The Ben Stiller Show (1992–1995) User Reviews

Still funny after all these years!

[gohurdler1 · 8/10 · 6 December 2003]

May contain Spoilers (if you can call them that)

The Ben Stiller Show was a very humorous program back in 1992 when Fox canceled it. The show still went on to win an Emmy Award, which is very ironic because of its cancellation. The show was a vehicle for its stars Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk. The DVD includes all of the 12 episodes that made it on to the Fox Network including an unaired 13th episode.

The show had guest stars like Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family), David Cassidy (The Partridge Family), Dave Madden (Mr. Kincaid, The Partridge Family), Gary Shandling, Tom and Roseanne Arnold (still married back in 1992), Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Miller (who prophesized the shows cancellation on one of the episodes) and many more.

On the infomercial, parody to promote the release of the DVD, which aired Dec. 2, 2003 on Comedy Central Janeane Garofalo, said jokingly `Some of it holds up.' Well a lot of it does hold up such as Skank, The Bruce Springsteen sketches, Tom Cruise: Dress Casual, Oliver Stoneland, Scotty Fantasy, The B-Minus Time Traveler, Manson and many more.

There are several skits, which are dated. Those particular skits were funny back then but aren't as funny now especially if you were too young to recall any of that pop culture. Information 411 parody of Rescue 911 with William Shatner, Blue and White Shampoo parody of annoying Head and Shoulders commercials, Amish Studs parody of the Fox dating game show Studs, The Grungies parody of the Monkees (outdated if you have never seen the the Monkees at all) and Rob Morrow from the TV show Northern Exposure as a guest star (younger family member had no clue who he was).

Now if you are a big fan of the commentaries that many DVDs have you must be alerted that not all of the Ben Stiller Show episodes have commentaries and many of the ones that do have them do not contain the entire cast, which is a bummer.

I would guess that it probably took this long to release the Ben Stiller Show because Warner Bros thought Ben Stiller was a big enough star that people other than the few who actually saw the show would buy the DVD set.

Overall, it's still a very humorous show. The quality of the images are far better then the recent worn out looking ones that I viewed on Comedy Central. It doesn't have any kind of social or political messages that you might hear from one of its stars now. The show is just funny comedy to watch.

Ahead of its time, but not always funny

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 29 December 2006]

Thirteen episodes... one season(well, half of one, by typical American airing standards). That's how long this lasted. Over the past three months and one week, a Danish network has aired one episode every Friday night, and I haven't missed a single one. I don't have any particular attachment to Ben Stiller... he can be very funny, yes, but he also did make Zoolander. That, alone, costs many points. I gave this show a chance, and found myself enjoying it more than I usually enjoy sketch-shows. When this show was good, it was really good. Unfortunately, it could also be somewhat average, and while the form was definitely interesting, it also felt loose... in search of a voice. Sadly, it was cut short, and never found it. The team is magnificent... Andy, Ben, Janeane, Bob and John are all fine comedians, and they work together well. The acting on the show ranges some. The material can be quite good, but some gags go on for too long, and more often than not, the crew would keep using the same characters or setting for several jokes, where only the first one worked well(one example being Stiller as the "Latin lover" singer). I would have to say that the movie parodies were the shows high point; with faux trailers, current(at that time) Hollywood productions were made fun of. Ben's Bruce Willis is spot-on, and his Tom Cruise isn't bad at all. The commercial spoofs tend to be fun. Some of the repeated gags also work remarkably well; the prime example being the "Cops" bit, where they set the well-known show in various older times. The guest stars were occasionally fun, but often(as much of the material of early episodes) simply helped to convey Stiller's brand of self-irony(bordering on self-deprecation). This show wasn't always funny, but it was seldom annoying, and usually watchable. One final thought; Dennis Miller appeared in one of the last episodes, and he(as he does tend to be difficult to silence) spoke his mind on what would help the show... half-way through it, it cuts away, and he doesn't appear again on the show. The irony of this notwithstanding, several of the points he brings up are valid. One would wonder if(given that all the material is scripted, in spite of the way in which it is presented would lead one to assume that it was not) this was Stiller(or the team)'s way of acknowledging the show's shortcomings, as well as completely and utterly disregard them. A sort of semi-silent protest... sadly, the show was axed mere episodes later. I recommend this to any fan of sketch and spoof comedy, as well as any fan of one or more of the comedians. 7/10

