LCS

Tuesday was the 4th Season Premiere of Last Comic Standing. Same thing happens on this show every year. Except for Season 3, but that was different, it was a competition between seasons 1&2.

It starts by going around to a few cities where people wait in line for hours in order to audition. Each person performs in front of 2 judges. The judges’ day job is booking comics for The Tonight Show. Right there’s your problem, connecting Leno with comedy. I’m not sure what their purpose is on the show. They don’t really critique anything. The one guy never shows any emotion. This part really bothers me. Makes me wonder why I watch the show. Also to be like American Idol they cut in really horrible performances that aren’t needed because they are so funny. I think they forgot that the funny part of the show is the good comics.

Slowly the show starts to pick up. I think it starts off so horribly because they start in LA where the comics are generally weak and there are a lot of people with no talent who think this is their shot to make it big. So there is an excess amount of really bad. Also, just in LA, there were three comics I had seen before on different things. Including Theo from Road Rules, who wasn’t very good but somehow made it. The other two also made it. The one guy has been on tons of commercials and I think hosted a sports trivia show on FSN a few years ago. They move on to some other cities and start to hit their stride when they get to NYC. There are more quality comics there than they can invite.

When they start to show a lot of quality comics I get the same feeling every year. Why can’t I do this? Oh, right, cause I have no material. I just don’t know what decent material is. I could probably come up with something. I don’t have any concern that I couldn’t control a room if I was comfortable with my material. I’ll get over this in a few days.

Next week on the show they go to Hollywood where the 40 comics they picked will perform a longer set and it will be narrowed down to the finalists who get to live together. That’s usually my favorite part, when they have to put up with each other all day long. Each week they are given a task to get immunity. Then someone is picked to be kicked out. BUT … and this is why this show is so great. That person gets to pick someone else in the house to go against. Each person does a set and the audience votes on who is better. The loser leaves. So sometimes really popular people get sent home early. That actually stinks because sometimes horrible people who get ‘kicked out’ get to stay. However the idea of earning your place is acceptable, they just need to get audiences that aren’t so dumb.

The show has a bit of almost every different reality show all mashed together. However it all makes sense. Plus, there is tons of stand up. This might be my favorite reality show. To make it complete they need to add some traveling and someone who lies that they are really rich.