So I ordered Showtime in anticipation of Dexter, and thought I’d check out The Underground; their new sketch comedy show.
The first sketch is about an obnoxious airport security guard. Near the end he makes a woman breastfeeding her child let him test the milk for toxic substances straight from the source. The gag allowed a full shot of each of her breasts (the guard made her switch. I thought “oh God - just 'cause it’s Showtime they have to clumsily find a way to make a female member of the cast show her privates. How disgustingly typical.”.
Turns out I spoke too soon. The very next sketch, all the male actors literally show their balls. The gag is that they’re advertising new “Balls-out” jeans, so they yank their testicles through a hole in the crotch of their pants and go around like that. Okay, so they’re being more than fair. Poor Aries Spears looked like he had more scrot than substance during his first reveal (by the third scene he was using his fingers as a cock-ring to make them read more) . The guy next to him had more substantial balls, and seemed to love waving them around for the camera (they weren’t especially big, but they were probably the biggest of the bunch). It kind of looked like the short one was wearing a prosthetic though, which was more embarrassing on his part than going with the flow.
Anyway, I guess I should review the show. Not very funny at all. But Damon Wayans Jr. is great eye-candy, so I’ll probably follow him thoughout this show’s short run.
Come on, someone else have something to say about it - I can’t get this sketch out of my head!
Has there ever been any other TV comedy series where most of the males end up showing their balls on camera, with close-up shots?
There was even a gag where Damon Wayans Jr. was dancing while seated at the bar and they zoomed in on his balls graphically kneading on the stool underneath him. That’s crazy.
I’d never heard of this show before.
When I called DirecTv to complain about their recent price increase, I was offered free Showtime for three months. What the hell, says I, if I can’t get the price lowered again I might as well get a “perk”. I’m not thrilled with Showtime in the house, because we’re on an East Coast feed (I usually love this) that often results in their soft-porn being shown at 8:00 my time. Icky.
Anyways, I had wanted to watch Weeds so I TiVo’d it along with this new show. I had forgotten how raunchy Damon, Sr. could be. He sure went back to his “roots” with this show. I guess he must’ve gotten frustrated being the nice upstanding dad that he was on the ABC series.
This show is sometimes humorous, often dirty. I can also do without the flygirl dancing. It just reminds me so much of In Living Color, and I wasn’t fond of it then. The most recent show I watched had “The Real Vagina Monologues” that showed a woman spread-eagle in stirrups with a talking mouth photoshopped into her crotch. It actually looked pretty good, as far as technique goes, but damn that was cringe-worthy.
I hope that they’ll get some cleaner dialogue, but doubt it. The whole thing, according to Wayans in the intro, is that he’s testing Showtime.
Damon Jr looks so much like his dad it’s amazing. I was surprised that he had kids that old, but it appears that the kid is following in dad’s (and Uncle Keenan’s) footsteps. He does have pretty good comedic timing.
I haven’t given up yet, but was definitely uncomfortable during that vagina thing with DH sitting next to me. He liked it though.