“The Characters” has a simple premise: eight up-and-coming comedians, half an hour per person, no structure and no rules. The only aim is for these funny men and women to explore their personal slews of character creations. It certainly sounds like Netflix has given the professional opportunity of a lifetime for a lucky few.
Unfortunately, while this sounds like a winning concept in line with the hands-off approach to cultivating original voices taken by premium channels like HBO, the result is often lackluster.
The disparate group of comedians mold their distinct brands of humor to fit long-form comedy sketches with varying degrees of success. In many cases, characters who would have worked more effectively in two-minute sketches are stretched into overlong, tedious scenes, which belabor their humorous quirks. Comedians who shine in other forms come off as mediocre and tiring, their humor often gravitates toward easy jokes and overly broad situations.
The few successful moments of the series come only when comics take truly bold risks with their allotted time. Tim Robinson, best known for his brief stint on Saturday Night Live, plays with stylization, as his episode opens on a 1950s-style musical sequence featuring a seemingly smooth casino lizard who turns manic. Other comedians found similar success in experimenting with parody: Kate Berlant’s send-up of the contemporary art world and its ridiculousness, complete with an outrageously artsy Marina Abramovic-like character, features great moments of comedic topicality.
Hands down, Natasha Rothwell crafted the episode with the most laugh-out-loud moments. Not only is her comedic timing impeccable, but she also presents a hysterical scene in which two African-American doctors are approached by a woman with “chigger bites.” It’s an excellent example of comedic double-meaning, and the effortless way in which the scene deals with racial sensitivity makes it a highlight of the series.
If nothing else, the show does an admirable job spotlighting certain comedians’ keen ability for physical and vocal transformation. How humorous those comedians act within these transformations is questionable and inconsistent, but the very act of taking on wild personas and releasing all vanity in the name of comedy is commendable.
Netflix has introduced some of the best, most interesting TV shows available to date. “The Characters,” however, is definitely not one of them. The online provider’s long-term initiative to release more original programming is noble, but they should take the time to develop more consistently funny, truly original comedy series, instead of uneven wastes of resources.
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