Important Things with Demetri Martin Review

Here’s an interesting case, the kind that comes along every so often. A very talented comedian with a somewhat so-so show.  Important Things with Demetri Martin starring, of course, Demetri Martin isn’t really a bad show, it just doesn’t seem properly honed.  When it comes to silly, idiot-humor, Martin stands next to perfection at his craft — think Mitch Hedberg but with more confidence and talent (not hating on Hedberg here but I give credit where credit’s due).

Important Things is a sketch-comedy show where in each episode our host, Mr. Martin, takes a single concept and explains to us through various comedy bits and sketches why it is, in fact, important.  The structure of the show basically revolves around switching from various bits and sketches that take advantage of Martin’s stand-up talent: back and forth the show will switch, the entire time building upon our weekly “important” concept which tie into each episode’s theme.

The show’s structure and concepts aren’t really its problem, though.  Much of it actually seems to be Martin himself.  I’ve now watched the show’s first three episodes and while I can find genuine hilarity in each of them, some of Martin’s sketches just fall flat… really flat.  Take his “Yellow Belt” sketch that is one of his running bits through all of the episodes so far.  Each sketch involves Martin in Karate garb, brandishing his beloved Yellow Belt which, if memory serves correctly, is just one class above the White Belt (what every beginner is issued).  The sketches don’t really focus on that, however, but on Martin himself trying to conquer whatever object his “important thing” calls for.  The fact is, though, the sketches just aren’t funny.  While some people appreciate what I can only term “random humor,” these sketches actually seem a step below that.  There really seems to be no rhyme or reason to the sketch itself other than to have just another running gag throughout the series.  What makes it worse for me, though, is that as a fan of Martin’s brand of humor I know he can do so much better than this.  This is a guy who once stated as one of his stand-up bits, “If I ever saw an amputee being hanged I’d just start yelling out letters.”  The guy’s clever, okay?

So why oh why is he subjecting his TV show to such asinine bits?  My guess: filler.  This because, as I said before, the show does have genuinely hilarious moments about it.  Take, for example, a stand-up bit he did in a recent episode where he, like he so often does, played his guitar to a song he made up entitled “Me vs. You” where he dropped the line, “Me, an angry rapper; You, the English language.”  Again, it’s stuff like that Martin really shines brightest at.  In fact, I say the show could much better if it included more of his stand-up bits with only one or two finely tuned sketch bits.

Some sketches I’ll admit, though, have grown on me a bit, the main one that comes to mind being Martin’s animated head spitting simple “profound” lines that most stoners would probably salivate over, ending each bit with a simple “Think about it…”  It didn’t really do anything for in the beginning but now for some reason every time the bit starts to play I find a smile playing on my lips.

Hopefully Martin will fine-tune his show in future episodes and for the time being I’ll stick around — what can I say, I have faith in the guy, as well as show-producer, Jon Stewart.  Honestly, I’m just glad the guy got his own show, he deserves it — much more so than other comedians in the past who have received their own show as well (sorry, Sarah Silverman, but I just don’t think you’ve earned it).

Important Things with Demetri Martin airs Wednesday nights at 10:30 P.M. EST.