Welcome to the comedy equivalent of a Colbert Report cover band, playing at a small-town Holiday Inn lounge. Klepper is no Colbert, though he's trying an overly similar shtick. His supporting cast of "reporters" is far below the talent level of Larry Wilmore's former cohorts who thrived in that time slot until another curious, lamentable cancellation by the network.
Besides the impossible task of matching Colbert's genius for spoofing conservatives by pretending to be one, this show suffers for another reason apart from talent and originality. When Colbert came up with "truthiness", it was a sharp lampoon of nascent cultural and political tendencies. But now we're fed a steady diet of blatant disregard for facts; claims of "fake news" for anything that conflicts with one's beliefs/agenda; and willful creation of propaganda, from home and abroad; from the highest levels of government and major media. In this climate, that vein of satire can't be as funny or pithy. Klepper's is another vain voice in the wind.
Admittedly, the show has improved since its awkward first week, but it still lacks punch and consistency. Nothing would please me more than continued tweaks that would allow me to raise its rating score. Well, that's not true. I'd be even happier if they brought back the two superior shows mentioned above, with or without this one. Even as a Midwestern white guy nearing 70 (about as far from Hardwick's and Wilmore's demographic as one can get), I never missed an episode of either. Even though I wasn't hip enough to understand all the references, what I got was gold.
C'mon, Comedy Central. As your excellent addition Jim Jefferies says at the close of his shows, "We can all do better." I hope your programmers are paying attention. You shrewdly revived Futurama; Do the same for these other worthy offerings that deserved longer runs.
