Comedy

Get To Know The Hilarious & Dynamic Trio Called The Under 5ers

Even though I consider myself to be quite the funny person, especially my lack of dieting and amount of men I’ve been with lately at the height of my comedy/f my life mentality, it takes a lot for me to really find something out there in the universe that is really fucking funny. Ramona falling asleep on the Real Housewives of New York City reunion? Hilarious. That crazy white lady pretty much asking Donald Trump to eat her baby? Hysterical, and probably factual. But I found something so much more funny, silly, sexy and so many more adjectives in the Under 5ers, which is a web-series about three friends just trying to make it in New York City and all the issues that 20 something’s face while being here.

The Under 5ers is Matthew Wilson, Alexandra Nader and Sami Horneff. All three of them have an incredible background when it comes to theater and arts in general (American Musical And Dramatic Academy, London Dramatic Academy and Upright Citizens Brigade just to name a few) and that training really shows in just how incredible their comic timing and acting is in each episode. Subway issues? Dating issues? Job Issues? Brooklyn? COVERED! And done brilliantly. If there is a “next” in terms of what is next in comedy, these three are it.

Now they are diving deep into season two of their incredible show which just premiered on August 13th. Lucky for me, I was able to sit down with the three of them over dinner and get to know them a little more. They each talked to me about how this all came about, what The Under 5ers actually mean, comedy inspirations and what they are hopeful in their next steps. Take a look!

The Under 5ers, Manhattan Digest, Ryan Shea — Credit to: The Under 5ers

How did you three crazy people find each other in the first place?

The short answer is that we all met in an acting class. The more interesting answer is that not only were we all in the same acting class, but we all happened to be collaborating on a musical at the same time. The musical was the brain-child of our acting coach who aimed to get a group of artists together to develop, write, and star in a show. The three of us ended up writing a good portion of the score, and, in doing such, discovered our passion for creating new material and developing our personal style of comedy. Our acting class met till 5:30pm and our musical rehearsal started at 7:00pm, so in that hour and a half, those of us involved in both would go out to dinner. With Patron, a fabulous Mexican restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen, around the corner, the three of us quickly separated from the pack and bonded over our mutual love of margaritas. At Patron, we started brainstorming ways to create our own content. We’d write ideas on napkins or dialogue on bar tab receipts. And thus, The Under 5ers was born.

For each of you, was comedy that was always something instilled in you and something you wanted to do?

Matt: Growing up in McMinnville, Oregon and being a son of a truck driver…hell yes, comedy was instilled in me. I didn’t always want to “do comedy” but comedy was always there for me.

Sami: I actually got my start in Musical Theatre, where timing is essentially everything. From there, comedy came naturally, and the more I trained, the more I discovered my passion for both writing comedy and performing in it.

Alex: “Your features are too big.” This is the comment everyone always told me in my professional life. I was a small ethnic girl with a big smile, big eyes, and an uncomfortably loud way of speaking. Comedy was and is the only field that lets me be who I am and feel proud of it.

Similarly, who were your comedy inspirations growing up?

Matt: I grew up watching and mimicking Jim Carry and his many facial expressions. Then later in life I was touched and moved by Robin Williams. The honestly he brought to his comedy was unlike any other.

Sami: Because I grew upon the stage, funny theatre woman were my inspiration. Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth, and Kerry Butler have understated comedic strength and impeccable timing- I grew up attempting to emulate that.

Alex: I could not shout Lisa Kudrow’s name loud enough. She was everything I wanted to be. She is funny, sharp, honest, and most of all- weird. She doesn’t apologize for who she is or what she does. She marches to the beat of her own drum, and that is all I can hope to do as an artist.

How did you come up with the name The Under 5ers?

People ask us this question all the time and there are multiple answers. The nice answer is that we “aim” for all of our episodes to be under 5 minutes long…but we failed at that.

So the real answer is, we all started to see a particular pattern among our friends on Facebook. They would post any and all exciting casting victories (including but not limited to first round callbacks and extra work). With these “big name TV” opportunities, many ‘likes’ would follow. “Oh my God, Tracy you got a part on Blue Bloods, we cannot wait to watch”. When we finally did, turns out Tracy was the dead body in the corner. In our industry an “Under 5” is an actor that is hired for a guest spot of less than five lines. It’s a very ‘down on your luck’ concept that we wanted to extract and input into other life scenarios outside of the acting business.

