This Hour Has 22 Minutes

The reason why This Hour Has 22 Minutes is not funny is because it tries to pass off its hackneyed stereotypes as legitimate satire. It's pretty hypocritical to take jabs at the ignorance of others considering that the writers and producers obviously know very little, if anything, about their own country west of Thunder Bay. Mike (from Canmore) is a good example of this: the old "Albertans are toothless hicks" gag - nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. I understand the gist of the sketch, but why is Mike from a beautiful, touristy, mountain resort village? I'm going to make my own sketch comedy show featuring crap like "Talking to Newfies" and "Pete (from Halifax)" - Pete will be a grizzled, old pirate with a corn cob pipe in his mouth, a peg leg and a bottle of rum in hand. Yeeehaaaw!!!

This show is like watching a community players theater group do sketches every week that they think are funny. The impressions are all just terrible....how many times are we supposed to watch Cathy Jones and Susan Kent dress up like men and still find it funny? The correct answer is zero because it's not funny at all. Shawn Majumder and Mark Critch are just not funny and can't do impressions either. Watching Mark Critch pretend to be Al Pacino was one of the most painful experiences of my TV watching life I felt so extremely embarrassed for him and his family it was unbelievable. Who has the idea that these people should still be on TV after all these years doing the same bad impressions and the same bad jokes?

I can't believe this show hasn't been cancelled yet, as bad as it has gotten over the past many years the last 2 to 3 years have been just pathetic! The cast is tired and old, by that I mean they are doing the same old characters and jokes. The writing is obviously terrible with really bad jokes you are probably already thinking of the punchlines for before they get to them on the show. They just have turned completely into Royal Canadian Air Farce and that should be very embarrassing for a show that once was so much better than that with sharp writing and a great cast that could do many characters and didn't keep doing the same things over and over. I am so tired of looking at these people on this show, they need new blood, new actors and definitely new writers too because these people obviously just don't care any more, but after 20 years or however long it's been who can blame them? They took forever to cancel Royal Canadian Air Farce so please CBC before it gets any worse cancel this show or replace everyone with new people who have new ideas!

I live by the US/Canada border and CBC is on one of the channels I receive. Every once in a while when I channel surf, I come across This Hour Has 22 Minutes. When I watch it, I really do try to look for the humor. Sometimes, there is. A lot of times, there isn't. About half of their jokes revolve America. "Lets make fun of the Americans!"

The Jokes Are Just Not Funny! I am not stating that only because I am a proud, patriotic American who is taking offense. Not at all. I watch many of our American comedy talk shows (such as Jay Leno), where most of the jokes are about our dumb politicians. We know just how dumb they are, and I'll have you know that we can make fun of them ourselves. And do a better, funnier job of it, too. What I want to know is: why aren't there more jokes about Canada and England? Is America just easier to crack jokes at?

I suppose the Canadian commentators were right - it's not something Americans can understand.

Let's face it. The daily news is usually boring, upsetting and provokes anger and disappointment with stories presented about government, corporate corruption, etc. etc. The list is endless. This Hour Has 22 Minutes pokes fun at current news events and gives us not only a daily dose of what's happening in Canada and abroad, but how our political leaders and celebrities approach the situations when interviewed impromptu in Ottawa.

Currently on sabbatical, Mary Walsh wasn't shy in character as Marg Delahunty who did a great job hunting down Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, and all the Ministers on their way to their daily meetings. You could see politicians ducking for cover, but she always caught up with them! Mary Walsh and Greg Thomey were also hilarious as Ma & Eddie Reardon, the trailer trash mother and son who hauled their couch to the Gemini Awards to meet their TV celebrities backstage.

Also memorable are the episodes featuring Colin Mochrie doing his Max Pointy routine and he can imitate anyone from any commercial.

The news got you down? Tune into 22 Minutes. The news can be funny!