Brand X with Russell Brand

I thought I would hate this show, but I have become a fan. Brand's frenetic verbal riffs and "off the tracks" demeanor make for a very entertaining TV show. Jonesy adds punk cred to the show, which is really an anti-talk show, but I wish he had more to say (getting a word edgewise with Brand around is no mean feat).

Brand filibusters in his shrill, staccato English accent, sometimes tending toward Cockney. His thoughts are often difficult to unpack, but mostly I've been impressed by his insights. He's clearly well educated and can be erudite when it matters.

His interaction with the audience borders on abusive, but they love it. Likewise, he tests the limits of his guests' patience. In one episode, two ladies from a puppy rescue came on the show, puppies in tow. Apparently Brand didn't think they were upbeat enough, so he screamed at them and threw a coffee cup full of water, shattering it on the side of an Airstream caravan that had been set up in the studio. He later tossed another cup of water on the audience and demanded they "wake up".

Being a huge Mighty Boosh (and Luxury Comedy) fan, I've thought of Brand as a sort of Noel Fielding rip-off. Fielding has basically said the same in interviews. But show biz makes for strange bedfellows. Fielding's guest appearance on the show was brilliant. He and Brand seemed to get on well, especially when they butchered the hair of a female audience member. Fielding returned on the next episode to apologize to the woman.

Its a bold statement, but.... I think Brand X is the paradigm for the future of late night TV talkshows. Irreverent, youthful and unpredictable.

The first few shows left me feeling a little perplexed. It wasn't comedy, but rather a comically dressed person trying to express his world-views in a funny and vulgar way. With every episode, the show has become more enjoyable, but I think that the theme of exploring today's world basically stuck.

Since I was expecting more comedy, I didn't enjoy the show that much at first. I identified with some of his views, but that is not why I watched it. Gradually, the comedy part caught up with the rest. However, what I love about the show now is mainly the 'philosophy behind his mental illness'. He tries to portray the most extreme individuals as people (spoiler: 'as long as they don't have sex with animals') and, tries to open a dialogue free of condemnation. While he (or any of this) can't be taken seriously, I think he's still trying to send an important message.

The laughs are solid and I think most people will enjoy his more recent shows. I am giving this a 10/10 because I like what he's doing.

It's funny how such a simple show can be so entertaining. Russell just gives a standup performance in what looks like a small college lecture room with Power Point presentations and kind of a bland professor sidekick who seems to do nothing other than be someone Russell can make fun of. You can see the subtle catering to the college crowd as almost everyone there appears to be young and it's much like seeing a college lecture. He really knows how to work the audience, taking audience participation a step further, rather than maybe send an intern into the audience to put a mic up to them, he goes in and sits on their lap, male or female. One of the best shows on FX and barely costs anything to make, it's a good part of the guy show lineup on the network.

I've watched a few episodes, and I was well entertained and had some good laughs, but I feel the show hasn't yet reached its full potential. Russel Brand really wants to bring up important issues, and make deep, meaningful points - but when he gets too close to doing that, it seems he gets scared and flimsy, and pulls a bunch of sex jokes out of the pocket of his skinny jeans.

I don't have a problem with balancing serious with funny, I love that concept, but Russel the producer should tell Russel the performer to chill once in a while, and actually explore a subject deeper, even if it's not instant laughs every two seconds.

Russel Brand has a very warm personality, and he connects with his crowd in the studio so well, he takes us to the brink of awkward, but brings us home safe:) I want to see this show evolve!

I'm a fan of Russell's past work. I think ponderland is one of the funniest TV shows of all time, he was unhinged in BBBM and his radio shows were comedy genius.

I was expecting he'd deliver something at the same level with Brand X, however the show fails miserably. It's just not funny, too much of the corporate tag on it. It feels to me like Brand hasn't exerted his own zany style on the show and instead has conformed to what the network wants. I'm very disappointed.

If Russell ever reads this here's a message: you've lost your mojo man, don't tow the line with the corporate moneymakers, come back to the UK and try and recapture that zest you had from 10 years ago.