The Under 5ers, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: The Under 5ers

For people who don’t know about you guys, what is the web series all about?

The professional answer is: “The Under 5ers is inspired by the lives of three twenty-somethings living in New York City. It is a new web series about struggles, survivals, and hilarity along the way.” … so basically it’s a Three’s Company dynamic with Girls content. We KNOW there are a lot of shows out there about twenty-somethings not knowing who they are, and we don’t pretend to be anything but that. However, what’s unique about us is our commitment to letting our stories and our characters be as weird and honest as life is.

You are currently in the 2^nd season of The Under 5ers. Let’s take this back to the first season. What was that experience like and what have you learned the most when it comes to developing a webseries?

The first season was an experiment- one that we are very proud of. It was a labor of love. We had absolutely no budget, no experience, and no crew, only a camera and a commitment to making something funny. We were truly shocked when we started getting recognized on the street and our peers who we looked up to kept asking when they could make a guest appearance. We knew we had something that we had to continue. Season One taught us to have confidence and conviction in our writing ability no matter what the financial obstacles were.

When it comes to developing a web series the biggest lesson we learned was consistency. It’s about being organized, scheduling meetings and sticking to them, and having back up plans even for your back up plans.

What exciting things are in the works for season 2?

Alex: Plot!

Sami: Character development!

Matt: HOT GUYS!

Your tagline is “One city. Three Friends. A whole lot of problems”. What do you think is the biggest struggle for 20 something’s in NYC and how can they alleviate that?

Figuring out who the hell you want to be. For the first time, twenty-somethings have the luxury of being what Aziz Ansari calls “emerging adults,” which means they can take the time to make mistakes and experiment with careers, relationships, and identity without fear of peril. We’re living in a revolutionary time, but with the amount of choice that we have, we’ve found it’s hard to make one.

What would you say is your biggest hope for this show going forward?

Once a week, we would get together and fashion our own writers’ room at Sami’s kitchen table. It was as close to church as the three of us would ever get. Our hope going forward is to keep collaborating and to invite other, more experienced artists into our circle. #JudeApatowPleaseLoveUs

Anything else exciting coming up with the show that you would like to add?

We don’t want to give away any spoilers, but we think our audience will be happily surprised with the direction this season will take after the first two or three episodes of exposition. We introduce re-occurring characters, and you’ll be able to see real development in the three friends as they experience the pains of growing up. As for Matt, Sami, and Alex as creators…..whelp, we’re still trying to figure that out.

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Top 10 – South Park Episodes

by Tim Morris

Getting you primed for The Stick of Truth.

Copyright Viacom Source: South Park Studios — Copyright Viacom
Source: South Park Studios

This coming Tuesday marks the release of the long-awaited game, South Park: The Stick of Truth. The anticipated RPG promises deep gameplay with the wild humor that South Park brings on a weekly basis, and I feel it best to honor the series’ storied success with my personal Top 10 favorite episodes, in advance of the game’s release:

10. “Royal Pudding” – If tradition is more your speed, then saddle up for some wacky Canadian customs. Some examples, you ask? Well, how about ripping off your bride’s arm and then shoving it up your ass? Covering your arms in butterscotch pudding, then having the bride scrape it off and spread it on her face? There actually is a story to be had, too, and that is the rescue of the Canadian princess from the evil Tooth Decay by Ike.

9. “Crème Fraiche” – Ever wish for a sex hotline for foodies? This episodes brings such a desire to life. After becoming addicted to and seemingly sexually aroused by the Food Network, Randy pursues cooking while Sharon discovers the Shake Weight when she believes that she is no longer attractive to Randy. While she’s working out, he’s appearing on challenge shows after taking over the school cafeteria. Eventually, Sharon realizes the true purpose of the Shake Weight, which is what we’re all thinking every time one of the commercials airs: handjobs.

