Last Comic Standing

Like its sister show AGT, LCS took a long time to get the formula right. The first season ended with Dat Phan winning .... whatever the judges were on that year, they should have shared some with the viewers at home. For season 8, the judges (as is the case with AGT) are finally functioning as a team (although one suspects Russell Peters is not quite as well known as he thinks he is, and seems occasionally lost, actually making this reviewer nostalgic for highly photogenic Natasha Legerro).

Unlike the case with Season 1, one suspects that, whoever actually wins, there will be multiple career breaks to go around. Joe Machi, for example, is the kind of creative spirit that most TV comedy show writing teams would kill for; Rod Man has a delivery so unique they could teach it in Comedy School and even then no one would be able to imitate it; and that self-conscious Canadian comic "who looks like a mannequin" comes across as a genuine diamond in the rough. Good TV!

This is a reality game show for standup comedians. They have open auditions, then a panel of judges make their decision. As the number of contestants reduce, the size of the audience increase. Eventually one standup comedian is crowned Last Comic Standing.

It's great fun to see so many standups, both good and bad comics. It's fun for a few seasons, but it just got repetitive. It would have been better if they expand the comedy beyond just standup performances. To have the same style of a comic standing on stage is too static, they need to add more spice.

I've been watching this show for a few weeks now and I'm surprised at how much it manages to keep my interest. Basically semi-famous comics from all over the US compete(d) for a chance to live in a house where one by one they're voted off by one another (standard gist of a reality show). There's all the usual backstabbing and teaming up and wolves-in-sheep-clothing type characters involved, however the genuinely funny contestants really give you a reason to watch. Worth watching at least for the comedy.

These comics are just not very funny. Even Jay Mohr's material is pretty lame, and he is supposedly an established comic. I think he's a better actor than stand-up. I usually like him in films. And you know they edit everything down to just the best stuff, so it must be pretty painful to watch an entire taping. It just goes to show stand-up is a very tough thing to master. I know they have to fill up an hour, but the stupid Survivor type stuff is dumb. If the comics they chose were funnier, they could have an entire hour of routines and just vote like American Idol. But then they would have to have a helluva lot more material that was actually funny. It seems to me a stand up should have a solid half hour at least if they want to make a living at it. None of these qualify, except maybe the bald guy with the glasses. He's the only decent one on the show. As for the rest, they are real snoozers.

I run a group to stop comedian exploitation and I just spent the past 2 months hearing horror stories from comedians who attempted to audition for, "Last Comic Standing." If they don't have a GOOD agent, then they don't even get a chance to audition so more than 80% of the comedians who turn up are rejected before they can show anyone that they have talent! If they do make it to an audition, I was told that it's "pre-determined" if they get a second chance. So what the TV audience sees is NOT the best comics in the US.

If the comics do make it to the show, then most of them don't get IMDb credits. I know this because I did the credits for all 6 seasons of, "Last Comic Standing" and I don't get paid for doing the Producers' job. It's really a disgrace. A month ago, I asked, "Last Comic Standing 7" on Facebook why the Producers aren't giving IMDb credits and I was banned from their Facebook Page!!! I am not a comedian so I do not have a personal stake in this. I just want people to know the truth. I don't like seeing ANYONE getting exploited and that's why I've been helping the comedians. Comedians get exploited on HBO, BET, TvOne and other cable networks but NBC is a BIG THREE network so those in charge should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this exploitation to happen.

Please watch this video of a comedian who was victimized: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMb4-hyet_Y