The MR. SHOW Season Three DVD!!

I am – Hercules!!

There are few funnier human beings on the planet than David Cross and Bob Odenkirk. They made a show for HBO not long ago, and its third season hit DVD shelves on Tuesday.

Look! A review!

Dear Ain't It Cool News,

Hi. You don't know me, but I know you, and I like you. Since I've noticed not a lot of attention has been paid to this, I've taken the time to put my personal opinion concerning the Mr. Show with Bob and David Season 3 DVD into written form. A review, if you will. Will you?

There was a line outside of the Best Buy the morning the Mr. Show DVDs were to be released. After opening their doors to the public, I noticed more people heading towards the second-installment-of-a-gay-ass-9-hour-epic-fantasy-trilogy section than the semi-obscure-and-much-missed-sketch-comedy-show section. No bother. I snatched up my Mr. Show DVDs as well as a copy of the new Bride of Re-Animator DVD (which fucking sucks--the DVD, not the movie.. fuck you artisan home entertainment, you assholes).

After watching all the episodes in one sitting, then re-watching them with commentary a day later, I've come to the conclusion that the third season of Mr. Show is the greatest season of any (comedy) show ever to be aired on television and then released on DVD. Pure, un-refined brilliance. Though premiering in 1997 and 1998, the episodes here are (almost eerily) prescient, with sketches like “America Will Blow Up The Moon” an accurate foretelling of America’s inexplicable support for our conflict with Iraq. C.S. Lewis Jr. is a near perfect counterpart to that country singer guy with that “boot up your ass” song.

Don’t fret, my friends. Though commenting on some pretty important topics, Mr. Show is droll enough to tickle your humerus bone. I find it hard to sit through an entire episode without laughing myself silly. Those under whelmed by the first two seasons will find the show’s pace a lot tighter in the third season. Sketches rarely run longer than they should, which is a common complaint of the first two seasons. The writing is of the same high quality (maybe even more so), and the sketch transitions (which is a big reason why this show stands head and shoulders above the rest) are brilliant.

Every character seems genuine, due to equal parts writing and performing. Using talented actors like Tom Kenny, Jill Talley, and John Ennis is an important (yet underrated) part of the show’s brilliance. The emotional investment you put in these characters is often surprising. I challenge anyone not to feel bad for Bob Odenkirk’s Nostradamus in “Predicting the Future of Fashion with Nostradaumus”. The smart writing and pitch-perfect performances put this show over the top.

The DVDs themselves are excellent. The packaging is a slip-out-folding-type dealy, very similar to the Season 1 & 2 set, for those of you who despise snap cases and whatnot. It’s also pretty. The extras are pretty solid, with the commentary tracks being the standout. A favorite bit of mine they used on the Season 1 & 2 discs, where Jay Johnston and Paul F. Tompkins overdub certain weak scenes with ridiculously inept improvisational dialogue is crotch-kickingly hilarious. Footage of Bob and David at the 1997 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the original TV spots are also pretty funny. The only quibble I had with this release was the Fantastic Newness feature, which is basically a clip show of the first two seasons. It’s kind of frustrating for those that own the first two seasons, especially when that space could be used for footage from the Mr. Show tour from last year, which oddly is not mentioned at all in this package. Overall though, the DVDs are packed with funny.

In conclusion, I hope people find this review helpful, and will lead to more people supporting this great show. Fuck the cult following, let’s make these guys billionaires!

Joe S.

I am – Hercules!!