Maya & Marty

Love AGT and now the following Maya and Marty. Not a blockbuster but a mildly funny respite from the crazy world. The clear winning segment of the show is the totally obnoxious Jiminy Glick lightly scripted impromptu back and forth with that week's guest and watching them try to hold it together with the genius of Short's arguably finest characterization.

All in all, I would have to agree the script writers fall just a little short but the state of TV with wall-to-wall reality shows and the like, M&M fills a niche when glitz and glamour or the overdone sitcom hammers the audience incessantly. Two likable artists applying their craft once a week, nice formula. If you prefer "Wives of . . ." and scripted reality, have at it.

"Maya and Marty in Manhattan" is a well-done revival of the variety show format, with a fun blend of music and comedy. Both Maya Rudolph and Martin Short bring a surplus of comedic talent to the proceedings, bolstered by some celebrity guests.

The comic skits are similar to what you'd see on Saturday Night Live, a mixture of pop culture spoofs and political satire. Martin Short also brings back his character Jiminy Glick. The writing for these skits, at least in the first episode, is spot on.

If the pilot is any indication, the music should also be a selling point. Miley Cyrus gave a strong performance, with Maya Rudolph joining her to demonstrate a mean set of pipes as well. The inclusion of a Broadway dance performance by Savion Glover, while not as strong, offered a change of pace.

The only weak spot is that both Rudolph and Short demonstrate a tendency to stick to familiar territory. Rudolph dips into her repertoire of weird accents at least twice, while Short, as mentioned earlier, resurrects Jiminy Glick with mixed results, as he and Larry David end up just laughing at their own skit.

Bottom line: Not that entertaining or funny.

It's just like Saturday Night Live, hit and miss, but with less of the firepower behind the "hit" (smaller cast and writing staff, I think - either way, it's shorter, so two unfunny skits is like 1/3rd of the show).

Personally, Rudolph was perfect on stage, but Short was a little too old school hokey for me (I like him in SNL skits, movies, etc., but on stage, he overdoes it, like he wants to make sure the senior citizens get the jokes).

There were five skits, and two musical numbers. I only thought one skit out of everything was funny (Short doing his Jiminy Glick character with Larry David, which I always really like). I had ZERO interest in Miley Cyrus's song and the second musical number: tap dancing!

I think Networks are going to have to do some serious belt tightening. Now, with streaming so pervasive, and only growing, consumers have the option to watch EXACTLY what they want. They no longer have to put up with shows, skits, or music they don't like just to get to the stuff they do like, which is exactly what "Maya and Marty" is.

As an SCTV fan who admired the comedic genius of Martin Short since his "Shower in a Briefcase" days, I knew I had to check this out, and it did not disappoint. Fully understanding that this is a variety show, I did not expect every skit to be a home-run-- and it wasn't. Some funny bits, some not so funny-- and I could personally do without the serious Broadway numbers. That said, I can not remember that last time I laughed at anything harder than Jiminy Glick's Larry David interview (Episode 1). It was 7+ minutes of pure Martin Short insanity. After that, I was hooked. I wanted more Jiminy Glick! Yes, Maya Rudolph is very talented and funny, Kenan Thompson can make you laugh with just a look, and Steve Martin saying, "I am currently traveling in Europe and can not attend" was comedy gold-- but it's all about Jiminy Glick stupid! Do I believe this show will last? Probably not because it doesn't cater to 12 year-olds, so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Maya and Marty work so well together and play off each other nicely. The variety show is silly and keeps me laughing. It has a Saturday Night Live combined with Carol Burnett feel to it. Certainly, there were moments where I was simply wide eyed and shaking my head but overall it was an easy to watch,entertaining program. I realize the throw back aspect of the show might not appeal to many people but I enjoy watching goofy things like this from time to time. Maya and Marty are very talented. It was fun to see other actors and actresses make an appearance and have a good time. I would recommend this show - relax and just enjoy the simplicity and humor.