___________________________
Do You 22? Nathan Fielder and Why "This Hour" is Funny Again
Posted by Andrew Kurjata Posted Tuesday, February 03, 2009
For a certain generation of Canadians, particularly those who, like me, didn't have cable growing up, the world of politics was introduced through the lens of CBC's long-running series This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Back before John Stewart and Stephen Colbert became America's most-trusted news anchors, starting in 1993 we here in Canada had the four-person 22 Minutes team, anchored by Rick Mercer.
Buoyed by the success of his petition to have Stockwell Day change his first name to Doris, getting George W. Bush to thank Canadian PM "Jean Poutine", and "Talking to Americans,"* Mercer left the show in 2001 to focus on the series Made in Canada, a smart, dark comedy that was apparently before its time (the lead character talked to the camera of all things!) and some dark years set in. Most of the original cast left, Colin Mochrie tried to be the host, and, worst of all, Mercer returned to the fake-news-show game with the glad-handling Mercer Report which is more a love-in with the establishment than a skewering of it (a sleepover with Stephen Harper? Skinny dipping with Bob Rae?), It seemed like the Canadian news parody was dead.
But something wonderful has happened. Infused with new cast (minus Cathy Jones, who manages to not be a deadweight but is probably the weakest link), 22 Minutes is funny again. The news bits are on par with anything coming out of Stewart or Colbert, and the sketches are at least 50-50, but by far the best bits are the "field assignments" where cast members, in various guises, talk to Canadian celebrities (mostly politicians and hockey players).
Nathan Fielder
And by far, the best of these segments are those handed over to Nathan Fielder, who is not a cast member, but is easily the best part of the show since Mercer's rants. Completely deadpan, his segments parody the heavy-handed "consumer affairs" docu-series like "Marketplace" and "The Fifth Estate," for a program called "Nathan on Your Side," which does everything from warn of the responsibilities that come with dog ownership to find out which winter tires best protect your family. Previously, his bits were only on once in a while, but this season he's had at least one segment per show, stretching out into Rick Mercer's "streeter" territory. There's a danger of the schtick wearing thin, but for now it's all been gold, so if you're looking for a Colbert for Canada, once again 22 Minutes is for you.This Hour Has 22 Minutes is on 8:30 on Tuesday nights, on CBC television.
Further reading: The Last Laugh: Why Canadian Satire Can't Live Up to Stewart and Colbert. The Walrus magazine takes an interesting look at freedom of speech laws and its effect on news parodies.
Nathan Fielder and Jim Flaherty This is one of the weaker videos, but the only one I can embed on the site. To watch the rest, either browse through the 22 Minutes website, or watch this playlist with your proxy disguised.
Rick Mercer: Talking To Americans- Mike Huckabee, George W. Bush, Al Gore, et al.
*It seems a bit of a cheap shot to make Americans look dumb by displaying their ignorance of Canada. You could easily have someone from Greenland doing the same thing to Canadians-- they are our neighbour to the north, after all, and what do YOU know about them? But it's still pretty funny.
0 Comments:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
