Comedy Bang! Bang! (TV series)

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For the podcast, see Comedy Bang! Bang!
Comedy Bang! Bang!
Genre
Created byScott Aukerman
Starring
Opening theme"Comedy Bang! Bang!"
Composers
  • Reggie Watts
  • Kid Cudi
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes110 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Carl Fieler
  • Jeff Ullrich
Production locationLos Angeles, California
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesComedy Bang! Bang! Productions
Earwolf Media
Abso Lutely Productions
IFC Original Productions
Original release
NetworkIFC
ReleaseJune 8, 2012 (2012-06-08) –
December 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)

Comedy Bang! Bang! is a television talk show created and hosted by Scott Aukerman. The show aired weekly on IFC and was a spin-off of Aukerman's podcast Comedy Bang! Bang!, which airs on the Earwolf network. Like the podcast, the series featured outlandish and farcical humor, often delivered in a deadpan manner. The mock talk show derived most of its comedy from its surreal spoofs of common late night tropes and from its characters' ineptitude.

Reggie Watts quit Comedy Bang! Bang! halfway through the fourth season, and a few weeks later was offered the job of bandleader for The Late Late Show with James Corden.[1][2] Musician Kid Cudi took over bandleader and sidekick duties after Watts' departure.[3] The season four finale aired on December 10, 2015, and was Cudi's final episode.[4] The series was renewed for a 20-episode fifth season on May 5, 2015.[5] "Weird Al" Yankovic took over the position of bandleader for the fifth season, which premiered on June 3, 2016.[6]

On August 18, 2016, Aukerman announced that the series would end after season 5, and the finale aired on December 2, 2016.[7]

Production[edit]

The show featured celebrity guests playing either themselves or characters. Many of these celebrities were previous guests on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast and revisited characters such as Don Dimello (Andy Daly), El Chupacabra (Nick Kroll), Bob Ducca (Seth Morris), Lil' Gary (Thomas Lennon), Huell Howser (James Adomian) and Cake Boss (Paul F. Tompkins). Many frequent collaborators included former Mr. Show with Bob and David cast members such as Paul F. Tompkins, Bob Odenkirk, and David Cross.

The talk show took place in one-third of a wooden shack with modern decorations, surreal pop-art, taxidermy, old books without dust-covers, and houseplants. Various objects had the ability to talk including the taxidermy, houseplants, as well as a couch named Sir Couchley.

"Weird Al" Yankovic (from season 5 onward) provided all of the music on the show including the theme song and interstitial music. Reggie Watts wrote the original theme song and first performed it on the podcast. Kid Cudi, and later Yankovic, later performed their versions of Watts' original theme.

Episodes[edit]

Main article: List of Comedy Bang! Bang! (TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
110June 8, 2012 (2012-06-08)August 10, 2012 (2012-08-10)
220July 12, 2013 (2013-07-12)December 20, 2013 (2013-12-20)
320May 8, 2014 (2014-05-08)December 19, 2014 (2014-12-19)
440January 9, 2015 (2015-01-09)December 10, 2015 (2015-12-10)
520June 3, 2016 (2016-06-03)December 2, 2016 (2016-12-02)

Reception[edit]

Critical reception for Comedy Bang! Bang! was generally mixed to positive, with a rating of 67 on Metacritic.[8] Most television critics gave the show positive reviews. Paste reviewer Ross Bonaime called the show "one of the best written shows on TV today", comparing it to Pee-wee's Playhouse.[9] Los Angeles Times television reviewer Robert Lloyd has called the show "amusing", likening it to Space Ghost Coast to Coast.[10] Additionally, the weekly reviews that were posted on The A.V. Club were generally in the B− to A range.[11]

Home media[edit]

Comedy Bang! Bang! Season 1 was released on Region 1 DVD on January 21, 2014. The two-disc set consists of all 10 episodes of its first season. Special features include: deleted and extended scenes, full-length alternate celebrity interviews and audio commentaries featuring characters from the show and more.

Comedy Bang! Bang! Season 2 was released on Region 1 DVD on June 24, 2014. The four-disc set consists of all 20 episodes of its second season. Special features include: full episode commentaries, deleted/bonus scenes and interviews, Reggie's season 2 music supercut, VFX tests and more.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Extended Interview with Reggie Watts. KRTV NEWS.
  2. ^ "Scott Aukerman Talks to Zach Galifianakis About Comedy Bang! Bang! and President Obama's Between Two Ferns". Vulture. January 8, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ "Reggie Watts named bandleader of CBS' new 'Late Late Show,' appearing at UCB East w/ Janeane Garofalo & more". Brooklyn Vegan. December 15, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Wright, Megh (December 11, 2015). "Last Night's 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' Finale Was Kid Cudi's Last Episode". Splitsider. Archived from the original on December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Maglio, Tony (May 5, 2015). "Scott Aukerman's 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' Renewed for Season 5 by IFC". TheWrap. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Comedy Bang! Bang! on Twitter". Twitter. January 26, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Wright, Megh (August 18, 2016). "Scott Aukerman Says 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' Will End After Season 5". Splitsider. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "Comedy Bang! Bang!". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  9. ^ Bonaime, Ross (December 2, 2016). "Going Out With a Bang: Saying Goodbye To Comedy Bang! Bang!". Paste magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  10. ^ Lloyd, Robert (June 7, 2012). "Reviews: IFC goes wacky with 'Comedy Bang! Bang!' and 'Bunk'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  11. ^ "Comedy Bang! Bang!". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 5, 2016.

External links[edit]

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