A Decent Sketch Comedy Show That Still Has a Definitive Freshness To It

[D_Burke · 8/10 · 26 July 2010]

Before Fox became the #1 most watched network with shows like "American Idol" and "Glee", it was best known for offbeat shows, especially comedies, that came and went. Although shows like "Married With Children" and "The Simpsons" went on to become among the longest-running sitcoms of all time (With "The Simpsons" recently taking the #1 spot in that category), countless other shows on Fox got the ax early, thereby establishing Fox as a second-rate network for nearly 20 years.

"The Ben Stiller Show" was indeed offbeat, and it had a laid-back quality to it that made it fun. Many other reviewers are crying out that it should not have been canceled, but the main cast members of this show went on to bigger and better things. Ben Stiller is now an A- list comic actor, Janeane Garofalo went on to become a household name, Bob Odenkirk created "Mr. Show" for HBO and is now sure to get an Emmy nomination for his role as Saul Goodman in "Breaking Bad", and Andy Dick . . . well . . . was funny on this show before becoming victim to his own demise. And of course, the co-creator of this show, Judd Apatow, would go on to create "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" among other memorable comedies.

Sketch comedy shows were nothing new at the time this show premiered, but Odenkirk came to this show after a four year stint as a writer on "Saturday Night Live", whereas Stiller came after a four episode stint (literally). The 1994-95 season, considered even today to be among SNL's biggest drought of funny material, was awaiting Garofalo. It's too bad too, because I thought she was among the stronger members of this show. Meanwhile, these guys put together a solid show that even today seems fresher than SNL and more free.

Like many other sketch comedies, the sketches themselves were hit or miss. I didn't think the recurring sketches with the sock puppet Skank were very funny, personally, but I loved the Amish Dating Game, the "Tonight Show" auditions (with Apatow doing the best Jay Leno imitation I've ever seen, and Garofalo gut-bustingly hilarious as Sinead O'Connor), and Woody Allen's version of "Bride of Frankenstein" to name a few.

In fact, in the latter sketch, Andy Dick did a dead-on impersonation of Allen that was among the best I had seen. It surprised me because Dick is now a second-rate comedian and actor, and I expected him to be the weakest link when first purchasing the DVD set of this show. However, in most sketches, he proves to be a solid cast member who works well off the remainder of the cast. The same was true for him during the six year run of "NewsRadio". However, since "NewsRadio" ended, he's been better known for his inappropriate antics and excessive drug use than for his comedy. In this show, he was completely void of obnoxiousness, and (surprise!) he was actually funny!

More than the sketches, though, I actually liked the in-between sections with Stiller talking to the writers, or introducing cast members. It really emphasized the show's freedom, and helped to avoid the "in your face" feeling of other comedy shows. These segments felt as though Stiller was welcoming you into his world, and such efforts felt sincere.

In fact, it may have been these efforts that coaxed many guest stars to make appearances on the show. It's great to watch the show in the 21st century and see celebrities who were stars at the time such as Roseanne and Tom Arnold (who were then married), Garry Shandling, and Mark Wahlberg (back when he was "Marky Mark"). It's even more exciting to see some people before they were stars make appearances, such as Judd Apatow, David Cross, and Jeanne Tripplehorn.

So there were a lot of noteworthy qualities to this comedy show. The fact that it aired at 7:30 on Sunday nights opposite "60 Minutes" on CBS and "America's Funniest Home Videos" on ABC was probably not a good sign. Still, while this show may not have been meant to last, it lives on thanks to reruns on Comedy Central and a much-deserved DVD release. In fact, I hope Andy Dick re-watches these episodes so he will see what he did correctly in his career, and hopefully change his obnoxious ways.

