Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Encyclopedia
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy
television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker
and Eric Wareheim
, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
comedy block and ran until May 2010. The program features surrealistic
and often satirical humor (at points anti-humor
), public-access television
-style musical acts, bizarre faux-commercials, and editing and special effects chosen to make the show appear camp
.
The program has featured a wide range of actors, spanning from big name stars such as Will Ferrell
, John C. Reilly
and Zach Galifianakis
, to alternative comedians
like Neil Hamburger
, to television actors like Alan Thicke
, celebrity look-alikes
and impressionists.
The creators of the show have described Awesome Show as "the nightmare version of television."
, consists of sketches
, songs, and commercials. It features several characters and segments seen in Tom Goes to the Mayor, such as Gibbons, the "Channel 5 Married News Team," and the Cinco Corporation with its variety of inefficient and tasteless products. New recurring characters and sketches include "Uncle Muscles Hour," a Public-access television variety program hosted by a gravelly-voiced "Weird Al" Yankovic
and Channel 5 News Correspondent Dr. Steve Brule, played by John C. Reilly
.
The show features a variety of celebrity cameos from actors, comedians, and musicians including Fred Armisen
, Maria Bamford
, Karen Black, Michael Ian Black
, Abbey Brooks, LeVar Burton
, Michael Cera
, Peter Cetera
, David Cross
, Elisha Cuthbert
, Ted Danson
, Patrick Duffy
, Will Ferrell
, Flight of the Conchords
, Will Forte
, Zach Galifianakis
, Jeff Goldblum
, Josh Groban
, Michael Gross
, Bill Hader
, Neil Hamburger
, David Liebe Hart, Jonah Hill
, Tom Kenny
, The Lonely Island
, Marilyn Manson
, Richard Marx
, John Mayer
, Jack McBrayer
, A.D. Miles, Dave Navarro
, Bob Odenkirk
, Patton Oswalt
, Brian Posehn
, John C. Reilly
, Daphne Rosen, Paul Rudd
, Steve R. Schirripa, Michael Q. Schmidt
, Palmer Scott
, Bret McKenzie
, Jemaine Clement
, The Shins
, Ben Stiller
, Peter Stormare
, Danny Trejo
, Fred Willard
, Rainn Wilson
, Tommy Wiseau
, "Weird Al" Yankovic
, and Tami Erin
.
The series' theme music was composed by Davin Wood, who had also composed the theme music for the earlier Tom Goes to the Mayor, and for related series Derek & Simon
, American Misfits, Stupidface, and Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
.
Halfway through the broadcasting of the first season, Cartoon Network
picked up Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! for another season ordering as many as 30 new episodes. The second season began airing on November 18, 2007. Season one was released on DVD in April, 2008. The third season began on July 27, 2008 and ended on September 28, 2008. Eric posted a MySpace
bulletin Oct 1, 2008, announcing that as a "holiday surprise" season four would be airing in January 2009. The show was later renewed for a fifth season.
One of Tim and Eric's first live performances incorporating characters from Awesome Show was Muscles for Bones, a spoof telethon seeking bones for Richard Dunn. This was performed at Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, California
. Major portions of this live performance were incorporated into season three, episode 8 "Muscles for Bones". An extended version of this show can be found as an extra on the Season 3 DVD. The extended version features performances not seen on the original TV episode, from performers such as Pierre and Michael Q. Schmidt. Prior to the beginning of seasons two and three, Tim and Eric combined "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" Live in Vegas (2007). The second of these, listed as season 3 episode 0, shared their 2008 cross-country tour and was titled Awesome Tour Live 2008.
