One thing that could energize it would be to do it live although that would be SNL. It seems that live performances of musicals, and old TV shows hold more potential. Those feel like Events while this feels old.

As an SCTV fan who admired the comedic genius of Martin Short since his "Shower in a Briefcase" days, I knew I had to check this out, and it did not disappoint. Fully understanding that this is a variety show, I did not expect every skit to be a home-run-- and it wasn't. Some funny bits, some not so funny-- and I could personally do without the serious Broadway numbers. That said, I can not remember that last time I laughed at anything harder than Jiminy Glick's Larry David interview (Episode 1). It was 7+ minutes of pure Martin Short insanity. After that, I was hooked. I wanted more Jiminy Glick! Yes, Maya Rudolph is very talented and funny, Kenan Thompson can make you laugh with just a look, and Steve Martin saying, "I am currently traveling in Europe and can not attend" was comedy gold-- but it's all about Jiminy Glick stupid! Do I believe this show will last? Probably not because it doesn't cater to 12 year-olds, so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Bottom line: Not that entertaining or funny.

It's just like Saturday Night Live, hit and miss, but with less of the firepower behind the "hit" (smaller cast and writing staff, I think - either way, it's shorter, so two unfunny skits is like 1/3rd of the show).

Personally, Rudolph was perfect on stage, but Short was a little too old school hokey for me (I like him in SNL skits, movies, etc., but on stage, he overdoes it, like he wants to make sure the senior citizens get the jokes).

There were five skits, and two musical numbers. I only thought one skit out of everything was funny (Short doing his Jiminy Glick character with Larry David, which I always really like). I had ZERO interest in Miley Cyrus's song and the second musical number: tap dancing!

I think Networks are going to have to do some serious belt tightening. Now, with streaming so pervasive, and only growing, consumers have the option to watch EXACTLY what they want. They no longer have to put up with shows, skits, or music they don't like just to get to the stuff they do like, which is exactly what "Maya and Marty" is.

"Maya and Marty in Manhattan" is a well-done revival of the variety show format, with a fun blend of music and comedy. Both Maya Rudolph and Martin Short bring a surplus of comedic talent to the proceedings, bolstered by some celebrity guests.

The comic skits are similar to what you'd see on Saturday Night Live, a mixture of pop culture spoofs and political satire. Martin Short also brings back his character Jiminy Glick. The writing for these skits, at least in the first episode, is spot on.

If the pilot is any indication, the music should also be a selling point. Miley Cyrus gave a strong performance, with Maya Rudolph joining her to demonstrate a mean set of pipes as well. The inclusion of a Broadway dance performance by Savion Glover, while not as strong, offered a change of pace.

The only weak spot is that both Rudolph and Short demonstrate a tendency to stick to familiar territory. Rudolph dips into her repertoire of weird accents at least twice, while Short, as mentioned earlier, resurrects Jiminy Glick with mixed results, as he and Larry David end up just laughing at their own skit.

Even in their best moments Maya Rudolph and Martin Short can be self-indulgent and nerve-grating. When they are not reigned in they become unwatchable.

Week one gave me some hope. There were flat moments but more than a few chuckles. Most promising, the show had several guests that kept M&M coming in small, measured doses. Then came Week two... a total train wreck. There were Maya and Marty mugging and overacting in virtually every minute of the show. And it seemed to be catching, as they managed to make the rest of the cast equally terrible. Only the Glick skit evoked a few laughs.

Finally, can somebody tell me, does Maya think she can sing and dance, or is she doing a bit? She reminds of the person who tries to pull off karaoke but then acts like the whole thing is a goof when it becomes obvious that she is terrible.

I had hopes that this really was a revival of the old variety show theme. But, alas there is no variety, it ALL stinks.