Not Very Funny

[horsehead77 · 3 February 2004]

I recently saw this set reviewed in rolling stone, and according to them it was the 'smartest pop culture parody show ever'. To me however it was a laughless, dated bore. The problem does not sit with the actors (all of whom do a good job) but with the writing and directing. Practically every skit falls flat, punch lines don't come where they should and after a while every skit seems identical. Several of the recurring skits (e.g. 'skank' and 'bruce springsteen') are painfully unfunny the first time, let alone the third time. Over all, this show is only worth a watch if you are a fan of obscure TV and perhaps old Gen-X pop culture.

13 Episodes Weren't Enough!

[Sylviastel · 10/10 · 10 June 2007]

The Ben Stiller Show proved that good comedy exists out there. Unfortunately, Fox never gave the show a chance and it was cancelled after only airing twelve episodes. In fact, the show earned an Emmy award in the following year. The show is brilliant satire of television and modern culture of the early 1990s. I love Melrose Heights 902102104 etc. which fuses the shows of Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, and the Heights (which was shortly canceled) all into one. I love Janeane Garofalo who was in her element whether playing wife to a sock puppet named Skank, a prim and proper telephone operator, or spoofing Shannen Doherty. Andy Dick is also memorable as is the show's star Ben Stiller who is on the verge of stardom. I love the pilot episode where they spoof the group of U2 and Bono is singing for a cereal and at a Long Island Bar Mitzvah. The fact that they got the same manager from the Partridge Family is genius as is Paul Dooley who shows. They spoof Monkees with the Grungies in Seattle, Washington. I love the DVD and I wish there was more of Ben Stiller Show to go around.

One of the gems from the early 1990's Fox line-up, and somehow still funny today.

[robertmaybeth · 8/10 · 16 August 2019]

This show was what SNL should be but hasn't been for a long time. If you can get past the Ben Stiller injecting himself in every single sketch (well it is his show) there are a lot of clever sketches. Almost never do they drag on, fall flat or come across as un-funny, and the supporting cast (Andy Dick, Garofalo - is there another?, and Pre-Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk) are very good in this show.

It seems a shame this show wasn't picked up after one season, 13 shows and that's the end of it all. And they were great shows: A "Die hard" rip-off, "Oliver Stoneland" (featuring "Mr Morrison's wild ride" with a Morrisson figure sitting atop a bridge with the bottle in his hand, yet), you never knew what you were going to see when this show came on and at the end of the 30 minutes, I always wanted more show!

If you get a chance to watch this old show, don't miss it.

The greatest sitcom, even though it lasted 13 episodes!!

[stephenchase-63504 · 10/10 · 27 February 2021]

The funniest segment is where Ben Stiller laughs in every blooper!!!!!!

Stiller Went On to Much Better Than This

[nafps · 2/10 · 3 March 2022]

Face it, he's always been hit and miss. One very funny film followed by a piece of junk is his pattern.

This series and its skits were the same. Notice I'm not the only review stating this. Rose colored nostalgia and the curiousity of seeing him and others before they were famous are the only reasons for the high ratings.

Genius Comedy

[mrs_show · 10/10 · 15 July 2014]

The writing on this show was incredible and of course the acting by Bob Odenkirk, Ben Stiller and Andy Dick was brilliant but I don't think Janeane Garofalo is an actress at all she's terrible in everything she does. How the heck did she get roles? She's awful! Apart from her the show was beautifully written and excellent. I enjoyed it very much, lots of fun and laughter. Parodies are classics! The Metallic skit, The Monkees skit, too funny. I've not been much of a fan of Ben Stiller purely because I think he plays the same characters and he isn't really funny so when I heard about this I was a little skeptical until I found that Bob wrote the show so its gotta be awesome if he wrote it. I purely watched it for Bob Odenkirk but also thoroughly enjoyed it. So it was all pluses, only thing that annoyed me was Janeane Garofalo's terrible acting skills. Never been a fan of hers either.

Watchable? Yes. Recommendable? No.