Speaking with Vanity Fair
in July 2009, Wareheim said that season five (or "Season Cinco") would represent "a very dark side of the Awesome Show series. I think people are going to be very scared and very disturbed by it." He also noted that the pair draw equal humor from the awkwardness of The Office as they do from the awkwardness of David Lynch
's films. The duo went on to state that they had begun an unconscious tradition by starting the first episode of seasons two, three, and four each with fecal
-related fake commercials; they plan to "outdo" themselves on season five with a "diarrhea
disease"-based commercial. The fifth season premiered on February 28, 2010. The series finale aired on May 2, 2010. On May 16, 2010 the spin-off Check it Out! premiered.
Tim and Eric acquired funding to shoot and air a one hour special that aired on December 5, 2010, called The Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job Chrimbus Special. Simultaneous to this announcement, the duo also released a list of dates and cities for their upcoming 2010 tour. Tim and Eric have also announced plans for a movie, entitled Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. The plot has been said to focus on the pair finding themselves a billion dollars in debt, but little more has yet been revealed. Following the release of the movie, they may make additional seasons of Awesome Show.
The duo's Abso Lutely Productions signoff bumper features a video clip of Heidecker's father during a family vacation in 1991; when asked to sum the trip up in two words, he responded "Abso-lutely." The full clip can be found on their timanderic.com DVD and also on YouTube
.
featuring Awesome Show regular Richard Dunn; "It's just him interviewing people like The Charlie Rose Show. We would love to produce that. No one would ever watch it."
Using characters and skits from Awesome Show, Heidecker and Wareheim (via their Absolutely production company) created an online-only show called Tim and Eric Nite Live!
, originally broadcast on the website SuperDeluxe.
In July 2008, the New York Times reported that an Awesome Show spin-off, Check It Out!, with Steve Brule, would air on Cartoon Network beginning sometime in 2009. The show parodies local news
casts, and as Heidecker briefly described it: "It's like his half-hour to go around town and interview the local beer-maker
or whatever." The show will have an episode run time of approximately 11 minutes, and it will feature John C. Reilly reprising his role as Dr. Steve Brule. According to Heidecker, Reilly had the original idea of giving the Dr. Steve character an entire show. Vanity Fair reported that the program would begin airing on August 23, 2009; however, the program did not air on that date, and LA Weekly
reported in September 2009 that Check It Out! was "forthcoming." The first episode aired May 16, 2010 and the last on June 20, 2010, with a total of six episodes.
In the same July 2008 New York Times article, it was reported that the duo was in the process of developing a surreal game show
series starring Neil Hamburger
, titled The New Big Ball with Neil Hamburger. Wareheim described it as a mix between "bizarre Japanese game shows
and The Price Is Right
." In late July 2009, Neil Hamburger posted a blog on MySpace
stating that a pilot had been filmed, but that Adult Swim was not satisfied and had "pulled the plug on the project."
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker
Tim Heidecker is an American actor, comedian, musician, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric...
and Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim
Eric Wareheim is an American actor, comedian, writer and director. He is one half of the comedy team of Tim and Eric. Wareheim, along with Tim Heidecker, created the television shows Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Check It Out! with Dr...
, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
comedy block and ran until May 2010. The program features surrealistic
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
and often satirical humor (at points anti-humor
Anti-humor
Anti-humor is a type of indirect humor that involves the joke-teller delivering something which is deliberately not funny, or lacking in intrinsic meaning. The audience is expecting something humorous, and when this does not happen, the irony itself is of comedic value. Anti-humor is also the basis...
), public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
-style musical acts, bizarre faux-commercials, and editing and special effects chosen to make the show appear camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
.
The program has featured a wide range of actors, spanning from big name stars such as Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
and Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
, to alternative comedians
Alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
like Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger is a standup comedian character played by comedian and musician Gregg Turkington.-Style:Hamburger's live act, which is quite different from his many albums, features a barrage of question/answer jokes aimed often at celebrity targets, including Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, The Red...
, to television actors like Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke
Alan Thicke is a Canadian actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host. He is best known for his role as Jason Seaver, the patriarch on the ABC television series Growing Pains.- Early life :...
, celebrity look-alikes
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
and impressionists.
