Every I Think You Should Leave sketch, ranked
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s Netflix comedy series from worst to best—now including season two
TV Lists Erik Adams
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s Netflix sketch series I Think You Should Leave was one of the biggest sleeper TV hits of the past few years, its quarter-hour bursts of feet-in-mouths and social situations gone surreally awry sneakily monopolizing the cultural (and, eventually, political) conversation, like a wily oddball whose good car ideas gradually win them the support and respect of their fellow focus group participants. Appropriate for a show that hinges on so much arguing, it’s caused plenty of discussion and disagreement about which of its sketches is the best, the funniest, the most unpredictable.
So, with the recent arrival of a second season, The A.V. Club asked itself once more: Who will be the I Think You Should Leave sketch of the year? One of the show’s many conceptual reveries? A gut-busting reunion with the creators’ former Detroiters and Saturday Night Live collaborators? Did Jamie Taco, the complicated patterns of Dan Flashes, or “sloppy steaks” have what it takes to dethrone the previous champion? Also: In the two years since season one debuted, did any of those sketches rise and fall in our estimation? Read on, and maybe by the end of the list, we’ll no longer all be trying to find the guy who did this.
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212 Comments
“Baby of the Year” reminded me a lot of that Greatest Nephews sketch from SNL a few weeks back.
Me too, which kind of made me laugh (more than the sketch did) because some of the praise for the show is “He’s doing things SNL would never let him do1!11!!1″ when a huge chunk of what he did on here was very SNL-esque, only with added doses of fuck and shit.
At this point AVC’s hype for this show looks a lot like shilling. It’s…just ok at best. Way too many of the sketches revolve around one character acting like a jerk and creating an absurd conflict that then plays out for two minutes, and those “fighting” sketches are some of the highest on your list.I mean, seriously, fuck “Gift Receipt” right in the mudpie hole.
Outside of the Instagram skit, The will Forte seeking revenge skit, and “The Day Robert Palins Murdered Me”, my fiancee and I were underwhelmed.it’s okay, maybe better than average, but it’s no Whitest Kids u Know, or Kids in the Hall, or The State.
Fuck, my wife and I miss WKUK and you just reminded me of them. I’m sad now.
most of their stuff is up on YouTube. IDK if i could make it without a monthly dose of The Grapist.
“So…do you do a lot of PCP?”“Got a gallon.”
You first three words had me almost spit the coffee out of my mouth!
Nothing is WKUK. Discovering that show while hungover one day was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.
“it’s no Whitest Kids U Know…” Annnnnnnnnnd, I’m out.
The Instagram skit was my favorite, and the Will Forte was great, too.
.better ¿? no
I laugh so hard I miss the start of the next sketch at least once per show.
Yeah, started to watch it when I was reading all the hype and just could not get into it.
I’ve watched it twice, the first time before the AV Club started going on about it. It’s just as hilarious the second time through and Gift Receipt is hilarious.
Can we make an internet rule that’s like “Everytime AV Club likes something at least one person will claim it’s because I’m write and they’re getting paid for it.”?
You have to include the “ It’s really not that good or funny.” guy.
“Write”?
no idea how the industry works
It’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in at least a year.
Counterpoint: This show is hilarious
Eh, it’s hit and miss, but the hits are huge.
“Eh, it’s hit and miss, but the hits are huge.”
And the misses are also hits.
Yep. At it’s best it hits a sweet spot just this side of Tim and Eric’s strangeness. But even these rankings seem to concede that S1 was significantly better. Here’s hoping he gets another shot.
I heard so much good stuff about this show, and tried it out on Sunday night. I had a lot of trouble making it through the first episode, and turned it off right after the Motorcycle Guy sketch opening E2. To see three sketches that I found borderline unwatchable (Baby of the Year, Gift Receipt, and Biker Guy) listed as top-5 sketches confirms my decision that this show just isn’t for me, and wasn’t going to get any better.
I sincerely think this is the funniest new show I’ve seen in years. Not every sketch is a winner (I agree that Gift Receipt is one of the weak links), but there are at least 10 sketches that left me crying laughing, and that I see myself returning to years from now whenever I need a good laugh.
I tried watching a couple episodes of this and could not get into it. It’s just not my kind of humor. But I didn’t much care for Tim & Eric either and I know they were absolutely beloved by a good chunk of the population.
Sometimes you gotta just say “this isn’t for me” and move on. I opened this article thinking maybe the best sketches are later in the season and I could try skipping to the #1 in the list to see what the show is like when it is firing on all cylinders, but it turns out the #1 was the best baby award skit that didn’t even get a chuckle out of me so I know I don’t have to worry that I’m missing out by skipping this series.