[Superunknovvn · 4/10 · 28 September 2005]

"The Ben Stiller Show" certainly wasn't a highlight of television comedy, but for all the (justly) bad reputation it has gotten, it isn't as bad as you might think. Although you might not find yourself laugh out loud more than once when watching this show, it's still somewhat enjoyable and entertaining. The kind of thing you watch when nothing else is on. For someone like me, who is living outside the U.S. and never had the chance to see this show when it was new, it's also a pretty intriguing look at pop culture of the early nineties and the so-called "Generation X". It's stunning how far away this period of time already is and how aged the jokes seem, because none of them are really relevant anymore. Melrose Place/Beverly Hills, Grunge and Tales From The Crypt are all getting spoofed, some quite cleverly, but since those shows and trends aren't as immediate anymore, the humor has been lost along the way (if it's ever been there in the first place). The cast does a lot to save some of the very predictable sketches. Ben Stiller in particular is a shining light and shows much more versatility than he did in his last movies. His impersonations of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis, to name but a few, are dead on and get a chuckle out of you now and then. Still, Colin Quinn gets it right when he states in one of the episodes that Ben Stiller is making fun of Melrose Place-type T.V. characters, but is no different himself. The intro of the show alone will make you cringe with it's "we are young and independent, yet totally in fashion" kind of-vibe. It's exactly the kind of program the corporate MTV guy (played by Stiller) made out of Winona Ryder's "documentary" in "Reality Bites". Stiller seemed to have a hard time being any different from the characters he parodied. Well, we all know how the story continued. Stiller became one of the most successful comedians of today despite the failure of this program. "The BS Show" (BS stands for Ben Stiller, in case you were wondering) is where it all began and good for a few hours of slight amusement. Don't expect much more, though.

Unparalleled skit comedy

[Sketti · 12 July 1999]

I heard that "In Living Color" reruns were on cable again (I don't believe it) and if it's true the only thing that needs to be added is Ben Stiller reruns. The cast on this show was a priceless gem! Why did this, the funniest skit show I've ever seen, go off the air for "the Edge"??? That's show biz I guess. The Ben Stiller Show, along with Simpsons, Seinfeld, and Married With Children, are the only shows I have ever tuned into religiously week after week. Well, I don't see how it could happen, but if Ben Stiller becomes even BIGGER of a star perhaps the reruns will return. I need to see this stuff again to reappraise the value of my stupid TV set.

Should have stayed in the vault....

[GrigoryGirl · 2/10 · 25 March 2008]

This is one of those "legendary" TV shows that first appeared in 1992, but then got canceled almost immediately. It gathered a reputation that far exceeded what it actually was, because so many people hadn't seen it, so they thought it was something brilliant that the evil studio networks didn't get. Well, it turned out that the network (in this case Fox) was correct in canceling it, as it is not a particularly good show, but in fact, a lousy one. I saw this show (well, the first 8 episodes) a few years back, and it was painfully bad. The material is mostly parodies from the 1990's (like Beverly Hills 90210, Studs), and unless you're an expert on pop culture from that era, you're not going to get the references. This is always a problem with topical comedy, as it dates immediately and can never been seen outside the time it was made. Even if you do get the references, it's still not particularly funny. There are a few laughs here and there (the B-minus time traveler sketch is the funniest, with Janeane Garofalo playing the not too bright time traveler. Janeane is probably not the best person to play an idiot, as she is quite brilliant in real life), but mostly it's tired, dated, and very full of itself, a quintessential quality of comedy in the smug, "ironic" 90's.

It was probably better if it had stayed in the vault. It did jump start the career of four people (Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, and Bob Odenkirk). Ben has gone on to playing neurotic nerdy types that constantly get dumped on. Andy Dick went on to sitcoms and now is indulging in typically idiotic, drug induced celebrity behaviour. Bob Odenkirk went on to Mr. Show (a better show than this one, but a bit overrated). Janeane Garofalo (who I think is the most talented of the bunch) went on to star in many films and TV shows, most of which are not particularly good. It's a waste as she is the best thing in many of her projects. Overall, The Ben Stiller Show is a major disappointment.