The creators of the show have described Awesome Show as "the nightmare version of television."
Overview
The show, which expands the genre of the live-action material featured in Heidecker and Wareheim's previous show, Tom Goes to the MayorTom Goes to the Mayor
Tom Goes to the Mayor is an American animated television series created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. It premiered on November 14, 2004 and ended on September 25, 2006, with a total of thirty episodes.-History:Tom Goes to the...
, consists of sketches
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
, songs, and commercials. It features several characters and segments seen in Tom Goes to the Mayor, such as Gibbons, the "Channel 5 Married News Team," and the Cinco Corporation with its variety of inefficient and tasteless products. New recurring characters and sketches include "Uncle Muscles Hour," a Public-access television variety program hosted by a gravelly-voiced "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
and Channel 5 News Correspondent Dr. Steve Brule, played by John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
.
The show features a variety of celebrity cameos from actors, comedians, and musicians including Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
, Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford
Maria Bamford is an American stand-up comedian and voice actor. She is best known for her portrayal of her dysfunctional family and self-deprecating comedy involving jokes about depression. Her comedy style draws upon surrealism and incorporates voice impressions that good-naturedly mock various...
, Karen Black, Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black is an American comedian, actor, writer and director. He has starred in several TV comedy series, including The State, Ed, Viva Variety, Stella and Michael & Michael Have Issues. He is also a prominent poker player, appearing on Celebrity Poker Showdown several times...
, Abbey Brooks, LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. , professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director, producer and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley...
, Michael Cera
Michael Cera
Michael Austin Cera is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in Arrested Development, Youth in Revolt, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Juno. Cera received the 2008 Canadian Comedy Award for best male performance for his work in Superbad.-Early...
, Peter Cetera
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera is an American singer, songwriter, bassist and producer best known for being an original member of the rock band Chicago, before launching a successful solo career...
, David Cross
David Cross
David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
, Elisha Cuthbert
Elisha Cuthbert
Elisha Ann Cuthbert is a Canadian film and television actress. Cuthbert is known as the former co-host of the Canadian children's television series Popular Mechanics for Kids. In 1998, she had her first film role in Airspeed. She followed this in 2003 with a role in Old School...
, Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
, Patrick Duffy
Patrick Duffy
Patrick George Duffy is an American character actor of stage and film. He is best known for his role on the CBS television drama Dallas, where he played Bobby Ewing from 1978 to 1985 and from 1986 to 1991, Duffy returns to reprise his role as Bobby in a new up-to-date Dallas currently scheduled to...
, Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
, Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
, Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
, Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
, Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
, Michael Gross
Michael Gross (actor)
Michael Gross is an American television, movie, and stage actor who plays both comedic and dramatic roles. His most notable roles are as the father Steven Keaton from Family Ties and the Graboid hunter Burt Gummer from the Tremors franchise.-Early life:Gross was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son...
, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger is a standup comedian character played by comedian and musician Gregg Turkington.-Style:Hamburger's live act, which is quite different from his many albums, features a barrage of question/answer jokes aimed often at celebrity targets, including Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, The Red...
, David Liebe Hart, Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
, Tom Kenny
Tom Kenny
Thomas James "Tom" Kenny is an American actor, voice actor and comedian. He is especially known for his long-running-role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the television series of the same name, as well as the live-action character Patchy the Pirate, Gary the Snail and the French narrator based on...
, The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island
The Lonely Island is an American comedy troupe composed of Akiva "Kiv" Schaffer, Jorma "Jorm" Taccone, and David Andrew "Andy" Samberg, best known for their comedic music. Originally from Berkeley, California, the group is currently based in New York City. The group broke out due to their...
, Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer
Jack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
, A.D. Miles, Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...
, Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
Robert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
, Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
, Brian Posehn
Brian Posehn
Brian Edmund Posehn is an American actor, voice actor, musician and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on NBC's Just Shoot Me!, a cast member and writer on HBO's Mr. Show, and most recently as Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program.-Early life:Posehn...