You didn’t even chuckle at Baby of the Year? I’m sorry for your life.
I watched just the first episode and didn’t laugh once, it’s very much just a word-swap sketch show trying to think of the craziest name to give everything. That the Baby of the Year sketch is #1 here tells me it’s not for me. Every sketch had the exact same pacing and approach and not much to say other than “aren’t the weird things we’re saying so weird?” I don’t know if people are just starved for sketch comedy or what, but it’s hard to believe we’re not that far removed from shows like K&P and Schumer, which not only were so much smarter and funnier, they had actual POVs that gave weight to what they were saying. That’s not to say humor can’t just be silly for the hell of it, but even silliness is best when there’s an idea behind it other than connecting the three randomest words we can find.
Yea. This show has like a 1 in 20 percentage at best.It just isn’t funny.
You know, you can dislike the show without trying to discredit or dismiss other people’s enthusiasm as “shilling?”The AV Club is hardly the only outlet that really loved this show.
Someone enjoying something thoroughly, that you do not, is not shilling. Shilling is being paid, or acquiring some other benefit, to say something is good. Is that what you are accusing them of?
I like the show, laughed at most of the sketches but… I can’t totally disagree with you. And ranking the best sketches about five minutes after the series comes out seems a little like overkill too. But again, I like 80 percent of this show.Also, “Game Night” needs to be much higher on this list. How did that get ranked lower than “Biker Guy?”
Maybe it’s just not your kind of humor. I think this show is hilarious, but I not every sketch is for me.
Man, I could not disagree more. I almost passed out during “Baby of the Year”
Coooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.
Yup, it’s mean-spirited and juvenile. I am fine with juvenile humor, but there are so many better examples.
The best part about it is it’s NOT mean-spirited. The humor is directed at people’s behavior rather than the people themselves, and that’s what I find so refreshing about it.
Mean-spirited? How so?
Sketch shows don’t resonate with everybody. Which is fine if you don’t like it, but personally I don’t agree on a single thing you said; the sketches they released are bottom out really funny for me. I’ll watch anything from I Think You Should Leave before I watch the best episode of SNL.
Thank you. I don’t understand the hype. Thi sis just Tim & Eric Cosplay with a lot more screaming.
And your complaints sure are creative!
You mean people have opinions subject to their personal tastes and sometimes write about them!?
Yeah, the fact that “Gift Receipt” wasn’t ranked dead last tells me everything I need to know about this list. And “New Joe” should have ranked much higher.
“New Joe” was my favorite sketch.
I watched a few episodes to give it a chance and tbh, the baby of the year sketch is the only one I found amusing
I personally randomly stumbled across this with some friends when it came out, and at first we were unsure but by the “has this ever happened to you?” sketch we were convinced this is among the best sketch comedy ever made. The Horses with small penises cinched it for me, and it absolutely deserves to be spoken highly of. Even my gf, who usually hates stuff like this will randomly quote “I’ve seen all of these!” from the honk if youre horny sketch.
I love this show, and I’m here for the hype. It’s amaze.
I’m sorry you don’t like the concept of the show.
I’m scratching my head about this, too. I’ll admit, I haven’t seen all of the episodes, but I was excited to check it out and ended up chuckling a few times. It just seems like bizarre, embarrassing situations being marched out one after another, and many of them barely generate jokes. I’m not saying the people who love it are “wrong.” It just seems like the AV Club is carrying on about it to a weird degree. I mean, whatever. There’s certainly other stuff I can watch.
lol
You don’t get it. It’s ok, don’t take it personally.
shilling, -they would never do that, would they? I believe this has been answered .before
I hope you fucking die Harley Jarvis!
My wife does not do awkward/tense room comedy (she couldn’t even watch The Office when it aired). I showed her the ‘Nachos’ sketch and she just ran into the kitchen plugging her ears.
I showed my girlfriend the nacho skit this morning thinking she’d hate but she loved it!
Have you done that one to her before?
WHHAATT????
Only watched the first episode so far. While I liked the “Baby of the Year” sketch, it doesn’t bode well if that’s the best this show’s got.And “Gift Receipt” just didn’t do it for me. If that’s number 6… woof.
“it doesn’t bode well if that’s the best this show’s got.”
It doesn’t bode well for your taste in comedy.
Mileage may vary a lot with the sketches on this show. Which is to say – keep watching! These sketches are very subjective, and some of my favorites were some of the lowest-ranked on this list.
You gotta watch Car Focus Group at least.
Teacher’s pet.