Below Average

[coles_notes · 4/10 · 1 May 2023]

Sketches from a powerhouse group of comedy writers lead by Ben Stiller, what we end up with is a bit of a dated flop, with very few laughs, and a new appreciation for Stillers work in other things, especially his future production and character acting (Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, Severance). For a bit of history, I recently also watched The State, another MTV sketch comedy, and what I called "the first" MTV sketch comedy, that initially airing in 1993. However, in 1992 MTV aired short sketches from its own new and truly first for the network sketch comedy, The Ben Stiller Show, interspersed between music videos. After its mild success MTV would go on to green light The State, producing the show at a full 22 minute format, however the network would then also cancel that first rendition of The Ben Stiller Show. Fast forward 3 years to 1995 and Fox Network decides to buy the rights, and produce its own The Ben Stiller Show. At only 13 episodes, starring and writing along side the namesake himself was Janeane Garafalo and Bob Odenkirk, fresh off some earlier writing on SNL (which Stiller famously also joined then quit dramatically prior to his MTV show stint), and Andy Dick in his first TV role. Finally produced by the budding Judd Apatow, fresh off The Critic and a few years before Freaks and Geeks. With all it had going for it, it felt like a show that just had to be good, but then wasn't, and most seemed to agree even at the time, being promptly canceled before a full season even aired. In mentioning the earlier The State, which came from a comedy world of improv and from a sketch troupe prior to the series, The Ben Stiller Show is now from the other vein of sketch comedy, where some show writers come together to write skits. These bits are often much more topical or introspective, and in The Ben Stiller Show case it tends to be pop culture jokes around celebrities of the time, likely stemming simply from one of the four being able to do a decent impression. If sketches about Bono and Bobcat Goldthwait just get you roarin' you're sure to have a great time, but for most of the rest of the world I wouldn't likely recommend.

Manson!

[Spuzzlightyear · 14 March 2006]

I first heard of the Ben Stiller Show when I saw the Emmy Awards when it won for best writing of a variety show (I think they showed the "Counting With Bruce Springsteen" sketch). Anyways, Stiller was overjoyed at this, and he was saying what a great show this was, and what we were going to miss, as it was only on for 12 episodes. And from that time, I was like, "Damn, I want to see that!" Well, finally, through the magic of DVD, I did get to see it! All of the episodes are great (though I have the sneaky suspicion that the earlier episodes were funnier). Well, where can I start about my favorite episodes? OK, I'm sure everyone has different opinions, the highlights for me were Rescue 411, Manson, Skank, Amish Studs, U2: The Early Years, and Beverly Hills 90210240 (and also bonus points for the deleted scene on the DVD with the High School Mascot competition with Stiller as Ron Perlman and Janine Garaefolo as Mary-Lou Retton, Garaefolo can't stop laughing during the commentary for this)

Gene Garafuello

[thisidisnotavailable19 · 16 October 2011]

Seems like everyone who was a part of this show is better than this show. I don't think it lives up to it's reputation, though it had funny moments(the Manson sketch is good enough it could have been on Mr. Show) but it was surprisingly bad for how talented every person working on it was.

But all my favorites from this show (Odenkirk, Cross, Stamatopoulos, Garofalo, though only as an extra, sometimes, unfortunately)were later on Mr. Show which I think is a much better example of an unfair cancellation than this.

Sometimes feels like Garofalo and Odenkirk didn't get as much of a chance to shine as Stiller and Dick, though that could be completely imagined on my part just cause I like them best. In all the in between sketches with Ben and Janeane he seemed to sorta push her into a lady roll that she didn't really fit like you know, "You look pretty, Janeane." "The fans wanna see you in a bikini, Janeane." And she isn't really at her funniest like that. Bob seemed almost invisible and he hasn't anywhere else I've seen him.

It feels like people maybe kind of know somewhere deep down that it isn't as good as they're saying it is. I can't begin to understand how anyone could say it's the best comedy show of all time.

I also can't bring myself to agree with anyone that hates it, though I get where they're coming from. It's fun to watch this show but that might only be because of how happy it makes me to see all their faces.

Even though this doesn't matter, I feel like mentioning it, the beginning credits are some of my favorite beginning credits ever. I really love them.

