To View or Not to View: ‘W/ Bob and David’ and ‘Nathan For You’

In the war zone that is the fall TV season, it’s important to pick out the gems hidden in the media mesh. Each week, A&E columnist Sebastian Torrelio will profile one new show and one returning show that share a connection, detailing how they may make those after-school hours more meaningful.

It’s fascinating to watch how comedy is changing in real-time, before our eyes. That may sound like an exaggeration, but the last three “To View or Not to View” columns have all talked about new comedy series on streaming channels, a platform that wasn’t considered as conventional television a few years ago. All of those shows are, in their own way, groundbreakingly unconventional.

Netflix’s newest offering, “W/ Bob and David,” is just the most recent in a trove of TV series from the past that the streaming platform is revamping. A lot has happened to sketch comedy since Bob Odenkirk and David Cross first appeared 20 years ago, but their talent and schtick worked to shape the reality-bending goofiness of television into what it is today.

Starting back at the beginning of the story, HBO’s “Mr. Show with Bob and David” ran from 1995 to 1998, garnering a great amount of acclaim from its small, niche audience.

At the time, “Mr. Show” was more of a college-generation type of humor. Now, it might seem dated, but the program’s reflection of the past is relevant to the way comedy has been shaped into something more than just punchlines and sight gags.

In every form, “W/ Bob and David” is a spiritual follow-up to their cult hit, bringing along with them a lot of the actors and writers who made it so great.

“Mr. Show” fans will be happy to see old faces like Paul F. Tompkins and Jill Talley show up for a couple sketches, as well as ideas and threads picked up here and there from old inspirations.

Tonally, too, “W/ Bob and David” keeps in touch with its past, launching off from how old the two actors have gotten into parodies that span everything from cop shows to hostile shopping ads.

Through its relatively short four episodes, “W/ Bob and David” is surprisingly calm and decided. There’s no feeling of rushing through the content, just a carefully collected series of skits that rarely fall flat.

Odenkirk and Cross, who have come far in the public eye with their starring roles in “Breaking Bad” and “Arrested Development,” respectively, are more confident and committed actors than they once were, giving “W/ Bob and David” a conviction that continues to deliver.

“W/ Bob and David” is a perfect launching point for understanding today’s sketch comedy market, but the fearless influence of “Mr. Show” inevitably reached much further than just the everyday variety series. Nathan Fielder’s “Nathan For You” on Comedy Central, for example, might be the most daring comedy show on television this decade.

Filmed as a documentary series, every episode consists of Fielder, a self-proclaimed talented businessman, helping one or two independent shops in Southern California. He does this by introducing completely ridiculous ideas in hopes that he can help business owners create a new name for themselves.

It’s best to explain through example: Fielder’s most famous project to date started when he tried helping a small, hipster coffee shop attract new customers. By exercising parody law, Fielder wanted to transform the shop into a satirical form of Starbucks called “Dumb Starbucks,” selling the exact items as Starbucks with the word “dumb” labelled before them.

When it opened in February 2014, “Dumb Starbucks” drew national attention from people who thought it was a clever but over-the-top art piece. This is essentially what Fielder looks to accomplish in every episode of his show. With the best deadpan acting of any comedian on television, Fielder creates theatrical art by doing things no sane person would ever think of.

Odenkirk and Cross’ show represents the recent past of comedy as Fielder’s does the impending future. Both are triumphant takes on reshaping audience expectations into something that’s easily understandable and brilliantly entertaining. With sharp minds for exposing how flawed existence is, it’s a wonder how any of them got the approval of normal people to run their own television series. But the world is a funnier place since they have.

– Sebastian Torrelio

What television show have you been watching lately? Email Torrelio at storrelio@media.ucla.edu.