Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Looking for some quality comedy entertainment to check out?
Who better to turn to for under-the-radar comedy recommendations than comedians?
Is there something in the water in England that promotes great sketch-comedy duos?
Maybe a buddy system in their preschools that fosters fractious yet productive partnerships?
One that has gotten less play in America is Smith and Jones.
The duo also foundedTalkback, a production company that shaped British comedy for decades.
Without Talkback, its arguable we wouldnt haveBoratorVeeporShaun of the Dead.
Seth Meyers, whose Netflix special debuts today, first encounteredSmith and Joneson Dutch television in the late 90s.
I lived in Amsterdam for a couple years, working for a comedy theater called Boom Chicago.
My roommates were Allison Silverman and Pete Grosz, who are still very successful comedy writers.
And we were basically limited to watching BBC because we didnt enjoy watching Dutch television, not speaking Dutch.
Every now and then, we would find a British show we had no knowledge of.
AndSmith and Jonesis one of those.
It is perfect, but its almost shocking that it works.
Because in some ways, its just a list.Yes.
But it still manages to escalate and ratchet up the tension.
You dont think there can be another Nazi stereotype, and then they find one.Especially the fourth guy.
Its that thing of calling your shot and doing it.
The three actors other than Smith and Jones are fantastic.
I took this very seriously.
I wanted to find something that you Vulture people werent going to tell me you already knew.
I always had to go to thePrincess BrideIMDB page and work backward to find Mel Smith.
Thats a detail I didnt know.
Thats great to hear.
And they started kind of right after World War II.
There was never even an issue of whether it was too soon or not.
But, yes, it certainly nails the movie tropes any time there is a Nazi general in cinema.
Do other wars have those same codified roles in movies?
But whats so nice about this sketch is what a thin slice it was.
It wasnt even just Germans in war movies; its specifically generals.
And also, the very impressive rule of fours before the closer.
Because you would think you would do three and then get out.
Ive worked on some sketch shows, and its hard to find a good out.
When I first watched the sketch, I thought it ended on a punchline.
But really, theyre just fulfilling the brief.
Its such an easy-to-follow game, and yet it still surprised me.
Is that brevity important to you?Its just impressive.
There are so many great details in it.
When its over, youre actually kind of surprised to see its only been three and a half minutes.
It doesnt feel short.
Its just incredibly efficient; theres no fat on that sketch at all.
But I feel very strongly about accents.
I think they are great all the time.
And I would say thatBostonand German are probably my top two.
Very different kinds of people that use those accents, but both very deep comic goldmines.
I hadnt put that much thought into it.
It is more a sketch about World War II movies than about the Nazis themselves.It is.
That wouldnt be my biggest criticism of them, but its one of them.
Your new Netflix special gives people the option toSkip Politicsif they want with the press of a button.
You also close with a chunk from your wifes perspective.
Im very lucky to have a wife who is incredibly supportive and gives a lot of feedback.
There were times when she would point out her point of view over material in my show.
If there is a protagonist in this special, its my wife.