8. “Super Fun Time” – Go back to 1864 in this “super fun” episode where a class trip to Pioneer Village turns ugly real fast. A group of armed men who had just robbed a Burger King show up and take everyone hostage. Meanwhile, Butters and Cartman had ditched the trip (Cartman wanted out and Butters is his buddy for the field trip, so he’s forced to go along) to hit up Super Phun Tyme, a nearby arcade. Since the people of Pioneer Village can’t break character, the hostage situation only gets worse in the most hilarious ways possible. Eventually, Stan plays this to his advantage and saves the day.

7. “Fishsticks” – A rather benign joke from Jimmy turns into a crisis when Kanye West believes he’s been called a gay fish (sources say that this might actually be true) and as he’s done with most of his career, Carlos Mencia claims credit for the comedic sensation. Meanwhile, Cartman spends most of the episode convincing himself that he was the one who came up with the joke, and that Jimmy stole it from him. Finally, Kanye comes to terms with being a gay fish, and swims happily among his own kind.

6. “Cripple Fight” – Jimmy and Timmy throw down in what I consider to be the greatest fight in South Park history. Here is the iconic fight in all its glory for your viewing pleasure. I need not make a further case for this episode’s inclusion on the list.

5. “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers” – What do you get when you cross Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and a misplaced video that happens to be the most vile and disgusting porno ever? A completely traumatic and golden episode that ranks with the series’ best. In this instant classic, the boys embark on a mission to return the porno to the local video store while Butters takes on the role of Gollum in search of the tape, predictably referred to as his “Precious”. After successfully returning the tape, battling both Butters and a bunch of 6th graders, the boys receive a lecture from their parents about some of the less traditional aspects of sex. Problem is, the only one who actually saw the tape was Token.

4. “Imaginationland” – I’m grouping all three parts as one episode here because they truly capture the essence of the show as a whole rather than separate parts. The saga begins with another argument/bet between Kyle and Cartman. Cartman believes that leprechauns are real, and naturally Kyle does not. If Cartman can prove they exist, Kyle would have to suck his balls. If not, Cartman owes Kyle $10 (kind of a lopsided bet, in my view). After stumbling upon one and later being transported to Imaginationland, the boys embark on a mission to save all the fabricated creatures from their evil counterparts in an attempt to cram as many awesome references as possible into three incredible episodes.

3. “The Losing Edge” – If you’ve ever heard someone yell out “I’M SORRY, I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMERICA” while impersonating Randy, this is the episode they’re referencing. The boys are stuck playing baseball, a sport they all hate, and continuously try to lose games to no avail. Randy takes the “being a crazy parent at their kid’s sporting event” archetype a bit too far when he constantly gets wasted and fights fans of the other team at every game. Eventually, he meets his match when he takes on Batdad, and when the fight spills onto the field he gets the South Park team disqualified to the delight of the boys.

2. “Good Times With Weapons” – What if South Park tried an anime episode? Take the kids to the fair and let them buy ninja weapons, and you have your answer. Cartman creates an omnipotent persona for himself as the boys fight evil and other ninjas with their very real weapons. After Butters (as the nefarious Professor Chaos, who I hope appears in The Stick of Truth) catches a shuriken to the eye from Kenny, instead of taking him to the hospital and admitting fault they dress him up as a dog and try to take him to the vet.

1. “Scott Tenorman Must Die” – If there’s one episode of South Park that will always appear in a top whatever list, it’s this one. If it doesn’t, tell the person who made it that they’re wrong. Kicking off the show’s fifth season, this episode features Cartman being bullied by 9th grader Scott Tenorman. Mostly centered around money and pubes, Cartman gets trolled by Scott at every turn. That is, until he hatches the most brilliantly evil plan I have ever seen in action. It’s so evil that I could never do it justice by trying to explain. Click here and enjoy the deliciousness.

Netflix’d: Spaced

by Peter Foy

Yep, I’m back to my ol’ Netflix’d column. It’s been a busy month for me with me completing my thesis (here), but thankfully there was a masters degree at the end of all those dead-lines. Seeing that Arrested Development season four has already received review treatment on this site, I feel obligated to review another wonderfully witty show, and one that should immediately interest people that have taken note of the recent roles of Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Shaun of the Dead). The creature in question, is no other than Spaced!