For what it’s worth, the ranking here seems very distinctly off in several places. Not that I care, but my point is just that this doesn’t represent anything like a consensus list, and there are many sketches I consider funnier than Baby of the Year or Gift Receipt.
My personal favorite episode was #3, so maybe give that a shot. If you don’t like, probably time to move on.
I’ve also only watched the first ep, and i liked Baby of the Year the least. I actually laughed hardest at the first one with the door. And the enthusiastic and repeated use of “mud pie” across multiple sketches was weirdly hilarious for me. I’ll watch more eps, but as you say, if Baby of the Year is the high water mark I may have to recalibrate my expectations.
Those sketches are nowhere near as good as some of the later episodes. The baby sketch was passable but felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy and also ran too long. The gift receipt also ran too long and was a great example of a writer who decides, “I’m on Netflix so I can say shit and piss over and over and over, I’m so cool!!!111!” And it was a waste of Steven Yeun. The last three episodes are much better than what comes early on. Give them a try if you have the time.
Honestly, I thought it was pretty mediocre the first time through…then my wife wanted to watch it since she had it recommended to her. The second time around I was in stitches, and this list had me cracking up again. Something about the weird deadpan awkwardness is offputting at first, I think, but once you know where the sketches swerve you can really appreciate the building insanity.
In the show’s defense, these rankings are BATSHIT INSANE.
Agreed. I thought the Baby sketch was ok but dragged on way too long. I didn’t actually make it through the first episode, but of what I did see, the opening one-way door was probably the best (ranked the worst here).
you probably love your mother in law
I absolutely loved it. Vast majority anyway, but enough to sit through the whole thing a half-dozen times already. And for me, “Baby of the Year” was for sure one of the weaker sketches. Like this article was just messing with me.Also, which was the “Instagram sketch” someone mentioned above? No recollection of that one at all.
Baby of the year is one of the least funny sketches in my opinion. I mostly disagree with the order of this list, but it did remind me how many absolutely insane sketches there are that making a numbered list is basically impossible.
For me Gift Receipt was as good as it gets, which isn’t that good to be honest.
Lifetime Achievement is criminally low on this list.
Baby of the Year was fantastic, but leaving Instagram out of the top-5 is a travesty.
This is a great list, but most of the numbers are wrong, wrong, wrong.
Except for “Baby of the Year” I thought this show was the definition of ‘trying too hard.’ It’s not funny.
Vanessa Bayer deserves better!
You guys are really all-in on this show apparently.
In memoriams don’t usually include how they died…
I think the Instagram sketch is top-5 material, but overall this list is very accurate to my own experience with the show. Before I even clicked, I knew Baby of the Year was number one.
This show kinda sucks. I got through two eps and realized it’s not funny enough to warrant continued viewing.
Move number 13 up about 12 spots and you’ve got yourself a list!
It’s definitely a fine show, but I was caught so totally off-guard by the hot dog suit lookalike that I almost choked. It was an utterly perfect comic moment.
im not a fan of the show in general, but the hot dog suit lookalike WAS perfect.
That and the smile at the end of the choking sketch were the two moments I laughed the hardest.
Yeah, that one took the win for me. Especially the fact that he’s stealing half the clothes in the store as he tried to pin it on someone else.
The show is good folks. And you can take that to the bank. And that’s a fact. I guarantee it. And you can take that to the bank wait I already said that.
Watched the first episode only, horribly underwhelmed. I didn’t laugh once at anything, not even during the #1 sketch according to this list. If anything, try the first episode. It might be for some, but definitely not for me.
That Garfield sketch is criminally low on the list.
I found the opening sketch fairly funny, but before the second sketch with the everlong one-trick-pony joke of the fake lawyer screaming absurd things could even get to whatever miserable conclusion it was building toward, I had turned it off, deleted it from my “resume watching” list, and hoped Netflix would take that data point as feedback. You ranked it as #18. Different strokes I guess…
This entire show is like a best-of 10 to 1:00 SNL skits and it’s absolutely wonderful.
I couldn’t decide whether this show was funny or annoying.
So I guess that makes it funny by contemporary standards.Baby of the Year sketch was pretty entertaining though
That’s interesting… To me, Baby of the Year is by far the most obnoxious and trying-too-hard sketch. Interesting that that’s the one that stirred your drink.
You can almost trace the origin of the Biker Guy sketch to O’Malley’s old vine stuff where he bikes around yelling at rich people ‘Aw hell-yeah… you’re ridin’ top-down, god’s a pimp, you’re an angel I PRAY THAT I MIGHT DIE FOR YOU”
It feels like you didn’t understand that it was Bozo doing the dub and that’s why it was ranked so low. It’s what he wanted to say.
