Amy Schumer‘s new Comedy Central show is crass. It’s downright dirty. At times the second-hand embarrassment is almost unbearable. But most of all, it’s absolutely hilarious.
It’s easy to pigeonhole Inside Amy Schumer as a sketch comedy show about how “real ladies really do it” – a sort of knee-jerk response to the success of the real girls’ experience presented by Lena Dunham‘s Girls and letting it stew in the wasteland that is “comedy aimed at ladies.” But that’s just plain wrong. And wasteful. And not to mention sexist and ignorant, but we’ll play nice… for now.
If anything, Schumer’s show is the de facto Liz Lemon of Comedy Central’s dude-laden schedule. It’s informed by Schumer’s experience as a woman, because – duh – comedy is a result of a comedian’s experience, but it’s not geared at women or geared at men who love jokes at the expense of women. It’s just geared at people who like to laugh at things, otherwise known as everyone.
Tina Fey’s Ms. Lemon, while being lauded as heroines for women in comedy, are loved because the 30 Rock actress entered the realm of comedy as a funny person. That’s it. Not a funny person with lady parts and the insight into what ladies might find funny (fun fact: there’s no such subset of comedy). Schumer’s show is clearly in that vein, taking her brand of crass humor (which is admittedly, not for everyone) to a gender-aware, but not gender-targetted zone where laughter is a gift for all.
The true test of Schumer’s new series is in its ability to tread well-worn TV territory and make it a hilarious experience. From staging the pitch meeting for a “viral marketing video” not unlike “2 Girls 1 Cup,” to a side-by-side comparison of a hopeful young woman and her conquest’s day following a one night stand, Schumer takes the seemingly obvious to a ridiculous place swathed in the muted coolness of her delivery. The result is something not often seen on Comedy Central: a subtle presentation of typically unsubtle content. Are there jokes about jerking off? Yep. Come shots? Uh-huh. What about scrotum sexts? Oh, you betcha.
But these TV-MA jokes aren’t thrown at you like Tosh.0 referencing the fact that Uranus sounds like a rectum (hyuck, hyuck, yuck). Schumer turns toilet humor into an art form because when she does it, it’s smart, fresh, but most importantly, legitimately funny.
Inside Amy Schumer premieres on Tuesday, April 30 at 10:30 PM ET.
Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler
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