, John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
, Daphne Rosen, Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, Steve R. Schirripa, Michael Q. Schmidt
Michael Q. Schmidt
Michael Quentin Schmidt is an American film and television actor and fine arts model. According to film threat he " ... has become a much-in-demand presence thanks to his versatility and his willingness to take roles to wild extremes"....
, Palmer Scott
Palmer Scott
Palmer Scott is an American film and television actor, most noted for his recurring role on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.-Background:Palmer has been performing and acting, mostly in theater, since the age of ten...
, Bret McKenzie
Bret McKenzie
Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a comedian, actor, musician and producer, best known for being one half of the Grammy Award winning musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement....
, Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement is a New Zealand comedian, actor and musician, best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Bret McKenzie.-Early life:...
, The Shins
The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
, Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
, Peter Stormare
Peter Stormare
is a Swedish film, stage, voice and television actor as well as a theatrical director, playwright and musician.- Early life :...
, Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo
Dan "Danny" Trejo is an American actor who has appeared in numerous Hollywood films, most notably in roles as an antagonist, or anti-hero.-Early life:...
, Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
, Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
, Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, executive producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status...
, "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, and Tami Erin
Tami Erin
Tami Erin is an American actress and model from Wheaton, Illinois. Erin began acting and modeling at 8 years old after becoming an Elite Model with Elite Model Management one of the world's biggest modeling agencies. After signing with Elite Model Management she booked many national and...
.
The series' theme music was composed by Davin Wood, who had also composed the theme music for the earlier Tom Goes to the Mayor, and for related series Derek & Simon
Derek & Simon
Derek and Simon is a 2007 web based series created by Derek Waters, Simon Helberg, and Bob Odenkirk, which aired on the now-defunct website, Super Deluxe.-History:...
, American Misfits, Stupidface, and Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule is a spin-off of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, starring John C. Reilly as Dr. Steve Brule, a character from Awesome Show. The series premiered on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, on May 16, 2010...
.
Halfway through the broadcasting of the first season, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
picked up Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! for another season ordering as many as 30 new episodes. The second season began airing on November 18, 2007. Season one was released on DVD in April, 2008. The third season began on July 27, 2008 and ended on September 28, 2008. Eric posted a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
bulletin Oct 1, 2008, announcing that as a "holiday surprise" season four would be airing in January 2009. The show was later renewed for a fifth season.
One of Tim and Eric's first live performances incorporating characters from Awesome Show was Muscles for Bones, a spoof telethon seeking bones for Richard Dunn. This was performed at Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
. Major portions of this live performance were incorporated into season three, episode 8 "Muscles for Bones". An extended version of this show can be found as an extra on the Season 3 DVD. The extended version features performances not seen on the original TV episode, from performers such as Pierre and Michael Q. Schmidt. Prior to the beginning of seasons two and three, Tim and Eric combined "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" Live in Vegas (2007). The second of these, listed as season 3 episode 0, shared their 2008 cross-country tour and was titled Awesome Tour Live 2008.
Speaking with Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
in July 2009, Wareheim said that season five (or "Season Cinco") would represent "a very dark side of the Awesome Show series. I think people are going to be very scared and very disturbed by it." He also noted that the pair draw equal humor from the awkwardness of The Office as they do from the awkwardness of David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's films. The duo went on to state that they had begun an unconscious tradition by starting the first episode of seasons two, three, and four each with fecal
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
-related fake commercials; they plan to "outdo" themselves on season five with a "diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
disease"-based commercial. The fifth season premiered on February 28, 2010. The series finale aired on May 2, 2010. On May 16, 2010 the spin-off Check it Out! premiered.
