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The 2010s were an incredibly active and transitional decade for comedy.
Whether its asingle-serving Twitter account, unforgettableComedy Bang!
9/11SeinfeldSpec Script (2016)
Hi.
I wrote a 9/11 episode of Seinfeld.
Eventually, about a year ago or so, I said to myself, No more of that.
Turns out that was a very good plan.
This is a song about apples.
What follows is a five-minute song/journey thats equal parts hilarious and heartwarming and might even make you cry.
It was, hands down, peak late-night insanity, and guess what?
In the 11 years since, only one person has scaled those same heights: Andy Samberg.
With his gap-tooth and glasses, hes the sweetest dork in the room and the funniest.
(Need a chaser?Kanye Ranthas you covered.)
There is no more perfect example of this than the way she uses audience cutaways.
Its pretty much a standard for comedy specials.
ButOne of the Greatsgave us a series of brilliantly bizzare reaction shots.
But, truly, her best acting showcase required nothing more than her talents and a single banana.
All of its played completely straight, and some of its surprisingly affecting.
To the surprise of everyone, the president agreed.
Perhaps because they kept inthe one jokeWhite House advisers wanted to cut.
Slay, normal hunny!
His viralstep-by-step pie-crust tutorialis the fourth-most-popular video on his YouTube page, racking up over 1.5 million views.
But long before that was a Sharis Berries ad read that changed the shape of podcast marketing forever.
Sharis Berries was a new advertiser, and Burr hadnt reviewed the copy before reading it live.
When he reaches the call to action, which includes the number 866-FRUIT, he breaks.
What the fuck am I selling … Who the fuck is gonna buy this shit?
Also, no black kids ever gonna get the job to portray Justin Bieber.
This was a chance for this to happen.
Which is super-helpful, because black women are so used to having their supportive half-claps misread as aggressive half-claps.
This segment is a must-watch for anyone with a hilarious black-lady loved one they want to understand better.
In season one, firefighter Mark Orlando (Ken Marino) asked, Will you accept my hose?
But in season two, former contestant Julie Gristlewhite (June Diane Raphael) returns as the bachelorette.
A streaming service devoted entirely to comedy?
Finally, shows byqueer women,women of color, andflyover-country podcastersare getting greenlit!
Congrats,@pattonoswalt.
You’ve reached the Brimley/Cocoon Line.pic.twitter.com/jOacXWAYgd
Rip Torn has outlived the Best Buy CD section.
Reilly got his own spinoff with his Adult Swim seriesCheck It Out!
The restaurant at the marina is too expensive, but luckily he finds a drumpster out back!
He has the delivery and the look of a stereotypical 1980s stand-up comedian.
Unfortunately, the other thing about him that hasnt been updated since then is his material.
The results were more than any comic could ask for.
A truetoAdult Swim cacophony of mania and mundanity.
If a goat wanna be a goat, I guess I gotta shave your ass.
The off-key, two-note theme song fully expresses whatCatherineis all about baffling and hilariously baffling.
The music sounds uncannily likeMannheim Steamroller.
Theyre wearing spray tans and veneers.
The audience is all middle-aged men in suits.
The Chrimbus special is timeless and gets better each winter you revisit it.
Wodehouse story where Bertie Wooster calls his (obviously gay) ex-fiancee a healthy girl … sporting.
Who knows how much of Jordans persona is shtick?
But also, who cares?
Who do they think they are?
The music is rhapsodic, his eating noises are orgasmic, and he sure does love being incontinent.
On Vioobu, you’re able to find some 2011Clip Cupepisodes, if youre so inclined.
The Vioobu-verse even has its own version of Lin-Manuel Miranda inShawn-Lopez Blumenthal.
There were few bits of stand-up that convey such virtuosic joy.
Its live television at its best.
Megh Wright
Dead Horse (2018)
Its unbelievablehow funny this Nate Bargatze joke is.
The mix of absurdity and deadpan results in a magical combination.
There is even a magic-trick-like turn halfway through!
Demi Adejuyigbes September 21 videos are a goofy breath of fresh air on an increasingly hellish website.
Thats what the guys been doing for 70 years.
Somebody asked, Boxers or briefs?
and Mel immediately quipped, Depends.
No wonder hepulled it out againwhen he was on Broadway this year.
The Houston Astros sign-stealing scheme?
A surprise hit indie video game where you play as the worlds most annoying goose?
For the Bodega Boys, theres no subject matter safe from their laser-focused shit talk.
These college-football legends and more are immortalized in the first of threeKey & PeeleEast/West College Bowl sketches.
Key and Peele play a combined 31(!)
unique players under this delightfully simple premise.
Perhaps the widest range of facial hair ever worn by an Oscar-winning screenwriter.Mark Kramer
Eat Shit, Bob!
