Last week’s announcement of a fall comedy tour dubbed “An Evening with Bob & David (and Posehn)” got us feeling a little nostalgic. It’s perfectly understandishable for those of us who were adolescents in the mid-‘90s and had HBO. Mr. Show—the cult sketch comedy series starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross and featuring Brian Posehn—was, for many of us, our first water cooler show.
More importantly, we felt like it was sketch comedy for us. Saturday Night Live was tame by comparison (what our parents watched). The Kids in the Hall wouldn’t grab us until a couple summers later with reruns on Comedy Central. And Monty Python was, well, too goddamned British. Mr. Show was parentally disapproved and all ours, with a perfect blend of vulgarity and goofiness. David might break character and say, “Fuck, Bob, HBO spent more on Fraggle Rock than on us,” or Bob would record a giggling voice-over for Mr. Pickle’s Fun-Time Abortion Clinics: “We’ll bring out the kid in ya!”
Juvenile? Sure. In bad taste? Absolutely. But a perfect fit for a 13-year-old sneaking down to the living room to catch a late-night program his parents banned.
In retrospect, the show was groundbreaking. Each week, they managed to weave a sequence of live and pre-taped segments together, each sketch somehow feeding into the next. It’s where many of us first ran across comedians like Posehn, Sarah Silverman, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jack Black. And sketches like “The Audition” and “Pre-Taped Call-In Show” can hang conceptually with any sketch comedy out there (before or since).
But enough gushing. To celebrate this mini reunion, we picked out our 20 favorite Mr. Show sketches. Hey, everyone, it’s Bob and David!
–Matt Melis
Senior Editor
20. Fuzz: The Musical
Featuring everyone’s favorite criminal, Ronnie Dobbs, this mishmash of Cops and musicals — dreamed up by Odenkirk’s British cameraman/composer, Terry — showcased Cross’s underrated vocal skills. And it of course led to one of the greatest moments in straight-to-video history when legend of stage and screen Mandy Patinkin sang the Ronnie Dobbs classic “Y’all Are Brutalizing Me” in the Mr. Show spin-off film, Run Ronnie Run. –Pat Levy
19. Mom & Pop Porno Shop
As Jimmy (Cross) finds out, there’s no shame in going into the family business—even if that business includes all-anal action video booths and big, black dildos. Leave it to Mr. Show to relocate Ward (Odenkirk) and June Cleaver (Jill Talley) to a homely porno shop. Now, take these quarters to booth two. I’ll let the video play a little longer for you. –Matt Melis
18. Marty Farty
“Marty Farty” is a classic case of approach informing content. The sketch, a parody of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, finds American President “Two-T” Fruitty under fire for farting at the crowded party of Dominican Republic Ambassador Marty Pharti. The stupid, stupid premise, which culminates with President Fruitty’s somber delivery of a rhymed fart joke, only works because everything about it is played completely straight-faced. By anchoring it on the flimsiest, most juvenile of jokes, the writers created a sketch that flays the mainstream media’s approach to the Lewinsky scandal without ever having to mention a blowjob, let alone a cigar. –Randall Colburn
17. Titannica
Living in modern America means never having to admit your kid is a dipshit. After being sued by parents for encouraging their son’s suicide attempt with the song “Try Suicide”, metal heads Titannica visit the boy (Cross) in the hospital and write him a song: “Try Again”. Three cheers for Cross for one of the show’s most indelible visual gags and performances. “I’m the coolest kid in the world.” Indeed. –Matt Melis
