2012 wasn’t a great year for Tig Notaro. In short order, the up-and-coming standup comedian was diagnosed with C. diff. (a rare digestive disorder), her mother died, she went through a breakup, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a bilateral mastectomy. Not exactly fertile ground for comedy.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is not boring. That’s the thesis — and title — of a recent Funny or Die video starring comedian James Adomian. The two-minute video, released on the comedy website on June 22, has since gone viral, making Adomian the early front-runner for best Sanders impression of the 2016 election cycle.
When Seinfeld premiered in July of 1989, critics and audiences didn’t quite know what to make of it. Everything about it ran counter to what traditional sitcoms looked like up to that point. The characters were self-absorbed and petty. The tone was often cold and mean spirited. Episodes featured mundane stories with low-stakes conflict. It was also funny and smarter than just about anything on TV at the time.
Louie CK’s fictional self is a good guy with good intentions struggling to navigate the minefield of modern society. But rather than merely serve himself up as the butt of the joke, he dives in and unpacks the root causes of his anxieties.
Where previous seasons saw Schumer playing with feminist themes, she was only scratching the surface. In season three, she has raised the level of discourse, and the show is stronger for it.
The Plaid Crew 