It is recognized by fans, however, as a completemastery of silliness.
Bang!but on comedy overall and the surrounding community of comedians and fans.
Yet, even amid this landscape, the pit bulls troubled inner life makes him plenty memorable.
Task Force where you could combat digital terrorism?
Now, griping about being poor isnt exactly breaking new ground in stand-up.
When several customers prove willing to makethe hike, Fielder ends up on an overnight camping trip.
Its just such a rich, thorough, undeniable bit.
And it changed culture: Never again would a gay villain in media go unnoticed.
(Wildly Unlikeable Guy) and Polyamorous.
Its more formally inventive than any joke of the decade.
He zigged when the world had already zaggedhard, and the result was unforgettable.
The theater critics loss is every Fred Armisen fans gain.
(Watch the sketchhere.
)Megh Wright
HAM!
Angie is at her greatest when shes riding the waves of her escalating non-career.
But her funniest moment comes when she gets named the spokeswoman for the Ham Council.
Peopledolove the way she says Ham!
A standout segment aired in 2011 when Beinholtz gave stand-up comedy a try: Love is an empty promise.
Am I right, ladies?Megh Wright
Hark!
There are so manyHark!
Even when I went to the beach, I was still having the debate in my head.
I just thought, Hey, I got to talk about this.
So I started kind of doing the debate onstage.
Isaac Kozell
Herb Ertlinger Fruit Wine (2016)
Sometimes it takes a master to show thebebeshow its done.
He says he wasnt there, Yknow, like a liar.
And that simple aside to the audiencewasthe 2010s.
you’ve got the option to just lie!
They like to give Scott Aukerman sass.
More than one of them will fly around the room and go Wheeee!
truly using the audio medium to its fullest.
Bang!to bring knives and guns to all the bad little boys and girls.
Is there any genre that Tim and Eric cant do?
That Gavins rants (Fuck you, the audios working!)
Most late-night comedy shows have descended into fatalistic hand-wringing and a call to rise up and resist.
Its a bit in John MulaneysKid Gorgeousspecial.
The car dealer then utters five dead serious words that have become my life motto for anything mildly suspicious.
For your own good, its probably best not to listen to this one in public.
Another performer, Rocwell,alsodoes Ice-T impersonation.
Rocwell prank calls Tompkins posing as Ice-T to ask him about his Ice-T impersonation.
Its the perfect full-circle comedy event.
Add Brian Stack and an indelible catchphrase into the mix and you have a classic.
@ChipotleTweetsmake a breakfast menu and add soup while you’re at it.
this is not a suggestion it is a threat
its mf.
Also, its redundant!
However, you only get one debut, and his appearance onSeth Meyersdidnt disappoint.
It is and always will be a beautiful video, a shining light in a very dark time.
And if youre worried that the video might have hurt Trumps feelings, dont be!
Deal with it!!!
In one of their standout segments, the duo took on the topic of conservative comedy.
Our motto is If were laughing, then it must be a joke!
And if theres one thing we know, its jokes, Jackson adds.
An ICE agent here to break up your family, you smelly freeloading illegal!
As the spiritual successor toMr.
Everything about Alan feels off: his cadence, his movements, his emotions.
(For example, I mindlessly mutter Imagine the fastest computer youve ever seen now double it!
to myself at least once a week.
The episode never reveals Woody.
Instead, the infamous director is always missing because hes suffering from a minor ailment.
instructively hollered by Shannon ONeill.
Everyone especially the best working stand-up in America deserves love.
And mine she did.
She nails Wiigs voice and her laugh and pokes fun at her post-SNLcareer in indie dramas.
Bang!, but there are prepared moments as well, often the case with songs.
It has been one of the most fun bits of my life, said Tart.
What I like most?
Drew and I sound good in harmony.
Toot-toot, beep-beep, honk.
Anna Marr
Mom Commercial (2015)
Cole Escolais undeniably one of the funniest performers of the decade.
The orange-juice commercial he released to promote one of his live shows is mind-bendingly hilarious.
Hannibal inhabited the sets only chair, unless he was kicked out to hover directly behind an uncomfortable guest.
Starting off by asking aloud, Why are we hosting this?
Throughout the past decade, he has set his sights on social media in a number of memorable ways.
Then tweet pic of their response.
No one is safe from Nathan.
Its a set of mind games that brings to mind the best of Steve Martin.
John Roy
Not Great, Bob!
(2013)
I have a confession to make: Ive only seen the first two seasons ofMad Men.
Despite the groups extensivepower-hour experience, only Gabrus manages to complete this horrific feat.
But the journey is worthy of recognition.
The forever bellyaching duo attempt to prahnk their guests with a sandwich of entirelytoo much tuna.
