Mr. Show
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Mr. Show with Bob and David is where a huge chunk of modern comedy learned how to be weird. Bob Odenkirk and David Cross built an HBO sketch show where every piece flows into the next through doors, tunnels, and throwaway lines, so the whole half hour feels like one connected dream. It ran from 1995 to 1998 and barely anyone was watching at the time.
The cast is absurd in hindsight. Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, Paul F. Tompkins, Tom Kenny, and half of what became the alternative comedy scene pass through the writers room and the stage. The sketches take cheap American culture and push each idea two steps further than you expect.
If you have ever laughed at a comedy that makes you slightly uncomfortable and then hits you with a perfect callback, this is one of the roots of that tree. Season 3 is the sweet spot if you want a starting point.
