Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is certainly known for its offbeat sense of humor, but there’s one show that takes that sentiment to a whole new level.
“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” (Yes, that’s the actual title) is a frenetic acid-trip of deliberately bad special effects and completely random humor, and this Tuesday all 10 episodes of crazy goodness from the show’s first season come to DVD.
“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” is the demented brainchild of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the minds behind Adult Swim’s “Tom Goes to the Mayor” and is Cartoon Network’s first live-action sketch variety show.
Heidecker and Wareheim are front-and-center, just as the show’s title implies, and they put their skills to work crafting a wealth of odd characters, such as Jan and Wayne Skylar, “The ONLY married news team!” and the Beaver Boys. They also frequently play themselves in off-the-wall situations, creating a show that is, above all else, the unique vision of the comedy duo.

It feels less like a variety show and more like Heidecker and Wareheim took every dream, nightmare and late-night, pot-induced idea they’ve ever had and mashed them up into a season’s worth of 15-minute episodes. The clips move at a frenetic pace, cramming as much bizarre comedy into one episode as possible, and each clip is accompanied by blue screens galore and a wealth of ’80s-inspired graphics.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, either. Some of the clips are insanely funny (such as the fake commercial for B’owl, a bat/owl combination toy), but others are so odd that they induce an initial reaction of “WTF?”
After an episode or two, one has to stop trying to understand the humor and just go with it. Many of the jokes don’t make sense and are funny simply because they’re so weird.
Dr. Brule, an oddball character played by John C. Reilly, is especially funny for just that reason – he’s incredibly weird. He stands awkwardly in front of the blue screen and tries to give advice, such as what to do if you catch on fire (“Stop, drop and roll!”). It’s simple, yet funny, possibly best suited for viewers under the influence of mind-altering drugs.
Nonetheless, the “Tim and Eric” show still offers an entertaining time for sober viewers who revel in random, awkward humor.
The first-season DVD improves the “Tim and Eric” experience by offering commentary on every episode along with deleted clips, a making-of featurette and a blooper reel. What more do you need? The only way it could be better would be if there were a B’owl included.
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