Key & Peele & Everybody Else

Some of the greatest comedy legends come in twos: Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Cheech and Chong. Now Comedy Central would like to introduce a new pairing into the mix, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. In their new show, Key & Peele, premiering this Tuesday the 31^st, the duo plan to unleash their comedy stylings on such weighty topics as race, politics, religion, and traffic reporters.

The MADtv alums first met on the show in 2003 where they hit it off in sketches like “The Superstitious Knights” and “Dr. Funkenstein”. It only took a few episodes for cast members and audiences to notice that the two had perfect chemistry. Although at one time posed as in competition with each other, the two friends soon found they had similar creative approaches and could build off of each other’s strengths. Both men had come from Chicago’s Second City Theater, and by the time they reached Fox had honed their specific approaches and characters.

Peele’s talent for impersonation led him to easily become celebrities such as James Brown, Morgan Freeman, Montel Williams, and Forest Whitaker. His song parody Sad Fitty Cent was even nominated for a 2008 Emmy. Key also has a wide collection of impersonations such as Terrell Owens, Tyler Perry, Sidney Poitier, and Barack Obama. The latter he plans to use often on their new show.

One Obama clip that Comedy Central released has already received over 2 million views. Key’s Obama is spot on while Peele plays his “translator,” someone brought in to translate the president’s passive remarks into what he “really means.” The clear combination of boundary-pushing and playfulness is evident in their show’s tagline: “If you don’t watch this show… you’re racist.” It also plays well to the sense of humor of the audience of Tosh.0, the show that leads in to Key & Peele. This is another sign of the confidence that Comedy Central has in the new pairing. Tosh.0 was a huge breakout success and has continued to maintain its large audience. Key & Peele takes the same elements of shock and silliness and steps it up a level with satire.

The show isn’t just another endless display of stereotypes and cross-dressing, though. The show’s website explains that the two comedians plan to bring their shared backgrounds and experiences of “growing up biracial in a not quite post-racial world.” What they bring to the table is a newer, more contemporary view of something very old. They won’t be poking fun at conditions our parents or grandparents dealt with – there may even be situations they don’t understand – because these are two men who not only grew up biracial, but grew up biracial in the 70′s and 80′s. This is a different show for a different audience, a newer audience.

While at a Television Critics Association viewing of the show, the two stars were reluctant to discuss many of the sketches, which is odd, because Comedy Central has posted 16 clips on their website already. Based on the uniqueness of the posted clips, one would have to assume that if they have been saving the good stuff for airtime, the good stuff must be great!

Catch Key & Peele Tuesday, January 31 at 10:30 pm on Comedy Central. To tide you over until then, check out the clip below!

- Jordan Lints

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January 26th, 2012 | Dan | Comments Off |