Format: Half-hour long sit-com
Episodes: 14
Air Date: 1999-2001
Genre: comedy, satire, British television
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jessica Stevenson, Mark Heap, Julia Deakin, Katy Carmichael
Similar Too: Community, Peep Show, The Office (U.K.)

Yep, this is that earlier television show from the same guys that brought you Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and the upcoming World’s End. That actually is reason enough to check out Spaced, but what if I were to tell you it was actually still the best project that actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright have been involved in? Strong words for sure, as I often view Shaun of the Dead as the best zombie film of the aughts, and Hot Fuzz as possibly the very best buddy cop comedy of all time. Thing is Spaced is an even more down-to-earth take on fantastical stories, and what’s more, one can easily see it’s influence on both American and British television since it’s release.

The show focuses on two down-on-their-luck twenty-something Londoners, Tim and Daisy, whom are played by Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson respectively, and also served as writers for the show. Tim is a relentless pop-culture aficionado who dreams of being a comic book artist, while Daisy is an aspiring journalist. The two decide that they’re looking for a new flat to move into, when they come across an ad that reads professional couple only. They then decide to pose as a romantic couple to secure the flat, with the two proving themselves to the liking of the building’s sardonic landlady (Julia Deakin). Rounding out the cast is a perpetually disturbed artist (Mark Heap), a ditsy blonde (Julia Deakin), and a potentially insane gun-nut (Nick Frost), and you’ve got the perfect group of characters for a show about young adult life, and the joys/frustrations of being a nerd.

It’s not an understatement to call Spaced the most nerd-friendly sit-com ever made. Hell, I still don’t know if that description is fully satisfying, as this show is to pop-culture references as Kanye West is to arrogance. Simon Pegg’s Tim is the archtypical modern geek who lives and breathes media, whether shouting off his pet-peevs (“Compared to Jar Jar the Ewoks look like fucking Shaft”) or trying to express empathy (“Jesus I cried like a child at the end of Terminator 2“). Besides this though, the show is constantly referring to cinema, video games, and comic books through visual cues, dialogue, cinematography or even entire episode structure. You don’t even need to be British to be in on the jokes, as most of the references cater to American brands, such as The X-Files, Tarantino, George A. Romero, Star Wars, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the references aren’t always flattering either. The second season aired shortly after the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Simon Pegg’s writing makes it crystal clear that he found the movie to be a disaster. Perhaps Clerks director Kevin Smith said it best, “Spaced is like watching a Kevin Smith movie, if Kevin Smith had any talent.”

Even though it’s rather accessible to American audiences, this show is undoubtedly a product of British television, as this show’s content could never air on a network station in the States. The show is often surreal, often placing its (relatively) realistic characters in increasingly more outlandish scenarios, from epic imaginary gunfights, to bar brawls with Matrix-esque special agents, to ludicrous avant-garde stage performances that both poke fun at the art world as well as acknowledge how the general public perceives it (this show’s deep, man). What’s more, the show often depicts it’s character partaking of recreational drugs, which certainly wouldn’t fly even on many cable American stations. Thing is Spaced uses the drug use to such brilliant effect, as not only does it allow the show to feel real in terms of it’s grasp on how people actually act, but it often uses it to hilarious effect. An episode that involves Tim envisioning a zombie apocalypse while under the influence of speed could of come off as absurdist humor, but the drug element gives it a degree of realism.

Spaced also has a rather timeless quality to it, which is no easy feat considering it is a low-budget show, filmed on technology circa the late 90s. One would thing that it might appear dated, but the show still feels very much afloat today. Those that were immensely impressed by the craft in Edgar Wright’s debut film Shaun of Dead, will find that this show served as the ideal set-up towards launching his film career. Budgetary concerns seem to be non-existent, as Edgar Wright uses images that recall great films using the tiniest of details (the season two opening montage which references Woody Allen’s Manhattan and Scorsese’s Goodfellas most immediately comes to mind). The editing on the show is also very fast, somewhat reminiscent of early Sam Raimi, and gives it a more feisty energy to it than other British shows like Extras and Peep Show.

