MovieChat Forums > Chocolate News (2008) Discussion > Is this show done?

Is this show done?

posted 15 years ago by mklasr
9 replies | jump to latest

I'd put this show somewhere in between Chappelle's show and Mind of Mencia on the watchability meter. It definitely had its moments, and David Alan Grier has enough experience that I would have given him a full season. I prefer it to Dimitri Martin, for what it's worth.

My main reason for liking this show is that it continues to carry out the awesome legacy of the "Bewitched" Movie, which was about an actor in a bomb movie resurrecting his career by playing the lead in a wildly popular TV show.

Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell are lead characters on wildly popular TV shows. Kate Walsh was on a wildly popular TV show, and has been given the lead on her new show. David Alan Gried was the 4th member of the cast to fulfill the Movie's paradoxical prophecy.

While it may have been a bit of an oversimplification to assume that giving an African American a sketch show in Dave Chappelle's old time slot could recapture the lightning in the bottle, it was definitely worth a try, and I hope I can at least catch all of the re-runs I missed.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] mklasr 15 years ago

That's the part that hurts. It's bad enough to be cancelled early, but how Demitri is just awful. When you strip away the material, Grier's delivery is superior to Martin's hands down. But it's not like Martin's material is anything to write home about. Here's his show in a nutshell:

"If you thought my joke was predictable, check out this picture that I put no effort into."

Now, here is David Alan Grier:

"Black people are poorer than the general population, and are virtually ignored by the mainstream media."

You may not like either, but forced to choose between the 2, I'd go with Grier.

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[–] konoha107 15 years ago

I think the humor is in the fact that the drawings are badly done. Personally, the sketches are the main reason I watch the show.

But why compare Chocolate News to Detmitri? They're completely different shows. I think much of the humor that went into Chocolate News was from the election, and after that it wasn't that funny.

Some shows make it; others don't. Just look at Clerks. Decent show that only ran for two episodes. Besides, why did they need a third news show on CC anyway?

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] mklasr 15 years ago

Why compare the shows? Why don't I answer that question with my impression of Demitri Martin's show?

Here's a picture of me watching Comedy Central on Wednesday Nights at 10:30 pm Eastern when "Chocolate News" was on:

:)

Now, here's a picture of me watching Comedy Central on Wednesday Nights at 10:30 pm Eastern when "Important Things" is on:

:|

When a show you like is cancelled, how can you not compare it to the show that replaces it? It took me 7 years to warm up to "Scrubs" after it replaced "Just Shoot Me", but now that David Spade has another sitcom, I can begin to enjoy "Scrubs." I liked Spade's Comedy Central Show, but I never had the feeling it would last. "Rules of Engagement" is another story.

[–] mklasr 15 years ago

I do agree with you about Chocolate News relying on the election, and with 3 projects currently in production Grier's career doesn't appear to have missed a beat. I guess he just saw an opportunity to strike while the iron was hot, and who knows, he may have even helped Obama get elected, not that it was necessary.

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[–] 15 years ago

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