Doesn't quite hit the mark (anymore)

[yevonwm · 24 August 2005]

This show was probably really good in its day but unfortunately it just isn't funny enough to keep watching it. I got hold of a few episodes and although the odd joke is original enough to make you giggle, the general gist of it is more a case of period rebellion that doesn't translate any more. The series relies on a set of cameos that loose their comedy value as some of the actors are even dead now. It's also a bit americanised too, being British i have to hammer this web site to figure out whats going on with some of it. I'll probably try and get hold of the rest of the episodes and if you're a massive ben stiller fan like me, you're best off seeing the show for yourself to understand what i mean. Worth a watch but not hyped.

Pure Genius

[mmcgille · 24 June 2000]

Ben Stiller is the funniest man in all of TV/Movies. This show was so clever and so witty that it puts all other sketch-comedy shows to shame. His "Amish COPS" and "Advantage: Agassi" were particularly hysterical skits. Like many other fans, I am disappointed that it was cancelled so quickly. I would give ANYTHING to have Stiller's show back. It was easily the best show of all time.

Only One Season!!!

[AtomicAnthony · 3 February 2003]

I can't believe that this great show only lasted ONE little season. In my point of view this show was hilarious . It is funny to see Ben Stiller doing original comedy. The skits on the show kept me laughing so hard. There is probably not a chance you can watch this again unless you taped it, but if you ever have to opportunity, Grab it!

Has its moments

[goose749 · 8 February 2004]

This seems, at times, to be the work of complete amateur. There are only a couple of consistently humorous episodes. This show is a mix of bad ideas, good ideas played out poorly, and the occasional gem. I definitely think they could have rid the show of the guest host segment (apologies to Colin Quinn). The DVD is worth it, if only for the odd sketches like Andy Dick disarming a bomb, Melrose Heights, and Oliver Stoneland. Still my favorite: Counting with Bruce.

More intelligent than the average TV comedy, yet it doesn't quite work

[guyfromjerzee · 9 July 2004]

I've always liked Ben Stiller and heard good things about this show, so I decided to purchase the DVD containing all its 13 episodes. I wasn't too impressed. Unlike most comedies on TV, the show's writing is pretty intelligent. It takes sharp jabs at teen dramas, like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," and other elements of pop culture in the early 90's. Maybe one of the reasons why the gags aren't that funny is because we're no longer living in the early 90's. Even if you recall the elements of pop culture the show parodies, it's still not as funny. Plus, the jokes are quite dry, as opposed to the broad humor we usually see in sketch comedies. The cast of performers is talented. Aside from Stiller, there's Andy Dick, Janeane Garofolo and Bob Odenkirk. The celebrity guests are also amusing. The show has reached a cult following, and it's not a terrible show by any means, but it didn't make me laugh a whole lot. The only sketch that had me dying with laughter is the one with the No, No, No Guy. If anyone has seen "Starsky and Hutch" with Stiller, this sketch is where he originates his great "Do it" line. Sometimes I put on the disc just to see that sketch, because it's sooo funny. And there are a few sketches that aren't even trying to be funny, like the mock sitcom "Skank." Every joke is supposed to contain an element of truth, and I don't see what's truthful about a sitcom about a sock puppet. (6 out of 10)

Yabba dabba doo, dabba dooby dabba dooby dabba.

[film-critic · 1 October 2004]

This series was released back in the early 90s before anyone really fully knew the potential behind the stars of this program. Ben Stiller had yet to become a household name, Andy Dick was … well … not yet Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo was not politically active, and Bob Odenkirk was just a glimmer in Mr. Show's eyes. Yet, somehow these four key players pulled off some of the funniest skits to ever hit television.

I remember watching this show when I was younger and not fully understanding the jokes. I remember my parents laughing, but I was not old enough to understand. Now, a bit older, I cannot keep my hands of this series. Andy Dick is brilliant. I think he is one of the most underrated comics out there. He should be given scripts daily for his work. Continually funny and the most bizarre in-your-face comedian. He has not sold-out … yet. Second, I was impressed with Odenkirk. I was worried that without Cross he couldn't carry himself, but I misjudged him. His humor, in the few skits he is in, is fantastic. It is subdued due to the material, but you can tell that he is just dying to show his stuff. While I am beginning to dislike Stiller daily, his work on this program was phenomenal. Garofalo did well playing the 'female' role in most skits. I only hoped that they would have given her more to work with.