But the pranknever lands, and they relentlessly probe their victims for a reaction.
Part of what makes Too Much Tuna funny is its seeming endlessness.
They even did anin-character interviewfor over an hour with John Oliver at the 92nd Street Y. Pharma Bro, a.k.a.
This wonderful flood that put out that devastating wildfire …
In the most memorable episode, he receives a sandwich of mundane and nightmarish requests.
Watching someone dutifully ingest 15 pancakes is as horrific as it is hilarious.
But the episode doesnt stop there.
The stakes heighten when Forrest is asked to review divorce.
The entire episode is a dark, nihilistic masterpiece.
I was already dead.
But things really ramp up when they tackle gluten.
Concerned that hes gaining weight, Peter decides to cut out pasta with Nances help.
Well, why don’t we just
Let NAMBLA members fuck anyone they want.
Am I so crazy for wanting my kid to grow up in a safer world?
Sometimes trolling serves a higher purpose.
Sorry if that sounds too “tree-huggy” to my conservative followers.
Bang!, and countless other podcast appearances to the affableMr.
Search his name in any podcast app and enjoy the hundreds (thousands?)
I wanna go to the eye doctor now rings through my head.
Case in point: this incredible end tag from Analysis of Cork-Based Networking.
And with a book, monthly bicoastal comedy show, and such classics asWow!
So for a drama series (or is it a comedy?)
Kieran Culkin allows denial and shock to slowly fall over his face before he washes his hands in disbelief.
!https://t.co/ub5QpQ2dmT
Jamie Loftus has been bringing her high-concept grotesqueries toRobot Chickenand all quadrants of the internet.
If I remember correctly, I went to dinner with Sean that night.
I think he was just acting.
I didnt want to know.
But then the show evolves into a deeply troubling and horrific nightmare that wasnt telegraphed in any way.
But we dont have to swallow, just chew, okay?
Then, they sing a frantic carol and rock back and forth in a little sleigh.
A capstone to a decade of ooky-spooky skeleton memesdoot-dooting their wayinto our hearts.
All the overcooked melodrama remains intact.
Something about a podcast-episode clip resurfacing that was offensive?
We cant remember all the details.
But really, though:Who invented that?
ends up much more than a one-off gag.
The hilarious editing gag evolves into a biting commentary on race and class.
It has proved to be infinitely useful forpoliticians trapped in uncomfortable situationsoractors being confronted with bad reviews.
Its about a bunch of honkeys who live in a church.
Or maybe its a museum.
Either way, they dont got Wi-Fi.
Theres also a bunch of tuxedo people who live in the basement and their livessuck.
(Also true!)
Both do pretty strong imitations of Michael Caine (She was only 16 … years … old!
(Its never not funny to hear them overenunciate my va-GI-na.)
But only Tig Notaro can appear on late-night television and get laughs by dragging a stool across the stage.
But one of his best projects is possibly his simplest.
Thats as true for Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) as it is for Kimmy.
Brian Boone
Tom Leykis and Amy Poehler onComedy Bang!
I used to fall for women, and they used to turn me down.
And let me tell you something: After I developed Leykis 101, everything came back to me.
Doesnt that turn you on, Scott?
Megh Wright
Tom Scharplings Trump Tweets (2018-2019)
Mr President:I did not vote for you.
The joke is that its overlong and a little surreal.
Classic Adult Swim parody stuff.
But it keeps going.
At this point its gone full meta horror, and its not even halfway through.
Theres probably something deep hidden in here about the dangers of nostalgia.
But just think how good Trump will be for comedy!
Remember when people said that?
Remember when it was even up for debatewhether or not Trump would be good for comedy?
(2014)
Which One Of My Garbage Sons Are You?https://t.co/qNQgIaXLCSpic.twitter.com/9RM6Ub6pt2
It seems so simple.
Re-creating that glory would be as hard as getting dead whale stink out of a Saab.
Bethy Squires
White Thoughts With Jon Hamm (2019)
Is it a rumination on white racial microaggression?
Taylor Garron
Who Can Never Be Sure?
Wed watch a full-tiltPubLIZityspinoff series.
First theres the overly dramatic transition sound effect.
Then Nathans noise as he has some fun, appearing on-camera.
But most important: the facial expression and hand gesture as his self-consciousness creeps back in.
Jim Carrey giving a subtle (for Jim Carrey) character study of a blue-eyed-soul pervert.
The way Kenan says stankey, and another moment for Triangle Sally to shine.
But the true stars are Bobby Moynihans hands as Coughy Robinson.
Toast gives it his all.
Then he gives it again.
Then far too many times more.
Then theres Gundacker himself, a comedy star-in-the-making whose broad smile masks a deceptively savage irony.
