Review: Kroll Show

Nick Kroll is hilarious.

Of course, anyone who knows a little bit about comedy, or watches the show The League, already knows that. What they might not know is that last night, Wednesday, Nick Kroll finally got his own show. I expected it to be good. I didn’t expect to be this good.

It’s a sketch show, in a similar mold as past Comedy Central (in Canada, Comedy Network) shows like Important Things With Demetri Martin. Kroll is known for his ability to portray a very diverse group of hilarious characters (including Bobby Bottleservice) so naturally, he continues that approach with his show. Let’s take a walkthrough.

The show opens with the cheesy premise of a girlfriend going away to college. Weeping, Kroll’s character hands her a mixtape. Cute. But there’s a twist, which I’ll let you see for your self. Instant self-chuckling, and the credits roll. Good start. After the credits roll, Kroll looks into the camera to speak to his audience about the differences between men and women, and how men have it better. It’s a cliched joke to make, but Kroll makes it work.

The next sketch is the only one I really had any problem with. The premise is tired, but still not too bad; Kroll plays a woman (ugh) that partners up with the great Jenny Slate to run a PR company with the name “Publizity” (the joke being that both their names are Liz). As a big fan of her work on SNL, it’s great to see Jenny Slate back in action again. Still, this recurring sketch did bug me a little, and it was not nearly anywhere close to as good as the others. It’s not horrible, but if they plan on using it again, it could use some work.

The next skit has a great premise: Sex And The City For Dudes. It’s exactly what it sounds like, and it’s hilarious. The skit’s success is helped by cameos several other great comedians (among them Adam Pally (Happy Endings), Jason Mantzoukas (The League), and Ed Helmes (The Office). It’s a short sketch that popped up a couple of other times throughout the episode, and each time the jokes may have been easy, but the laughs still came. ”The San Diego Diet” was a faux-infomercial that had some laughs, but if it wasn’t for Publizity, it would be the weakest sketch of the night. There was also a short sketch about a basketball referee (played, obviously, by Kroll) who just wants to relate to the players. Apparently the idea came from the great Chelsea Peretti, so you know it’s good.

Finally, the best sketch of the night in my opinion was one I hope they bring back often: “Wheels, Ontario”.

The first appearance of Wheels, Ontario shows Kroll as a ninth-grade boy from Saskatchewan who is about to begin his first day at a new school in Ontario. He gets dropped off by his loving mother (played by the great Kathryn Hahn), and the laughs start right away. Nearly every line or premise of this recurring sketch made me laugh (either inside or out). It’s basically a giant continuous reel of heavily-stereotyped Canadian plot. As a Canadian, I not only relate to the humour (I spelled it with a “U”!), but find it amazing. The entire sketch is absurd, and so over-the-top, that it really is hard not to laugh. When it’s revealed that nearly every student at the school is in a wheelchair, I actually laughed out loud (alone in my living room). The students even tease Kroll’s character for being different by calling him “legs”. I won’t ruin the sketch for you by giving too many other details, but I absolutely loved this one. My praise for it in my live-tweeting of the episode even got some favourites due to the retweeting by the Comedy Network’s Twitter account.

As an actual Canadian, I fully approve of “Wheels Ontario”. Hilarious sketch. Amazing Canadian stereotypes. Kudos @nickkroll @comedynetwork.

— James Gewurz (@JGewurz) January 17, 2013

Sorry for those who have no idea what that means. Kids these days and their Twitter, eh?

Anyways, what I’m basically trying to say in this rambling incoherent blog post is that Kroll Show is hilarious, and you should watch it. It airs Wednesday nights at 10:30 on either Comedy Central or the Comedy Network, depending on where you live. If you missed it last night, you can even watch the premiere episode online.

You can also follow Nick Kroll (@nickkroll) on Twitter for updates, and me (@JGewurz) for other things I suppose.

BONUS NICK KROLL VIDEOS:
Bobby Bottleservice Video Chat
50 Shades of Blue
Nick Kroll Standup