As good as the first season of Inside Amy Schumer was last year, it was only the second best series to premiere on Comedy Central. The pole position here goes to Review, starring Andy Daly as Forest MacNeill, a reviewer who, instead of customary subjects like books, food, TV, or movies, reviews life experiences. I missed Review when it aired last summer, but spent this week catching up. Let me tell you, this show is an absolute gem.
I wasn't sure I loved this show at first. It plays like a series of sketches, as Forest gets an assignment for his show and runs off to review it. First season highlights include: revenge, divorce, eating 15 pancakes, and addiction. Some of the bits are funnier than others. Going to space, for instance, left me a bit cold. The review of "being Batman" was dumb. But the beauty of this show lies in the show-behind-the-show. To review divorce Forest leaves his wife, Suzanne, the love of his life. To review addiction he takes up cocaine. The heartbreak and dependence of these reviews follow him across episodes, ruining his life. As he comments during his review of "getting rich quick" the influx of cash will be welcome, because the shows stunts (and his new alimony payments) are costing him a fortune and he is broke. So why is he doing it? Snippets of conversation with his producer, and the climax of the first season finale talking to his wife provide brief glimpses into how this all got started. By the end of the season I was desperate to know. The cliff hanger here is as taut as anything from Lost or Scandal, a masterpiece of mystery and suspense, and as the season went along it became more and more clear that the show knows exactly what it is doing, filling me with confidence.
The second season debuts tonight (July 30) on Comedy Central. If you have the time, do yourself a favor and get caught up. It's worth it.
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