The Showbiz Show with David Spade

Comedy Central continues to surprise me. A few years back, most of their original television shows - for lack of a better word - stunk. A lot of the crap they had on just wasn't funny.

A few years have passed and now they're airing hilarious original programs such as "Reno 911," "South Park," "The Daily Show," "Too Late with Adam Carolla" (not hilarious but entertaining) and now "The Showbiz Show with David Spade." Spade was really famous for a while and had his face on a few TV shows and movie covers, but Hollyweird roared its ugly head and he basically ended up being the next cruel joke of Hollywood - "that skinny blonde guy who was in the movies with the fat guy." When I first saw ads for his new Comedy Central show, I thought to myself, "Oh no, he's not only lost his career, he's selling out to Comedy Central." And the ads seemed to imply David was now on the outskirts of Hollywood (which was somewhat true) and giving us "the scoop" on the insanity of Hollywood... the beast he was once very much a part of. It seemed kind of contradictory or hypocritical.

Nevertheless I was surprised by the first episode. Sure, it's got a few loose ends that could be tightened and some segments are a bit lame, but for the most part it's quite funny.

The show opens up a la "SNL's" Weekend Update (which Spade used to host, so he's at home here) - he satirizes media headlines. Next he interviews a "geek" about MTV, which I thought was really funny. There were some good points. And considering David is the writer of the television show, as well as presenter, it's nice that he took a stab at himself - the geek tells him something to the effect of, "You have to walk around with a ten-year-old copy of 'Tommy Boy' to remind everyone of who you are." Very nice.

Overall this show isn't the best on TV and does have some loose bits (like the coverage of the Rolling Stones concert - good potential, but it goes on too long and seems like a Daily Show rip-off). Not exactly the most original television show to be airing right now, but quite funny if you're in the mood.

David Spade has mastered the art of conveying that he actually is "too cool for the room," even as he seems not to care about how cool the room is. It's a tricky thing to do because you have to bring the audience along in a way that allows them to feel cool by association. Spade does this well by slashing merrily to the right and left and by making an obvious effort to let no-one off the hook. The hard part is overcoming the audience's cautious laughter as they realize that Spade's double-edged sword could easily slash in their direction next. This is where Spade falters.

His perpetual smirk and sardonic arrogance do little to compensate for the stale jokes and easy shots. (David: Two signs that you're in trouble are: You comment on air about how good the jokes really are when the audience doesn't laugh, and no-one on your production staff has the balls to tell you that the joke sucks or that the segment should be cut.)

The show needs better and brighter writers who are not mired in old news stories. It also needs to take more risks; just bleeping two or three expletives doesn't drag the show into the "Cutting Edge" category, but that's where the Showbiz Show desperately, and obviously, wants to be.

Can it be saved? Depends. Spade needs to stretch and get outside of his comfort zone. As it is, this show won't last.

I always kinda liked David Spade,as he said himself,he plays snarky to a tee,so I was looking forward to seeing him get more spotlight:this show is the kind of reality check long-overdue for TV&Hollywood,but it is also consistently better written&paced than most "Hit" comedies:as funny as Dave is,he's often out shined by a great cast of correspondents,all able to hold their own&be every bit as cutting as Davey boy,especially the dry as dust Andrew Daly,the fantastically over-the-top(as Lost,Greys etc obsessed fan)Colleen Smith&the acerbic Jessi Klein as well as the rest(the web troller guy etc.).Skewering hollywoodland&crap TV should be easy,but to make it this consistently funny&original,and to give the always hilarious Nick Swardson a regular gig bespeaks of taste&genius,so it's no wonder it's probably dead&buried by average TV fans who also don't get quality comedy like Sara Silverman,Idiocracy or Arrested Development,but would prefer to watch reality shows or lame talent-shows that we all should have either outgrown in High school or kept as a guilty pleasure for our dotage (Ballroom dancing,3 card monty with suitcases&freakshow sorry "talent" shows are primetime quality???) so,I recommend getting this on DVD if possible,it's a mark of it's quality that a gossip-inspired show stays funny long after the gossip has changed,moved on or been recycled.

To speak the truth I have never found David Spade to be very good. Excreting one bad sitcom after the next, David Spade can only be seen as mildly humorous when pigging back off of Chris Farley. In short, David Spade makes Carlos Mencia look like Richard Pryor. This new show is the result of taking wet, loose fecal matter and digitizing it. It is all one act; David Spade pretends to be morally superior to everyone else while dishing out sub par observation jokes. Comedy Central has been releasing one bad series after another. From Crappy sitcom "The Sara Silverman Program" to the poor man Chappell "The Mind of Mencia," but the showbiz show takes the cake. If given the choice to watch another episode of his show, or to stab my self in the eye with a soldering iron, I would choose the latter.

Grade: 0

NOTE: All other comments on this page that support David Spade are obviously misguided.

Oh dear. I feel for Mr. Spade. He seems to be kinda trying here. I guess now that he has yet to find another co-star to insult, he must insult me on his new show "Showbiz blah blah blah." I chuckled a few times, and then searched for something else to watch the rest of the time. I guess he feels like he is "bein himself" or just "tellin it like it is." But sadly, his holy- er than thou shtick is just not working for me. I just can't get past the tragic reality that the Hollywood hasbeens he is mocking are usually in much better shape career-wise than he is. Can't he come up with something original?

Now, I've liked Spade in the past. But I am just not gonna watch this show because he WAS funny once. He insults me, the people of my generation, and he does so poorly. He is also obviously drunk, or at least he slurs his speech during each show, so it is rather uncomfortable to watch as well.

I don't think that his career should be over, but I'm just not interested in this show at all. If he keeps making nerd jokes, or jokes about people who aren't blond, 115 lbs., and narcissistic, than I guess we know that it is all he can do.

Sorry Mr. Spade, but I got better stuff to do.