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With roots in vaudeville and a significant presence on modern TV, thanks to such stalwarts as Saturday Night Live and SCTV, sketch comedy continues to be a fertile ground for young and upcoming comedians and comedy writers. Some hit it big right away, some fail to find an audience, and some only last a short time but leave a strong enough influence that they’re remembered for years to come. Such was the case with HBO’s mid-’90s series, Mr. Show with Bob and David, a surreal sketch comedy show that was definitely an acquired taste at the time (I failed to acquire it then, I admit) and helped launch the careers of stars Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. Two decades later, the duo has reunited for a new Netflix series, W/ Bob & David.
Much as the title suggests, W/ Bob & David operates like a condensed version of their previous work. They’ve reassembled many of their former collaborators, including Paul F. Tompkins, Dino Stamatopoulos, Tom Kenny, and many others—most of whom have gone on to an impressive amount of success themselves. There’s a distinct feel of getting the band back together for a victory lap, a mixed metaphor that would be right at home in one of their sketches.
It’s that kind of humor—a blend of acute observation and outright silliness—that helped them make their mark in the ‘90s and continues in this incarnation. In one sketch, they deftly undercut the religious salesmanship of Heaven is for Real, while in another they go completely over the top with a parody of well-known Silicon Valley figure and self-proclaimed “digital prophet” Shingy. A personal favorite is their trip through a “real-time machine”—basically a port-a-potty they’ve been locked in for 17 years—to bridge the two shows. It functions as both a nod to their own history and a wonderful riff on time-travel shenanigans. There’s a bit of a scattershot approach to their topics, and while some don’t land as well as you’d hope, most still pack a hefty comedic punch.
As with many projects that require a certain level of nostalgia, W/ Bob & David works best in small doses. They’ve assembled four half-hour episodes, along with a fifth hour-long making-of special that absolutely should be required viewing for long-time fans or anyone with an interest in seeing how sketch comedy gets made. It provides a nice glimpse into both the inner workings of the show and the long-term partnership of Odenkirk and Cross. It’s also notable that they shot the show in front of a live audience—and that Tompkins proves to be an absolute joy as he keeps the crowd warm in between sketches.
Mr. Show may not have enjoyed a long run, but it left a lasting imprint on sketch comedy. As a result, W/ Bob & David doesn’t feel as groundbreaking as its predecessor. There’s also the question of whether it will come back for another season or just function as a one-off. These are small matters, though, as Odenkirk and Cross have crafted a semi-sequel that works on two important levels: it’s a reward for those who have been fans over the years, and it’s a very funny introduction for those of us who missed them the first time around.
