Key and Peele

Key and Peele is a highly clever and hilarious sketch comedy series. It feels like a descendent of Chappelle's Show. Some of the skits are legitimately the funniest things I've ever seen in my laugh. Many of them having me crying from laughter. I love this show.

The show does dip in the later seasons. In the future I will only rewatch the first three seasons.

Season 1: 9 stars (about 4 viewings, 7/12/2023)

This show is amazing. There are multiple times per episode where I have to pause it because I'm laughing too hard. So creative. And they're both so awesome and naturally funny.

Season 2: 8 stars (about 4 viewings, 7/15/2023)

The misses are more common but the hits are just as strong. I love when they show crowd reactions when someone is dying from laughter.

Season 3: 8 stars (about 4 viewings, 7/24/2023)

Season 4: 6 stars (about 3 viewings, 7/31/2023)

This season has a few hilarious sketches, including my favorite KP sketch, Consequences! But more than half are either misses or just mildly amusing without laughter. And I miss the crowd. The car conversations rarely make me laugh.

Super Bowl Special: 6 stars (about 2 viewings, 8/1/2023)

Season 5: 4 stars (about 2 viewings, 8/11/2023)

More misses and very few hits. It's difficult to get through.

This is and always will be one of the greatest sketch comedy shows ever. It's brilliant and practically perfect. The writing is smart, insightful and hilarious. But best of all, actors Key and Peele are chameleons who vanish into an infinite number of characters with a wide range of different personalities, and that's what makes this show work. Even the best writing can fall flat if the actors aren't up to the challenge. Those two are pitch perfect in every single sketch.

Key and Peele are the most acerbic, gutsy, and funny duo on American television today. In fact, comedy duos seem to be a lost art form in the United States (gone are the days of Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, and Martin and Lewis). Perhaps, that's why Key and Peele seems fresh, while at the same time, hearkening back to pre-war era comedy. The writing is heavy on satire, but the performances are rife with pratfalls. In an era of snark and ironic distance, it's invigorating to watch a comedy in love with the execution of a sketch, not just the target of a joke. The cinematography also elevates the show above the usual crop, with its filmic look and splendid editing. Noting about this show is slapdash (Judd Apatow improv, this ain't). The show's writing and performing is deliberate and the dividends are many! Highly recommended.

I never watched "Key and Peele" during its first run on TV. My oldest daughter finally convinced me to watch it, and I was thrilled to see it's currently on HBO Max and I really enjoyed the show. Many of the skits are terrific and are hilarious. However, I should add a caveat. The longer the series was made, the weaker the skits...particularly by its final season, season five. Because of this, I'd rate the early seasons a 10 and the later ones 5 or 6...the drop in quality was THAT noticeable. So, my recommendation is that if you watch, start at the beginning and don't watch the later episodes until you are hooked...otherwise you might just assume the show isn't all that great.

There was a void in Comedy Central after "Chappelle's Show" ended and, while I don't want to say that "Key and Peele" completely filled it, they sure helped me not notice the absence as much. "Key and Peele" were gut-busting hilarious and YouTube users have enjoyed them by the millions. It sucks they only gave us four years, but like they say: "Leave them wanting more."