I’ve never watched an episode of “Mr. Show with Bob and David.” That was the cult classic HBO sketch show created by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. That did not prevent me from thoroughly enjoying their new Netflix sketch show “W/ Bob and David.”
That is primarily because I am a big fan of the shows they have influenced. Scott Aukerman, the host of the IFC talk show parody “Comedy Bang! Bang!,” was a writer for “Mr. Show with Bob and David.” He is a writer on the new show and even contributes an aural cameo near the end of one sketch as a narrator.
One of my favorite comedians, Paul F. Tompkins, was also a writer and actor on “Mr. Show with Bob and David” and returned to do the same duties on “W/ Bob and David.” My favorite description of Tompkins comes from the father of a friend who referred to him as “the guy who wears suits and is smarter than everyone else.” Another former “Mr. Show with Bob and David” writer who returned for this series is Dino Stamatopoulos, who gave an exceptional performance as Alex “Star-Burns” Osbourne in “Community.”
One of the things I love about “W/ Bob and David” is their use of callbacks. Characters from one sketch often appear in the next sketch in a different context. Their transitions are reminiscent of those I’ve seen in UCB sketch shows, but the cast and writers of “W/ Bob and David” are even more radical with how they structure their show.
Every sketch is different, but the tale of a man named Mike who will die if he eats any more meat is threaded throughout the show like a needle. One sketch sees his friends’ doubting his resolution to eat no more meat, even as they announce increasingly ridiculous New Year’s resolutions. Tompkins plays Mike, and his reactions to his Jewish friend’s desire to become the pope are great.
Then all of his friends’ resolutions come true throughout the course of the episode. Tompkins’ bewildered and anguished reaction to his friends’ success — from the hospital bed he is in because he “lasted 1.3 seconds before he ate meat” — adds pathos to a ridiculous series of happenstances.
The cast is great. Odenkirk and Cross are adept at playing both straight men and a wide variety of funny characters. Cross’ voice-over for a commercial for a restaurant named “Herschel’s” made me laugh as hard as I have at any new content this year.
Guest star Paget Brewster continues to show her impeccable comedic timing in a sketch about a new film called “Better Roots.” “Mr. Show with Bob and David” original cast member Jill Talley is good in her small roles, but I wish she’d been in the episode more.
I greatly enjoyed “W/ Bob and David.” It is hilarious and has some of my favorite comedians in some excellent sketches. I’m glad it is on Netflix, because the idea of only getting one episode of the show a week is not funny.
