No show currently running new episodes makes me laugh more than this one. I loved Dave Chappelle’s standup, and I firmly believe that Half Baked is an underregarded comedy gem. Chappelle’s Show is like Dave’s reward for all that hard work, and I can’t imagine any better venue for his talents.
While the whole “white people be like this, bruthas be like this” schtick does occasionally get tiring, for the most part, the skits presented here are outstanding. (Certainly they’re better than anything SNL or MadTV has done for years.) From characters like The Crackhead to Rick James (funniest skit of the series; you’ll have to see for yourself to understand why), Chappelle displays obvious childlike glee in performing, and it’s that glee that makes him so damn funny. In everything he just looks like he’s having so much fun, and it’s contagious.
I can’t fathom how this show gets away with half the stuff it does, especially in the current “Janet Jackson’s breast is the tool of the devil” climate. The DVD set of season 1 is out Tuesday, and I can’t wait to see the stuff that actually didn’t make it past the censors. Like South Park though, it’s not just vulgarity for vulgarity’s sake. There are jokes (and sometimes actual points!) under the shocking stuff. And those jokes consistently make me laugh my ass off, bitch!