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LAist watches: Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show
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LAist made the mistake of tuning in to Fox's Kelsey Grammer presents: The Sketch Show (they might want to trim that title...or the whole show) last night, and we will forever be longing to have those wasted 30 minutes returned to our lives.
Apparently someone at Fox had the brilliant idea that this successful British comedy show in the vein of "Monty Python" and "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" could survive an American version, but they really missed the mark on this (sound familiar?). Some of the riotously funny sketches included this: Cast Member A sits in a leather chair that appears to be vibrating. Cast Member A says to Cast member B "Boy, this self-massaging chair is great!" Cast Member B says, "We don't have a self-massaging chair." Cast Member C walks in and says "Has anyone seen the cat?" CUE LAFF TRACK.
Ouch. And yes, it's just that painful for the entire show.
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We're not quite sure why this is "presented" by Kelsey Grammer, as he doesn't even really appear in the show. Is Kelsey Grammer the new King of Comedy? We missed the day that election took place, can we issue a recall?
This would mostly be another forgettable Fox show, except that they had both the brilliant and the awful idea of casting Paul F. Thompkins in this thing. Paul is the most talented comedian who appears in this show, but it's like having Picasso working on a tiny bit of a mural on the side of a freeway overpass, and the rest of the mural is being worked on by kids with ADD. What a tragedy! For some real comedy, catch Paul's regular show at Largo (usually Monday nights), or you can see him in "Mr. Show", out on DVD.
However, if you're into self-torture, you can catch "The Sketch Show" Sunday nights on Fox. And yes, that's the same night as "Arrested Development". The best and worst of television in one night, and on the same network!
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