Over the course of all of the reality shows out there, someone decided to want to do one with the goal of finding the next big stand up comedian of North America. But with every comic remotely worth something having done at least a stand up special for a television show of some sort, the search to find a decent stand up was a long one, to say the least. And after several “winners”, are any one of them really top shelf material? Of course not.
So enter Showtime, home of such quality shows like Weeds, attempting to promote culturally aware entertainment down the collective premium cable buying throats of America, with their show White Boyz in the Hood. Simply put, the show pulls together some stand up talent of the caucasion persuasion and puts them on stage in front of a mostly African-American crowd. In the spirit of Def Comedy Jam and similar shows of that ilk, it’s an interesting idea.
The problem with this concept is its execution. With Def and Russell Simmons’ name behind it, quality people showed up on the show and electrified the crowd with outstanding quality. Guys like Chris Tucker, Bernie Mac, you name it. In White Boyz, you get, well, the guy who was on the first season of the Comic show, and he didn’t even finish that season out. Plus the guy who’s on EVERY friggin VH-1 show as a guest throws his weight (which physically is somewhat ample) behind it.
At the end of the day, I did want to like this show, as I fancy myself as a guy who rather enjoys stand up comedy. But the comics were not funny, the show’s production values were flat, and the idea just wasn’t all that original. It would have been better if it was 1986, but two decades later, White Boyz in the Hood should get sent back to the suburbs.
Video
Full frame 16×9 viewing. Honestly, were you really missing anything when it comes to stand-up comedy?
Audio
In a minor surprise, there’s a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack to go along with the two channel option. Quite frankly, the 5.1 option really doesn’t bring too much to the dance, so stick with the two channel mix which is more focused and effective.
Special Features
I wouldn’t say that unaired performance footage is worth touting, but perhaps I’m not as enlightened as other people are. There’s a music video surrounding the show’s introduction every week that’s funny for a second but quickly peters out.
Closing Thoughts
Seriously, don’t bother with White Boyz in the Hood. There are plenty of other much funnier stand up performances that cross social boundaries, and any one of those will make you laugh several hundred times more than this.
