Draft:Very Important People (2023 TV series)
 |  The page Very Important People (2023 TV series) in the mainspace is currently a redirect to Dropout (media company).Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Last edited by Cyberlink420 (talk | contribs) 4 months ago. (Update)
Finished drafting? or |
| Very Important People | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Directed by | Tamar Levine |
| Presented by | Vic Michaelis |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Editor | Eve Hinz |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 10 minutes |
| Production company | Dropout |
| Original release | |
| Network | Dropout |
| Release | December 15, 2023 – present |
Very Important People is an American improvisational comedy talk show on Dropout hosted by Vic Michaelis. The show features comedians being placed in extensive makeup and costumes, then participating in an in-character interview with Michaelis. The series premiered in December 2023, and has been greenlit for a second season.
Format
The opening sequence of each episode features one or two comedians having extensive makeup and prosthetics applied to them by the makeup team, along with accompanying costume pieces, to alter their appearance; the comedians are not aware in advance what they are being turned into, and are prevented from seeing themselves before the process is complete. Once preparations are finished, the comedians are allowed to see themselves in the mirror for the first time, and they are given a few minutes to improvise a character based on their new look.[1] Similarly, Michaelis is not given any details of these characters beforehand beyond their name and appearance.[2]
When the episode begins, the comedians join Michaelis on the main talk show set, where they introduce themselves in character. The episode then proceeds with Michaelis interviewing the characters, asking them questions about themselves and the reasons they have been brought on the show. Interviews will frequently be broken up by segments in which props are brought onto the set, prompting the characters to explain how the object relates to them; the interview also frequently cuts away to photos or footage of the characters, which are filmed on a green screen after the episode and added in post production.[3] A recurring segment features Michaelis asking the characters a series of rapid-fire questions, concluding each time with "What is the meaning of life?"
Production
Very Important People is a reboot of the 2010 CollegeHumor series Hello, My Name Is..., which featured Pat Cassels interviewing a different guest each episode, all played by Josh Ruben.[2][4] Michaelis had previously been featured in minor roles on a few prior CollegeHumor productions before appearing as a contestant on Make Some Noise in 2022; their performance on the series led executive producer Sam Reich to cast them as the host for Very Important People.[2]
A week after each episode airs, a "Last Looks" behind-the-scenes video is released, featuring director Tamar Levine and makeup department head Alex Perrone explaining the creative decisions and technical process behind creating each guest's appearance.[3]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 13 | December 15, 2023 | June 7, 2024 | |
Season 1 (2023–2024)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Guest(s) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Princess Emily" | Anna Garcia | December 15, 2023 | |
|
Vic interviews a European pop star attempting to achieve solo stardom in America after the arrest of her bandmates. | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "Denzel" | Ify Nwadiwe | December 29, 2023 | |
|
Vic interviews an extraterrestrial who claims he has come to repopulate the planet while secretly living in Vic's guest house. | |||||
| 3 | 3 | "Vic's Ex-Step Grandmother" | Lisa Gilroy | January 12, 2024 | |
|
Vic struggles to interview Nana, their grandfather's irritable ex-wife, who is quick to demean them and tell insulting stories about their childhood. | |||||
| 4 | 4 | "Marionette Conqui and Zonton de la Doll" | Kimia Behpoornia and Jacob Wysocki | January 26, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews two dolls that have come to life, whose search for their original owner has gone viral on social media. | |||||
| 5 | 5 | "Kepl and Dr. Milk" | Josh Ruben | February 9, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews an obnoxious ventriloquist who is jealous at the success of his more charismatic puppet. | |||||
| 6 | 6 | "Tommy Shriggly" | Zac Oyama | February 23, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews a fitness and mental health guru who turned his life around being dishonorably discharged for murdering his military platoon. | |||||
| 7 | 7 | "Professor Avery Goodman" | Brian David Gilbert | March 8, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews a transhumanist scientist who is running for mayor on a platform of eliminating free will through mind control. | |||||
| 8 | 8 | "Jasper and Casper" | Oscar Montoya and Jiavani | March 22, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews a pair of married authors who are promoting their book about "Sex, the British Way", which involves no physical contact. | |||||
| 9 | 9 | "Leighanna-Jean Gruthers" | Isabella Roland | April 5, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews a beauty pageant queen from Florida who has been lying about her age to remain eligible for children's competitions. | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "Pig #2" | Ally Beardsley | April 19, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews one of the Three Little Pigs, whose mother's death from being trampled by the Big Bad Wolf has driven them to vigilantism. | |||||
| 11 | 11 | "Martha Tops and Lucian Azathoth" | Rashawn Nadine Scott and Ross Bryant | May 3, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews a pair of Satanist youth ministers seeking to spread the word of their dark lord to children. | |||||
| 12 | 12 | "Augbert" | Brennan Lee Mulligan | May 17, 2024 | |
|
Vic interviews a strange man claiming to be "from the woods", who infiltrates their dreams to warn them about the future. | |||||
| 13 | 13 | "Very Important Bonus Content" | Various | June 7, 2024 | |
|
A compilation of outtakes and scenes that were cut for time from the first season. | |||||
Reception
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2024) |
Very Important People was the People's Voice Winner in the video comedy category at the 2024 Webby Awards.[5]
References
- ^ Davis, Clayton (May 8, 2024). "Dropout Jumps Into Emmys With 'Game Changer' and 'Very Important People,' 'Dimension 20' Not Eligible for Submission". Variety. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Fleming, Ryan (June 13, 2024). "'Very Important People's Vic Michaelis On Their Host Persona & Some Truly Wild Characters: "Tommy Shriggly Really Came In And Hit Me Like A Wrecking Ball"". Deadline. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Allton, Natalie (January 24, 2024). "'Very Important People' is very nearly perfect". The Observer. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Polo, Susana (September 26, 2023). "Dropout's dropping CollegeHumor on its 5th anniversary — here's why and what the future holds". Polygon. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ "Very Important People". Webby Awards. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
External links
- Very Important People at IMDb
- Very Important People at TheTVDB
- Very Important People on Dropout