My second love of this series was the guest speakers. It was fun to watch it recently and remember who was a popular icon back in the early 90s. I enjoyed remembering Flea and Rob Morrow. My favorite was a younger Dennis Miller and Gary Shandling. You could tell that Stiller had the ability of getting the big names on his little show. I was impressed.

Overall, this is a perfect opportunity to see Stiller's comedy when he was still in the young stage of his career. I would watch this series mainly for Andy Dick who makes me laugh all the time! I only hope his short-lived series is released soon so that I can get 100% Andy!

Grade: **** out of *****

Two thumbs and two big toes down

[fleish-2 · 30 August 1999]

Sorry, Everything has a place in this world, and this show belongs in the black hole of television shows that should never be aired again. I taped all 13 episodes when they were aired on Comedy Central recently. After watching maybe 4 of them, I seriously contemplated burning the cassette. But instead decided to use it for recording quality television (Southpark, Man Show, Howard Stern Radio Show, Newsradio, Homicide: Life on the Street -- just to name a few).

Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[Rat Man · 25 November 2003]

I'm a big fan of Ben Stiller, Jeanine Garfuello, and Andy Dick. They had some good skits, but overall I think the show was less than the sum of the parts. This probably lead to its demise. It was also competing with similar shows such as "In Living Color" and "Kids in the Hall".

Like many other skit shows, the skits were either outrageously clever and funny, or horrible. I think Ben Stiller was funny at first being Bruce Springsteen, but this got old.

My favorite skit was The Monkees parody "The Grungies". They did and excellent job with this one. They included every detail, including the opening of the show, when they introduce the characters, and they show the four "grunge" heads at the end of the opening.

The "one" parody of U2 was good too.

It's been about 10 years since there's been any good skit tv. It's time to dump the reality shows and get back into skit comedies.

A scream!

[Shoesforindustry · 5 March 2004]

Some really GREAT bits here; one which hasn't made mention yet is "Ask Manson." "How do I get out tomato stains?" "The stain, THAT'S ME!" Or the Gradie's Oats commercials, with a really unstable Wilferd Brimley. COPS, filmed in Ancient Egypt ("You got a permit for that burning bush?") or Salem, Massachusetts. The Few Good Men parody: "You can't handle the truth! Do you want the truth?" "I WANT THE TRUTH!" "GIVE ME A T!" "T!" GIVE ME AN R!" Etc. etc. Followed by an explanation by Ben of why the cast wasn't good enough to play Jack Nicholson. Way sharper writing than SNL has done in a long time. Some dross in there but on the whole first rate sketch comedy, buy or rent if you're a fan of the parties involved.

Some great skits in an underrated variety show

[MovieAddict2016 · 2 September 2005]

Before Ben Stiller hit the big leagues in box office successes like "There's Something About Mary" and "Meet the Parents," he was a struggling comedian trying to represent his comedic persona on the small box - he took a year on "Saturday Night Live" but it was his original variety show, "The Ben Stiller Show," that truly portrayed his sense of humor.

The show wasn't flawless. I haven't seen all the episodes (it ran for a season before being canceled) but the ones I have seen weren't consistently funny. It was essentially just some up-and-coming comedians writing the show so they were giving it their best, but they weren't professionals yet - as a result some sketches are brilliant and others are just so-so.

My personal favorite has to be "Die Hard 12: Die Hungry." This is one of the most authentic-looking movie-trailer-parodies I've ever seen. It's hilarious - Stiller plays John McClane (Willis' role) and the narrator on the trailer is the same guy who did the actual Fox trailers for the "Die Hard" movies. It's hilarious stuff, and they get away with quite a lot - even using the logo and the real actors' names.

It's during skits like these that Stiller's comedic originality shone through - the show was canceled before being nominated for comedy awards. I recently saw on a TV special that it's likely the show would have been picked up for another season had it been nominated in advance, because after the nominations many more viewers sought out the show, having never heard of it before. But in the end, its cancellation worked out for the best - it become a cult hit and all the stars got careers.