Monday Report

From the man show made Stockwell Day and Doris Day synonymous, "Monday Report", is one of those rare shows that seems to pass by in less time than advertised. In tandem with "This is Wonderland", made CBC's Monday-night line-up true must-see TV during their premiere season and are poised to repeat the feat this season. Rick Mercer zeros-in on current-affairs and skewers them with laser-like precision as well as poking fun at Canadian foibles. Darren Jones' segments are also a treat and his style is an interesting counterpoint to Mercer. No cow is too sacred or too elusive to escape. The show is coming back as of October 18th for another season and is definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.

I'm not sure what it is about Rick Mercer, but he seems like one of these comedians that can get the job done, and done well. And he definitely does this with "Monday Report".

Many comedians have different styles and techniques to produce their comedy. And Mercer's is no doubt, unique and flavorful. From his slap-stick short skits, to his blunt one-liners, Mercer never stops surprising me with how wide range his humor, and the humor of the show as a whole goes.

Indeed, it is a excellent Canadian comedy series, that should entertain just about any Canadian who has a good taste in comedy.

This can be the funniest show if you get it. It is of higher political intelligence so unfortunately not everybody gets it. Another condition is you MUST be Canadian. The cultural humor won't be understood elsewhere. All comedians have different styles and techniques to produce their comedy. Mercer is no different. He puts himself out there and does it in the most humorous way possible. He's funny, unpredictable, and up for anything. For that reason the Mercer Report is almost like a reality TV show... All except better. (Way better.) I always sit down to watch this show whenever I can. I am rarely... if ever... disappointed.

If you look at all of the terrible shows CBC has produced, RMR is really a gem. Basically, the plot of every episode sees Rick Mercer going to some obscure place in Canada. He is guided by the staff of the facility, and makes a few jokes along the way. Mercer really has a wonderful comedic personality, and some of the jokes he comes up with are quite clever and entertaining.

What may possibly be funnier than Rick's journeys, are the skits the show puts on; sort of like Saturday Night Live. These are where Mercer's jokes really shine, and they are what make this show extremely entertaining.

This is really a success on the part of the CBC, and I really hope this show keeps airing.

I really wish that I liked this show. Rick Mercer was the best part of This Hour Has 22 Minutes back when he was on that show but when he left he just stopped being funny or informative or relevant. This Hour Has 22 Minutes also took a nosedive after he left. It's like a great band where the lead singer goes off to be a success on his own but then the band and he both end up flopping.

Rick Mercer is a shadow of his old self. In this show most of the time is wasted with him going off to do pieces in locations. The other reviews pretty much nailed it where he will go to say try out a tourist diving lesson where you swim with the seals, then it's just like ten minutes of him swimming around with footage of seals swimming around and him coming up for air every couple of minutes to say something that's supposed to be funny but really just makes you groan. I'm not sure when Rick Mercer became a hack one liner comedian but watching him is like watching my wacky uncle at the Thanksgiving dinner table make horrible jokes about the turkey. "Gobble gobble? I'll gobble him up! Haha! Look how funny I am!" The episode I just saw which will also be the last episode I ever force myself to sit through had him go to paramedic school. He had another guy try out the nitrous oxide then made horribly lame jokes about politicians. More predictable jokes follow where he drives an ambulance and turns on the siren because there is an emergency, he is hungry and wants Kentucky Fried Chicken.

This show literally makes me sadder than any drama on TV because of what this great man used to be. His black and white pieces on This Hour Has 22 Minutes used to be the funniest couple of minutes on television and they also almost always had something very important and right to say. What happened to this guy? The rest of the show is him sitting at his desk in the CBC studio (in Toronto I presume) where he reads equally horrible jokes. The two Canadians who just got released by Egypt and complained about cockroaches and cramped spaces... on their Air Canada flight home. I rolled my eyes so much at this show I have to go see my optometrist tomorrow.

Please Rick Mercer if you read this go back to what you used to do because I hate having to think of you as the hack who is ruining himself on my TV every night. Maybe you need new crew and writers. I don't know what the problem is but what you're doing just isn't funny or relevant, I'm sorry to say.