TCB Debriefing 7/11/23: This Fool, Elysian AD, How to With John Wilson, Silverman Suing Against AI, Meta Zombie Comedy “Final Cut”
We used to round comedy news up items as part of our singular daily post, The Comedy Bureau Morning Debriefing, at the very beginning of The Comedy Bureau. Since that post included all the info we wanted to share all at once (including shows and mics), it took too long to post (i.e. it would never be in the morning).
That said, the news cycle is even faster than it was 2010, and we’re doing a modified version of it to make sure you don’t miss any of the things that are happening at this very moment in comedy (that don’t need 500 words of analysis). So enjoy our recurring rundown, The Comedy Bureau Debriefing, once more, including a final bit of food for thought like we used to do in the early 2010s.
1. Hulu’s This Fool is only coming up to its second season with nothing but accolades (no surprise from the team behind Corporate plus Chris Estrada and Frankie Quiñones and Michael Imperioli), which means we’ve waited too long for its release. New season due Fri. Jul. 28th, but watch trailer for season 2 here.
2. LA comedy’s bright shining experimental comedy theater, The Elysian, has a new Artistic Director in Jacquelyn Landgraf (who has extensive experimental theater experience)and a brand new side room/mini theater called “The Skunk Room” right next door. Look forward to The Elysian to continue its trail blazing ways (and maybe even more so with a smaller room at its disposal).
3. It has been such a lovely run for John Wilson and his bewitching docu-series, How To with John Wilson on HBO. We all do get treated to a final season of the most magically assembled b-roll of NYC that has ever been assembled, but that will all that John wrote for How To with John Wilson when all episodes aired on HBO/put up at Max. Watch and delight in the final season trailer here. Premiere is Fri. Jul. 28th.
4. Sarah Silverman is suing Meta and OpenAI for using her memoir to train AI language models w/o consent or compensation (Variety). This feel likes the tip of the iceberg in regards to problems we will run into with AI not only in comedy, but with any and all creative work.
5. 12 years after receiving the Oscar for Best Directing for The Artist (in addition to nabbing Best Picture Oscar too), Michel Hazanavicius is coming out with a daring new, genre-be-damned meta French zombie comedy that’s equal parts Why Don’t You Play in Hell? and Shaun of the Dead. Take a gander with the trailer here. Limited theatrical release begins Fri. Jul. 14th.
6. What is late night now with the Writers Strike continuing to stand strong? Just Hot Ones, YouTube clips of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and whatever garbage is festering out of Greg Gutfeld’s mouth? If so, damn.