Was reading some random blog this evening and came across an entry entitled something like "TV Shows You Should Be Watching." Had heard of or watched most of them (The Riches, Rescue Me, 30 Rock, etc.), but had not heard a single thing about "Clark and Michael."
A simple premise- Michael Cera (George Michael from Arrested Development) and Clark Duke (stars in ABC's show "Greek") have written a script for a TV show and set out to pitch it to the networks. Each episode is 8-12 minutes long (there are 10 total). It plays out like The Office meets Curb Your Enthusiasm directed by Christopher Guest- and I humbly implore you to check it out if you're a fan of any of those works.
I hadn't seen anything from Duke before, and he is a skilled comedic actor. But Cera is brilliant- his subtle nuances and voice tweaks are golden. It's like watching a young Woody Allen/Bill Murray/Andy Kaufman hybrid. This kid is going to be a comedy icon.
Anyways, the humour is very, very dry and subtle- I read somewhere tonight that "the less joke there is, the more funny there is," and that is certainly true in this case. Take for example this scene from episode 2 that had me belly laughing:
Scene opens to CD and MC working out at a gym, because "if we're selling the show, we're selling ourselves, and our bodies are a part of that." Michael is curling what appear to be 3 lb. weights, and Clark is using one of those Tae-Bo stretchy resistance cords for an arm workout.
CD: Between this and the diet pills I have more energy than I've ever had, I feel amazing.
MC: I just finally took the time to respect my body, and you know my body's my tomb, and I feel like we should be...I've never felt better about myself or about my body.
CD: (straining) 50!
MC: Did you just do 50?
CD: Ya. (Quick cut to opening credits)
AHAHAHAHA!! Every scene has comedy like this, and when it's acted, written, and directed/edited this well, it's really a pleasure to watch. It's hard to believe these guys are so young, they're just so talented.
I've pimped it enough, I think.
Go here and laugh at them yourself.