The Nightly Show is the filler for the old Colbert Report time slot. I call it a "filler" because that's all it is to me. Not entertainment. Filler.
The show is supported by a backbone of "check out our BLACK host! Look at how black he is!" and, as expected, 90% of Larry Wilmore's humor is race related. I know that currently black people need some support because of the Michael Brown shooting and the Florida police using pictures of black men for target practice, but come on. Bringing up racial issues isn't enough for me to define it as a good show. Lots of black comedians bring up race. In fact it's REALLY rare to NOT see a black comedian joke about race. It's starting to get a bit old.
The previous owner of the Nightly Show's time slot, The Colbert Report, covered a variety of issues per episode, WITH a sense of humor. Stephen Colbert had a personality. he did an excellent job as a parody of cable news hosts, yet was unique and bold enough to define himself as a character. Larry Wilmore doesn't have a personality. He just kind of comes off as a regular guy. I'm not saying he needs to play a character, there's nothing wrong with him just being himself. But the problem is, he's really boring to watch. The only thing that defines Larry is his skin color. Which he throws in our faces quite often.
Larry is also pretty awkward. He will often attempt to improvise and say something funny (usually to his panel during the "Keep it 100" bit) but usually just kind of trails off into nothing as he realizes that the audience isn't reacting. Then immediately changes the subject. It's pretty obvious that a team of joke writers write his jokes for him. We all know that this is what happens on like, every talk show, but it's really not good when it's obvious. He does a pretty bad job at delivering the jokes. Probably because the only thing he knows how to move on his face are his eyebrows, which remain raised throughout the entire course of his speaking. It's like he's a robot. A robot that asks questions and raises its eyebrows while it attempts to say scripted jokes. Another thing that really bothers me is his speech. During the "Keep it 100" bit, while listing the names of his guests, he slurs his speech like he's on cocaine. There is often a short pause after he says someones name before the audience begins to cheer, probably because nobody understood what he said. He'll be like "And our next guest Andrea adsfipofswrwq!" (short pause) then the audience is like "WOOOOOO!!!". Seriously, pay attention to him while he says ANYONE'S name. He starts tripping over his vowels and consonants like his mouth has it's shoe laces untied.
Larry will often bring a single guest on the show and ask them a couple of questions. To which they will recite an obviously scripted response while STARING DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA. Even while Larry is talking to them, they are still STARING INTO YOUR SOUL. Not only does this feel really awkward and unnatural, but these guests aren't funny! You can tell the only reason the audience is laughing is because they are aware of the fact that a joke was just said. Not because it was funny. It's like the whole audience was hired for the show and it is their job to listen for cues to laugh or go crazy.
Then the show's own original bit, "Keep it 100". Once again, the show is throwing it into your face that the host is black. Keep it 100 is a phrase often used by Wiz Khalifa and other hip hop artists. So OF COURSE it's a bit for Larry Wilmore's show. He'll even pronounce it "Keep it a Hunned" which is how it is pronounced by hip hop artists. Really? Larry is one of the whitest black guys I've ever seen. He's a white black man trying to act black. The bit is just Larry asking loaded questions like "if there's a black man on one side of the street and a white man on the other, which side do you walk on" which is obviously a pathetic attempt to make the audience go "WWOOAAHHHH" as if they're shocked or something. There is no humor during the bit, his guests he invites are often just regular people who aren't trying to be funny. Larry throws in a lame joke every now and then, and that's as good as it gets. There will be like 1 comedian on the panel. 1 comedian you've never heard of.
The show just flat out isn't funny. Larry Wilmore is boring, the guests are boring, the jokes are forced, and the topics are stale. If racism weren't a thing, the show wouldn't exist.
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