TCGS Episode Review: Is This Offensive? Chris Gethard Takes on The Censors
No one would particularly call out Pete Holmes for being a controversial comic. His innocent, happy-go-lucky, “gee, I’m so excited to be here!” shtick doesn’t lend itself to much that would offend the average audience member. And yet, Chris Gethard invited his longtime friend and the host of the “You Made it Weird” podcast as his celebrity guest on the April 27 episode of The Chris Gethard Show.
Chris centered this show around the idea of censorship, offensiveness, and where we draw the line with free speech in the arts. In this overly politically correct, trigger-warning-happy world, it’s a hot topic among comedians. Chris decided that ultimately, the boundaries for taste and offensiveness are up to each individual. “If it’s not us monitoring ourselves, the artists, then it’s up to the government and teachers,” he said in his cold open. And, surprise surprise, he is not a fan of leaving that up to the establishment.
To be fair, Pete brought his A-game when it came to testing the censors. Plenty of curse words and sexually-explicit phrases were uttered, mostly in ridiculous combinations, leaving the poor editors to basically place a piece of duct tape over the bleeper. To maintain some semblance of appropriateness, Chris gave each audience member a little red flag to raise and wave if he or she got offended by something. The show continued to push boundaries with the callers, each one revealing the most offensive thing anyone had ever said to them. A fan from Morocco definitely took the cake when he translated an Arabic phrase to English, which basically involved his mom, some sexual activity, and how to go about doing it. I think you get the idea.
To explain the parameters around what’s deemed appropriate or not for cable television, Chris invited a lawyer to give us some professional insight. Basically, she said it’s mostly up to the network’s discretion, and based on letters they receive from angry viewers. Networks tend to have a “better safe than sorry” mentality, although they agreed the regulations of nudity are pretty unfair for men versus women. (Thanks, Janet Jackson). Even as a minor cable network, pretty much everything said on the episode was bleeped. Probably because Fusion wouldn’t be able to pay the hefty fines. As Nick Mougis, an editor for the show, tweeted, “This ep of tcgs is the filthiest thing I’ve ever edited, and I’ve cut shows for Schumer and Norton, so that should tell you how dirty we get.”
Further exploring the rules around nudity on TV, they did an experiment where Murph took to the to stage show off a tight pair of pants (no shirt) to see where we draw the line at male nakedness. He peeled off each piece of clothing, layer by layer, until his exposure was deemed too inappropriate for cable TV. After a pair of slim fit pants, we see a tighter pair of spandex pants. Then a tight pair of shorts, then a skimpy pair of briefs and so on, until bare ass cheeks were revealed (which might be acceptable on HBO?), but were considered too risqué for Fusion. Cue the black censor bar. The bit ended with a skimpy G-string, and finally Murph ditching his clothes altogether to clutch his genitals with his hands, at which point Chris looked utterly shocked and embarrassed. Commercial time!
The climax of the show came at the end, when Chris, Shannon and Pete sat bare-assed on these toilet contraptions that delivered shocks to their bottom. Seriously. The goal was to continue sitting until the end of the segment, and not shout out any curse words or anything that would get bleeped. To conceal their privates from view, the comedians wore these long shiny capes. As each one sat on their bidets of torture, it became evident they were growing extremely uncomfortable and in pain. Fortunately, not many curse words were thrown out, but people were more focused on Chris’ uncomfortable face. He was more embarrassed that the audience could possibly get a peek at his privates. And some did! However, the bit seemed to be more for shock value (literally and figuratively), than an actual funny game, and in my opinion fell a little flat.
Ultimately, I was hoping this show would have delved a little bit deeper into the juxtaposition of wanting to be an inclusive and open space for everyone, while also toeing the line of what is considered edgy and shocking as a comedian. As someone who performs more primarily as a stand up at this point, Chris must be aware of how everyone is quick to be offended. Even comedy nerds can fall into the too-liberal, politically correct crowd, which must make it tough for the UCB alum. He promotes the need for artists to express free speech, while also practicing self-monitoring to keep themselves in check. These days, with social media mobs coming after comedians with their hypothetical pitchforks, even the smartest and most well-meaning comics have to watch their tongue.
However, the show had more fun testing the censors, putting their editors into overdrive, and coming up with the most creative ways to be shocking for television, without being offensive. No audience member seriously waved their flag in protest. And that’s pretty much The Chris Gethard Show’s sweet spot.
Read more comedy news.
Christina Stiehl
Latest posts by Christina Stiehl (see all)
- Guide to NYC Live Comedy This Week: November 23 – 29 - November 23, 2017
- Cover Story: Kerry Coddett Brooklyn Comedian and Rising Star - October 3, 2016
- TCGS Finale Recap and Cliffhanger: Will Chris Gethard Be Erased From Existence? - June 5, 2016
