When I first came to see the IMDb rating of 7.0 on Tim and Eric Awesome show, Great Job! my jaw hit the floor at why it could have such a low rating in regards to what the show is. Upon further investigation, and reading the reviews, I should have known all along that it would be a situation like this. There would be virtually no average reviews. It is either people who love it, and see it for what it is...which is some of the best comedy out there at the moment, and those who just don't quite "get it".
I don't want to be too patronising (british spelling) and say that the people who don't get it are stupid idiots...which i secretly think ;) but I do think it takes a certain amount of understanding to fully appreciate it. I think that there are several layers, with each layer getting more subtle and intelligent. Many of the people who see this show may only see the first layer, and claim it is base, toilet humour, which some have. This is because this is the easiest layer of the comedy genius to see, and they see it as this, and nothing else. The blatant toilet humour is almost just an exterior, which does have its use, and in many cases is genuinely funny. However those distracted by this will miss the far more intelligent humour that runs beneath. The way it mocks all aspects of television, from the cheesy shows of the last 2 decades, to the contemporary fads and phenomena that you see today. It doesn't just point it to you. some of it is obvious. Some is less obvious. I have found that I find an episode more funny after several viewings. This is a satire of the highest order. It is far from JUST toilet humour. It is supposed to be low budget. That is part of what makes it great. The show doesn't take itself too seriously at all. This show has made me laugh out loud more times than I can remember in a show.
I really like the actors in this show. These people are either the worst actors of all time, or the best actors of all time. I can never be sure, but either way the effect is the same, which is pure hilarity. The humaness, and realness of the actors in the show really makes them a lot more appealing. I freaking hate the fakeness and lack of realness in people in TV these days, but the actors they have in here I can really relate to. Their little nuances, the awkward silences and quirks makes them the most funny and humorous actors on the TV. I especially like David Libre Hart, Quall, Dunn, and all the rest of them that I am starting to recognise. There is a quiet but lovable desperation to it, which makes for some of the best black/dark humour out there...again...its not JUST toilet humour.
This show really is great. I am looking forward to future things from these guys. I think they have got a great formula here. I wouldn't want to see them get stale and stagnant, and of course I would like to see them experiment and push new frontiers, but I sure hope they don't sell out and become too mainstream. That would suck ass. Mad Props to Adult Swim for always taking risks and pushing the boundaries, and not opting for the formulaic mainstream crap thats out there (T & E do an excellent parody of this in season 4, with a sitcom, with canned laughter, and all the cliché mainstream comedy charcteristics. Its one of my favies). Basically, I think this is like classical music. Its one of those things that only the most sophisticated and intelligent people can fully sppreciate, but will never be adopted by the greater populous. Thats just the way I want it to stay.
I must say, that there is some really good comedy coming out of the USA right now, and this is definitely my favourite at the moment. Although I am British, I can still fully appreciate it. I did live in America for about 2 years, and so in a way I can relate to it more in terms of the things like the cable access style editing, and the commercials, etc but I think this stuff would be appreciated anywhere, and is really putting America on the comedy map, and showing that there is some really good cutting edge comedy in America, that isn't all about formulaic sitcoms and laugh tracks.