Which finally brings me to the show’s performances, and yes they’re all for the most part great. Simon Pegg is fantastic as Tim, who never fails at hitting a joke right on the nail, and it’s no wonder he would go on to appear in summer blockbusters after this film. Jessica Stevenson is also great as Daisy, playing the often more straight-laced character, who still has her moments of comic zaniness. The bizarre side characters that Nick Frost, Julia Deakin and Mark Heap play as are all really genuine too, and their characterizations only grow stronger as the show goes on. Perhaps the only weak link in the show’s cast might be with Daisy’s friend Twist. While certainly integral for Daisy as a confidante, the character doesn’t have too many great moments, even when a twisted romance arises with her and another character. Had the show continued into their planned third season, I feel they might have given Twist more characterization.

In the decade since Spaced ended, it has become both a cult favorite, and a seminal work. Dan Harmon has cited Spaced as a great influence for his show Community, which also utilizes stories that run on pop-culture references, while never sacrificing character growth (both shows also feature paintball episodes that mock action-movie tropes). Sure, it may not have blown the doors off the hinges as blatantly as Ricky Gervais did with The Office, but it’s still a spectacular reminder on how British television has such a sturdy refusal to speak down to it’s audience. Highly recommended for all those who think Family Guy is stupid.

Legit is dark, funny, honest and excellent

by Michael Tyminski

Legit: Thursdays at 10:30 Eastern on FX

Over the last few years, one of FX’s strongest suits has been the lowbrow comedy about flawed people, whether it be the remorseless gang of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the maladjusted spies at ISIS in Archer, or the failed lawyer who gets high with a dog in Wilfred. Their new series Legit is a perfect fit in this mold.

Legit follows Jim Jefferies (in his stand-up persona), a stand-up comedian who is known for immaturity and for generally being an all around jerk as he tries to become more “legit” in the eyes of his mother. He is aided in his task by his best friend Steve (Dan Bakkedahl –the name may be unfamiliar, but he has had guest runs on shows ranging from Community to Veep to 30 Rock) whom has a considerably straighter moral compass than Jim and recommends that Jim do good things for people as a way to become “legit”.

When Jeffries’ gets a call from Steve’s younger brother Billy (who has muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair), the show’s plot wheels begin to turn in motion. Billy’s major concern in life at the start of the show is that he has yet to have sex and begs Jeff to take him to a hooker. This leads to a debauchery laden road trip that sets the overall tone for the series (and leads to the events of the next episode).

The second episode, “Dreams” picks up where the first one left off, with Jim and Steve off to break Billy out of his rest home but being saddled with his roommate, a developmentally disabled dwarf named Rodney (who drives a hard bargain and is really good at Wii Bowling) for a night of hard partying that leads to, Billy’s eviction and the return of Steve’s overbearing mother (and the clear fore-runner for Jim’s sitcom nemesis) Janice (played by Mindy Sterling) who insists on being the caretaker for Billy now that he can no longer be in the rest home.

The show as a whole is fearlessly raunchy, with two large benders in the first two episodes (in the form of the road trip in the pilot and a party off-screen in episode two), and features a very take-no-prisoners approach to its’ humor (if you’re not comfortable about a man in a wheelchair tripping out and being surprised at the notion that “he can’t feel his legs” this show is not going to be for you and you probably should disregard this review).

Where this show truly succeeds is in those heartwarming moments where Jim suddenly becomes a little less self-centered, be it when he hands a homeless man a five for listening to him ramble on about how dreams and goals make him miserable, trying to talk Billy out of killing himself after being forced to move in with his mother, or his genuine joy when Rodney gets a perfect game on Wii Bowling (even if the latter occurred while Steve was bugging out about returning Billy and Rodney to the rest home).

The Final Verdict: Legit clicks with me. It’s honest, it’s funny, it’s a little dark at times, but it fits perfectly into FX’s 10:00 PM Thursday comedy hour that has been home to some of the funniest comedy on television (and Unsupervised) over the past three years. It’s particularly strong at reaching both the most cringe-worthy of lows, and yet still succeeds in creating heartwarming moments. This will likely be part of my regular viewing (it’s lead in Archer has been for me since day one) and I look forward to how this twisted redemption tale plays out.

Comedy

Getting you primed for The Stick of Truth.

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Getting you primed for The Stick of Truth.