Tim and Eric acquired funding to shoot and air a one hour special that aired on December 5, 2010, called The Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job Chrimbus Special. Simultaneous to this announcement, the duo also released a list of dates and cities for their upcoming 2010 tour. Tim and Eric have also announced plans for a movie, entitled Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. The plot has been said to focus on the pair finding themselves a billion dollars in debt, but little more has yet been revealed. Following the release of the movie, they may make additional seasons of Awesome Show.
The duo's Abso Lutely Productions signoff bumper features a video clip of Heidecker's father during a family vacation in 1991; when asked to sum the trip up in two words, he responded "Abso-lutely." The full clip can be found on their timanderic.com DVD and also on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Featured sketches and recurring characters
Reception
The show has developed a large cult following, including a number of comedians and celebrities; many of whom have appeared on the program. The show continues to polarize audiences; some call it 'crude and inane randomness', while others consider it to be satirical brilliance.Awesome Record, Great Songs!
On May 6, 2008, William Street Records released Awesome Record, Great Songs!, a compilation of songs from the first two seasons.Spin-offs
While doing press for the first season of the program, Heidecker and Wareheim told an interviewer that they had aspirations to create a spinoffSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
featuring Awesome Show regular Richard Dunn; "It's just him interviewing people like The Charlie Rose Show. We would love to produce that. No one would ever watch it."
Using characters and skits from Awesome Show, Heidecker and Wareheim (via their Absolutely production company) created an online-only show called Tim and Eric Nite Live!
Tim and Eric Nite Live!
Tim and Eric Nite Live! was an American television series, which premiered November 8, 2007 on SuperDeluxe. The talk show stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, creators of Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and consists of a variety of strange segments often featuring...
, originally broadcast on the website SuperDeluxe.
In July 2008, the New York Times reported that an Awesome Show spin-off, Check It Out!, with Steve Brule, would air on Cartoon Network beginning sometime in 2009. The show parodies local news
Local news
In journalism, local news refers to news coverage of events in a local context which would not normally be of interest to those of other localities, or otherwise be of national or international scope.-Television:...
casts, and as Heidecker briefly described it: "It's like his half-hour to go around town and interview the local beer-maker
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
or whatever." The show will have an episode run time of approximately 11 minutes, and it will feature John C. Reilly reprising his role as Dr. Steve Brule. According to Heidecker, Reilly had the original idea of giving the Dr. Steve character an entire show. Vanity Fair reported that the program would begin airing on August 23, 2009; however, the program did not air on that date, and LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
reported in September 2009 that Check It Out! was "forthcoming." The first episode aired May 16, 2010 and the last on June 20, 2010, with a total of six episodes.
In the same July 2008 New York Times article, it was reported that the duo was in the process of developing a surreal game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
series starring Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger
Neil Hamburger is a standup comedian character played by comedian and musician Gregg Turkington.-Style:Hamburger's live act, which is quite different from his many albums, features a barrage of question/answer jokes aimed often at celebrity targets, including Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, The Red...
, titled The New Big Ball with Neil Hamburger. Wareheim described it as a mix between "bizarre Japanese game shows
Japanese variety show
Japanese variety show is a entertainment television program made up of a variety of original stunts, musical performances, comedy skits, quiz contests, and other acts.-Current situation:...
and The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
." In late July 2009, Neil Hamburger posted a blog on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
stating that a pilot had been filmed, but that Adult Swim was not satisfied and had "pulled the plug on the project."
DVD releases
All five seasons and the Chrimbus Special have been released on DVD.| DVD | Release date | Discs | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 (2007) | April 22, 2008 | 1 | 10 |
| Season 2 (2007-08) | February 10, 2009 | 1 | 10 |
| Season 3 (2008) | August 4, 2009 | 1 | 10 |
| Season 4 (2009) | September 14, 2010 | 1 | 10 |
| Season 5 (Uncensored) (2010) | May 17, 2011 | 1 | 10 |
| Chrimbus Special (2010) | December 15, 2010 | 1 | 1 |
External links
- Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! at on Adultswim.com (UK)
- Tim and Eric.com