Those
weary of annoying liberal chatter and America bashing in the comedy
realm have a new alternative. That would be “The Flipside”, a weekly
half-hour broadcast dicing through politics and culture, but produced
by a group of stalwart creatives who have some serious conservative
underpinnings, with a few dashes of libertarianism.
Only
six (now seven) episodes into its fall run, and the new show has been picked up by
three major cable broadcasters and 200 independent stations.
“The
reaction has been very positive. A lot of people have been waiting for
a show that doesn’t slam America at every turn, or push a socialist
agenda,” executive producer Kfir Alfia said
in an interview. “Even if we were completely neutral, the audience
would see it as a breath of fresh air. They’ve been waiting for a show
like this.”
He
speaks from personal experience.
“I
was looking around at the cultural landscape, so dominated by
left-leaning ideology in movies, TV, news. That was a compelling reason
to start thinking ‘what can I do?’ ” Mr. Alfia observed.
Indeed,
the success of Roger Ailes, the man who developed the concept for Fox
News, is not lost on the team, which methodically explored independent
ways to market and distribute their broadcast with some healthy success.
“I
believe it was Charles Krauthammer who said the genius of Roger Ailes
is that he discovered the other half of the American people and made
them his audience. That’s what we hope to do,” said producer Matt
Sheffield, a longtime conservative blogger and a editor for the Media
Research Center.
The
on-camera muscle for the promising venture is
Michael
Loftus,
a writer and veteran stand-up comedian who has been on, yes, the Comedy
Channel, TruTV and the History Channel, among other broadcast venues.
He also serves as producer and writer for “Anger Management” - a daring
and noisy video project from actor Charlie Sheen.
Almost funny, but not quite. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteI discovered this show a few weeks ago. They're airing it very late on Dish Network in my area. I record it and watch later. Don't know if it will catch on if no one sees it. Thanks for spreading the news.
ReplyDeleteI get so tired of seeing fellow Conservatives drop the ball on simple things. The Left is going to take every opportunity to present us as dullards who are out of touch with modern pop culture. Referencing "The Comedy Channel" - a channel that DOESN'T F@$#ING EXIST - is a surefire way to help them out.
ReplyDeleteWe have to be perfect in every post, every time. No misspellings, no bad grammar, and no COMPLETE F#@KUPS like calling Comedy Central "The Comedy Channel."
--Anon2112
That's the point. IMO Flipside is way worthy. It's as smart as Daily Show, and because it rings true to a broader prospective audience it should be a winner. But then this, like beauty, can't be debated; either one likes it or one does not. I am curious whether commenters watch the Daily show, and whether they like it or not. I do, and I often laugh in spite of myself.
ReplyDeleteI saw this message on a bumper sticker the other day:
ReplyDelete"My news channel-Comedy Central / My comedy channel-Fox News". If the owner really thought about that assertion, he would be ashamed. Being manipulated must be easier than thinking for yourself.
The only thing I watch on Comedy Central is Brickleberry, the cartoon that's so wrong it's just right. Tuesdays, 10:30pm
ReplyDeleteThere are interesting, oddball shows on the Cartoon Network, when it becomes Adult Swim late in the evening. Robot Chicken of course, and now Black Dynamite, which I haven't figured out yet if it's the most racist thing ever or just superb irony.
And no, I don't watch the Daily Show. I've tried. Many times. I can't. I want to hit Jon Stewart in the face with a chainsaw. What a douche, even worse than Letterman.
ReplyDeleteIt was only the last segment that actually made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he gets better in the later episodes. I'll check them out.