Growing up as a fan of comedy movies, standup and live shows like Saturday Night Live, I always felt that it was important that we had these outlets that poked fun at the seriousness of the world, as it provided a breath of fresh air during times of uncertainty.
Recently, I watched Seth Rogen’s new Apple TV show, “The Studio,” which is a pretty clever satire on the movie industry and how we are in the age where studios will put profit above art when deciding what films to fund. This new age of film has taken a hit from the greed of these companies, and during the era of superhero slop and senseless Disney remakes, the amount of good comedy projects has taken a complete decline.
We are past the days of the 2000s where Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy movies are dominating theaters, and seemingly, every comedian that was popular during this time has shifted their entire schtick into grifting and complaining about the “woke mob” and how you can’t joke about this and that anymore.
In the late 2010s, our culture shifted and the era of political correctness culture was at its peak, which caused studios to become hesitant with what they funded, and in my opinion, the comedy genre was hit with a wave of “safe” comedy for the latter half of the decade.
We went from classics such as “The Hangover” and “Superbad” to Will Ferrell’s disastrous “Holmes and Watson” and an abysmal “Space Jam” sequel. Fortunately, the genre has recently seen a breath of fresh air in recent years thanks to the internet and creators who are not afraid to take risks with their work.
As much as I do not want to credit him, TV personality and “comedian” Rogan has played a big part in this revival as his podcast has not only shown time and time again that it is an up and coming comedians golden ticket to stardom, but it has made way for a massive comedy scene based out of Austin, Texas.
Podcasting has played a massive role in the uptick in interest for good standup since shows like “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast,” hosted by Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker, and “Kill Tony,” hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe, have been dominating the podcast charts for a good while now.
Both Gillis and Hinchcliffe have become sensations within the comedy landscape, with both of them receiving deals with Netflix for original specials and even scripted series. Although I do not consider myself to be a fan of Hinchcliffe and his try to offend as many people as possible approach to comedy, his show is quite entertaining and at times makes me question where the line should be drawn and what is considered too far.
Television shows like Tim Robinson’s “I Think You Should Leave” and Danny McBride’s “The Righteous Gemstones” echo the style of absurdist, out-of-left-field comedy that has been missing for a while. With a reboot of the classic “Naked Gun” on the horizon (rest in peace, Leslie Nielsen), I have a very optimistic outlook on what is to come.
Comedy itself is an art form, and with any other form of art, anyone can try it, but that does not mean everyone gets it right. In this current age, I am excited to see the art form continue to be pushed as more and more talents arise.
Caden Adkins can be contacted at [email protected].
