Mark, Erica, and Brian address the 4-season 2013 Adult Swim show (which has 94% on Rotten Tomatoes). What kind of humor is it, and how are we supposed to take its sci-fi and family drama elements? While its concepts start as parody, with an anything-goes style of animation, they're creative and grounded enough to actually contribute to multiple genres. How smart is the show, … [Read more...] about PMP#54: The Genius(?) of Rick and Morty
Comedy
PMP#47: Sitcom Premises: Genius, Bonkers and Otherwise
Sitcoms provide a form of escapism that doesn't take one to a magical world of possibility, but instead to a basically unchanging, cozy environment with relatable characters engaged in low-stakes conflicts. So what are the limits on the type of premise that can ground a sitcom? While most of the longest lasting sitcoms have simple set-ups involving friends or co-workers, … [Read more...] about PMP#47: Sitcom Premises: Genius, Bonkers and Otherwise
PMP#45: Film Riffing with MST3K’s Mary Jo Pehl
We live in a commentary culture with much appreciation for camp and snark, but something special happened in the early '90s when Mystery Science Theater 3000 popularized this additive form of comedy, where jokes are made during a full-length or short film. Mary Jo Pehl was a writer and performer on MST3K and has since riffed with fellow MST3K alums for Rifftrax and Cinematic … [Read more...] about PMP#45: Film Riffing with MST3K’s Mary Jo Pehl
PMP#31: Robin Williams’ Celebrity Struggles w/ Dave Itzkoff
Dave the New York Times culture reporter joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to consider issues raised by his 2018 biography Robin: What is with our f'ed up relation to celebrity, and what are strategies that celebrities use to deal with that asymmetric relationship to the world? While Robin Williams tried, in gratitude, to share himself with random fans, and was very anxious about … [Read more...] about PMP#31: Robin Williams’ Celebrity Struggles w/ Dave Itzkoff
PMP#20: Improv Comedy w/ Tim Sniffen
What role does improv comedy play in popular culture? It shows up in the work of certain film directors (like Christopher Guest, Adam McKay, and Robert Altman) and has surfaced in some of the TV work of Larry David, Robin Williams, et al. But only in the rare case of a show like Whose Line Is It Anyway? is the presence of improvisation obvious. So is this art form doomed to … [Read more...] about PMP#20: Improv Comedy w/ Tim Sniffen
PMP#17: Comedy as Philosophy w/ Daniel Lobell
Are stand-up comedians the Modern Day Philosophers? This claim forms the premise of Daniel's podcast where interviews some of our best known and loved comedians, but really, only some comedians are trying to express original views on the world instead of just telling a good joke. Even so, do the words of comics telling their truth or pronouncing sentence on the world count as … [Read more...] about PMP#17: Comedy as Philosophy w/ Daniel Lobell
PMP#3: CONFORM w/ Yakov Smirnoff
Is media trying to brainwash us into being ALL THE SAME? Are the excesses of the mob scaring us into conformity? And does this in turn keep us from being actually creative, with healthy relationships? Mark, Erica, and Brian muse on cultural homogenization and a few sci-fi takes on forced sameness and then bring out our first celebrity guest, beloved comedian and now … [Read more...] about PMP#3: CONFORM w/ Yakov Smirnoff