The Whitest Kids U' Know - Season 5

The Whitest Kids will go on as a comedy troupe, but this was the final regular season of their TV show. For some reason the show actually being over is making me a little sadder than I thought it would; I guess it's just something about how these just seem like five normal guys who stumbled into an opportunity to put their wacky ideas in front of a national audience and did a lot with it. Not every sketch works, sometimes the humor is a bit juvenile, once in a while it seems like they aren't going far enough with the breadth of their concepts. They even reused a couple sketches this season, which is really hard to forgive for something that's only ten twenty-ish minute episodes. But I'll still miss their jokes about anything and willingness to do anything next year.

What was pretty interesting this time was their dedication to a single idea over the course of the entire season - a movie-length sketch called The Civil War on Drugs that played out in chunks every single week and told the story about a couple idiots in the south who mistakenly believe the recent rebellion is about marijuana and get themselves caught up in history, meeting everyone from General Lee to President Lincoln in the process. Some of the gags are pretty easy, but their dedication to the whole thing is impressive, and it's easily the most complex thing they ever did. I had an idea about how they could have easily tied the whole thing back to a sketch from the first season that's still my favorite thing they ever did, but the missed opportunity didn't bother me that much. Now that the show's over, I guess I'll probably be checking out some other sketch comedy groups that have made it on TV over time. And maybe I'll see Miss March, but I'm not sure about that one.

The Whitest Kids U' Know - Season 4

The Whitest Kids' fourth season returned to the half hour format, one I think works a bit better for a sketch show because there's more of an opportunity to let a particularly good idea breathe without worrying about it taking over the whole episode. I have some concerns about the show's future since the broadcast of these episodes was delayed for a while, but it definitely wasn't because of a lack in quality. There were definitely some of their best sketches in a while. It's hard to say what makes it so watchable despite the limited cast and low production values, though part of it is how they're willing (and allowed) to do pretty much anything for a laugh. I think there were at least five episodes this year with a sketch that starts out with somebody sitting at their computer, masturbating with hand lotion. While a lot of the jokes are pretty broad, some of my favorite bits are just minor details. In the brilliant sketch where Zach sets up a .50 caliber machine gun in a bar, why is Timmy's character so obsessed with apple butter? Because it's kind of funny and weird, that's why. Zach and Trevor continue to get the best roles for the most part, and that's still because they're the best actors in the group, though everybody definitely gets moments to shine. With how bad Saturday Night Live seems to have been for years, I'm glad that somewhere there's a show that pushes the envelope like it used to.

The Whitest Kids U' Know - Season 3

The Kids returned this year with twenty new half-length episodes, working out to provide as much content as either of the first two seasons. The show's not quite as fresh as it was at first, but it's still a lot of fun to watch. One of the things I respect is how they end the skits. If you ever watch sketch comedy, you know the hardest part about writing a skit is ending it. Saturday Night Live is infamous for not knowing how to do it, and almost no one gets it right. The Whitest Kids find a good punchline often enough, and when they don't they're not afraid to just let a bit end or completely turn it on its head to finish it. Watching it alongside Monty Python's Flying Circus made a lot of it sort of pale in comparison, but there were still some really funny sketches like the player in an online shooter who doesn't turn off his headset when he's talking to his mom, the introduction of water balloons in the wild west, and Shoshon: The Elegant: The White Tiger King. I'm not sure about the show's future especially since they're already branching into movies with the apparently not very good Miss March, but I'd be up for some more episodes if they make them.

The Whitest Kids U' Know - Season 2

Here we are again talking about a season of a comedy shortly after talking about the previous one. The biggest thing that separates season two from the first is the switch in network. The move to IFC let them go uncensored, and they capitalized in the very first sketch of the first episode where a guy is disgusted by his friend's inability to keep his balls inside his pants while they're talking. It goes on from there, with lots of the same sort of irreverent humor that we saw before, just with some more swearing and some breasts thrown in here and there. The season finale is footage from behind the scenes and on stage at a live performance, and it actually had some of my favorite bits from their entire repertoire.

Why don't I tell you what I think of the whole gang? Darren must have a thing for cross-dressing, since he seems to do it significantly more often than anyone else. It also could just be he's the best looking chick, though. I feel like he should get more parts. Sam frequently plays smaller or less intelligent roles, but he can also do some really good stuff, such as elaborate speeches in a Shakespearean accent. Trevor's essentially the leader, being the head writer, frequently having the best part in a given sketch, and apparently being the only one with musical inclinations. I think Zach might be the best actual actor in the group, and he's basically #2 to Trevor's #1 in terms of creative control of the group and quality of parts. Timmy is pretty goofy looking and plays a lot of demeaning parts, but I guess it doesn't bother him, maybe because without this he'd not have a career at all. All of them are pretty funny, though. The third season starts up later this month.

The Whitest Kids U' Know - Season 1

Starring mostly the same five guys and filmed on a shoestring budget, Whitest Kids is still some of the best sketch comedy I've seen in a while. A lot of the humor is pretty juvenile, but often enough they pull out something clever enough to make watching the whole episode worthwhile. Some sketches are more in the middle, like one of the first ones about how Lincoln was really killed, that aren't particularly smart but still completely hilarious if you can appreciate over-the-top swearing from one of our finest Presidents. Trevor and Zach are my two favorite cast members, and seem to get the lion's share of the best parts, but all of them contribute to every episode positively. Like other all-male comedy troupes that have come before them like The Kids in the Hall, they cross-dress fairly often and aren't afraid to make themselves look moronic for the sake of comedy. There's also the occasional music number, and while they aren't bad, usually I'm just waiting for them to get back to the normal stuff. Another couple great sketches are one where two Englishmen are at a stalemate when one finds he is peeing on the other's leg, and one where a guy who missed a party with his friends is painfully introduced to the new rules they came up with while he was absent. The first season aired on FUSE originally in a censored format, but for the second was moved to IFC, where the first was also reaired.