TV Funhouse

Not since "Meet the Feebles" have puppets been used for such evil purposes. "TV Funhouse" is pure gold: a demented kiddie variety show with some reality skits thrown in (a method taken, I'm guessing, from the hidden-camera end credit shots from "The Upright Citizens Brigade") and a few animated shorts to fill out the rest of the half hour, all three shockingly, hilariously obscene.

The twisted scenes involving the drug-using, cannibalistic, necrophiliac Anipals are jaw-dropping, to say the least; the Christmas special involved them injecting a hypodermic needle into the spine of their good-natured host in order to extract some "Christmas spirit," then cutting the pinkish substance and selling it on the street (not to mention using it heavily themselves). If that's where the episodes starts, imagine the ending.

Robert Smigel's animated sequences are, it seems, what he would have done earlier had "Saturday Night Live" not been on a broadcast channel: the usual use of impersonated celebrities and wacky situations is raised to grotesque new levels, making it much, much funnier.

A show that is nearly impossible to describe, the kind of thing which becomes mind-numbing when described by a breathless, giggling friend, "TV Funhouse" in its undiluted first-hand form is one of the funniest shows Comedy Central has produced in a while, rivaling "Strangers with Candy" and "The Upright Citizens Brigade" in crudeness, giddy hilarity, and sheer ballsiness. Highly recommended for those with strong stomachs and a low tolerance for political correctness.

I was skeptical at first--the weekly intro with the host in various positions while people walk around him isn't great--but this show is hilarious and gets better each week. Lots of shows try to be sick, but very few are sick AND funny in a new enough way to make them watchable each week (South Park being the obvious king of the genre). The show consists of both live action, with the kiddie-style host "Doug" and his puppets, and short clip segments (many of which are cartoons). Happily, Smigel doesn't just fall back on the Ambiguously Gay Duo or Triumph; his new creations, like the Joe Camel Pokemon take-off, are very funny if a little over the top. I do wish he wouldn't use real kids in his skits, as most of them are clearly adult-oriented. Comedy Central has had more than enough bombs lately, but "TV Funhouse" is definitely worth watching.

No doubt canceled because of what must have been an avalanche of lawsuits, this show strove to offend everyone. The most shocking thing about this show really was that Comedy Central let it be killed. It was truly awesome. Robert Smigel is a vicious satirist in the tradition of Monty Python. Like Monty Python, much of his satire goes unnoticed, or people just don't see the irony in it. What few episodes were made are funny enough to make you wet your pants.

From his days on Saturday Night Live to his success on Conan, Robert Smigel has shown his amazing ability to create memorable characters. This show was very witty and low brow at the same time. My favorite episodes involved Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (a Robert Smigel creation) and a lizard who doesn't want to mate. Robert Goulet does a great job playing himself (as a pal of Triumph) and I would recommend this for everyone except young kids. There are great cartoons in this show but they aren't for children.

There is no doubt that comedy central has gone down hill... but this show is awesome. I don't think there's been a time I haven't laughing during this show. It has great writing and I think corrupting children is the funniest. "Places to find Christmas presents", "Jokamel", "Stedman"... this show is genius.