Season three sure isn’t funny.
First off, it’s not season three, it’s a bunch of stuff that was filmed before he quit the show. Second, I saw the first “lost episode,” and it was about a trillion times funnier than any other episode I’ve ever seen.
Yes. It has become clear, based on listening to at least 3 morning DJs, that the current “against the trend” thing is to state how unfunny the new Chappelle stuff is. Because, you know, those DJs are so calculatingly risky in daring to go against expectations like that.
I just caught one of the shows (I have no idea if it was the first “lost episode”), and agree while it probably wasn’t quite there with the earlier episodes, it was far funnier than most other things on television that week.
How could he have quit his own show? I don’t get it, was there some contractual BS going on?
He probably got sick of people screaming “I’M RICK JAMES, BITCH” at him wherever he went.
I never really ‘got’ Chappelle’s Show, from the few episodes I saw. It seems to require a greater familiarity with American culture than I have, I guess.
I think the first episode of the ‘lost episodes’ was pretty good. The one that debuted last night kinda sucked.
I have to agree with Chapelle from certain interviews (and when I saw him live) that the show was getting marginalized by its success. Also, while I think Dave is a great standup comic he probably only had a few seasons worth of show material in him. When he first quit, I figured it was probably a good thing, and now after watching some of these episodes, I think I was right. The first two seasons were awesome, but it didn’t have the legs to carry on indefinitely.
He walked away from the show in 2004, I think, partly because he couldn’t take the pressure to produce and partly because he was worried that he was contributing to racism while trying to lampoon it.
FWIW, I never really liked the show, but I always found that each episode had about one or two laughs in it. But the first lost episode was good all the way through, I thought.
The second lost episode was fantastic. The third was pretty awful.
They even covered the “it’s not that funny” thing in one of the episodes. “It’s not as good as last season” was the bit.
After season 2, he signed a huge deal with Comedy Central. Trying to do season 3, he decided he couldn’t deal with it and backed out.
They even covered the “it’s not that funny” thing in one of the episodes. “It’s not as good as last season” was the bit.
After season 2, he signed a huge deal with Comedy Central. Trying to do season 3, he decided he couldn’t deal with it and backed out.
Context: I’m a casual fan of the Chappelle show. I think the show is worth tivoing and FFwding through because some skits are very funny, but on the whole I think the show was/is overrated by many.
Having said that:
I totally agree. Seems like they blew their wad by stuffing all the good skits in the first episode. I thought the first ‘lost’ episode was one of the funniest episodes ever and the second one just fell totally flat.
They shouldn’t have run those pixie skits – not because they reinforce stereotypes but because they just weren’t funny, especially the asian and white ones. Also, The Onion once tackled a similar theme (but kind of a mirror opposite take on it) better (IMO) in a story about an asian laundromat owner.
The first 2 seasons were the best thing on TV in a long, long time.
Daring comedy in the vein of the original SNL.
did he dry up? was the show played out?
or is this the real reason he backed out?
April 9, 2003
The season finale of Chappelle’s Show featured a sketch spoofing the popularity of “mate-swap” reality television programs. It revolved around a black family and a white family trading spouses, and plays on long held stereotypes about black male virility, while willfully promoting racial miscegenation.
Well, I for one can’t wait until everyone in the universe starts shrieking BYAAAHH at every given opportunity for the next ten months.
I guess I must have missed the first “Lost Episode,” but the two they showed on Sunday were pretty assy.
I thought it was due to WoW.
Lots of stuff in that sketch and that was all they could focus on? Ah well …
You know, there could be more than a bit of truth to that.
Discounting the impossible things like Al Sharpton and Oprah actually sneaking into Dave’s home in Ohio. I mean, come on, people that public can’t travel to places and NOT be noticed by someone. Though I will give you this much, practically ALL those folks were in Cincinnati in and around that timeframe for events associated with the National Freedom Center located here in town, so it’s conceivable they could have gone to Yellowsprings (only about 60 minutes away) and not have been “missed” by anyone except their personal handlers. Still, it seems a bit farfetched that public figures would risk exposing themselves in something like this rather than send minions. But I digress…
The bit of truth I was talking about is that it is no secret that Cosby, Oprah and many other influential African-American public figures were not at all pleased with Chappelle and what they perceived as his kicking sand in the face of his own race to make money and gain fame. If those people let their displeasure be known through personal channels, and if other people less famous but equally outraged decided to take out their anger by harassing Chappelle, it would only be a matter of time before it took a toll psychologically. In Dave’s head, everything would blend together, and you could easily see him becoming paranoid and delusional, hence the weird ass stuff credited to him during his “breakdown”.
Maybe that site is owned by WebLinc LLC, a company that designs marketing and ECommerce sites.
HMMMM
Maybe that site needs a copy editor. “stear”?
Sure.
I don’t own it or do their copy editing.