I don’t think anyone else will draw this connection, but I watched this the same weekend as Season Five of Arrested Development, and I had the same experience watch both. That is, I watched both without ever cracking a smile, much less laughing. In both of them there was something that hit the beats of comedy on screen, but there was nothing clever, or really unexpected. There was nothing to laugh at, really. It’s interesting to contrast the two because they’re both sort of object lessons in how things can be unfunny.For Arrested Development it was because the show kept hitting the same beats, with the same jokes, that it had for 4 1/2 seasons already, and so I could see every punchline and joke coming a mile away. So much of Arrested Development’s strength, back when it was good, came from how fresh and new it was. Now it goes out by just going through the motions.Contrast this with I Think You Should Leave, which is also boring and familiar, but in a different way. Every sketch has the same rhythm: it starts with an absurd premise, and then something else happens, and then something else, and then something else, but there was no comedic logic underlying the scene, it’s just a series of absurd occurrences. It’s sort of the opposite of Arrested Development in that I never knew what was going to happen next, but because everything was so “random” (in the sense of the term to mean “unexpected and kooky”), it made no cohesive sense and therefore wasn’t funny beyond just shock value. And honestly, by this point humor that derives laughs from showing an absurd situation and saying “hey, weren’t expecting that, were ya?” just doesn’t do it. Any vitality in that form had been beaten to death by Family Guy decades ago. There’s just not anything new or funny there, either.
So yeah, I’d say it’s not funny, but it’s interesting to contrast the way it’s unfunny with other unfunny things.
An interesting wrong point, probably.
cool
Loved the show but disagree with this ranking
Out of curiosity, how would your list differ? What would be your #1?
Probably the honk if you’re horny sketch but honestly they’re all very solid
Agree, and even the idea of ranking the sketches does the show an extreme disservice considering what the comment section looks like.
Yeah, I feel like if the ranking were flipped I’d be able to agree with the ranking a bit more.
“Brooks Brothers” at #11 is a war crime.
It shouldn’t be any lower than #3 and even that should get you a 1 week ban from Facebook.
Agreed. The Johnny Cash sketch was my fav, made me laugh the hardest
There are like 4 sketch ideas here done over and over and over again.Half of these just as a normal situation with one person acting insane, and then SUDDENLY everyone joins the insane person ganging up on the normal person. This show is crap.
Shut up, Paul.
“Half of these just as a normal situation with one person acting insane, and then SUDDENLY everyone joins the insane person ganging up on the normal person.”
Yeah, why can’t it be able a group of calm, rational people politely discussing politics?
You know, sketch comedy?
Sketch shows usually have a variety of sketches, instead of 1 formula shot 15 times.
“Half of these just as a normal situation with one person acting insane, and then SUDDENLY everyone joins the insane person ganging up on the normal person.”
Yeah, it’s almost like they’re doing sketch comedy…
Your first two paragraphs are 100% correct, and yet…’sfunny cuz it makes me laugh.
Teacher’s pet.
“Fuck you, Clem Fandango!”
Wait…did you add an H to your name? Clem H Fandango? As if you’re not a big enough prat already?
Yes, I can hear you Clem Fandango. And I kind of agree: I don’t think it’s crap but I was expecting the next Kids in the Hall and this ain’t it.
I thought the show was generally very funny, but I thought the baby sketch was one of the worst, actually, and the Christmas Carol sketch was absolutely the worst. It’s not even a consistent tone of humor as most of the show (cringe comedy). What is the joke there, exactly? That an old guy has to use physical violence? That it’s specifically Scrooge? It’s weird, sure, but it doesn’t build on itself, it doesn’t take any strange left turns, there’s very little sense of character.
“What is the joke there, exactly?”
You really don’t get the joke about a TV movie called “Scrooge Saves Christmas” that’s NOT just A Christmas Carol?
It’s one thing to not find it funny, but to not understand the basic premise? Jesus, you’re either overthinking this or you’re just f*cking stupid.
“Is it because its specifcally Scrooge?” Yes, that’s the joke. It’s silly. Ebenezer Scrooge fights the Bone Brigade in the year 3050. It’s absurd. That is why I laughed, at the very least. Sam Richardson is great in it too.
I liked the Scrooge sketch mostly because I felt like it was just a completely ridiculous matchup of two different genres. Let’s watch Scrooge pummel some Ray Harryhousen homages into a pile of goo. I kept waiting for the inevitable “clever” twist like it would turn out they were good and he’d slaughtered them for nothing, so when we didn’t get that and it was just him randomly being asked by some future warrior to pummel with his cane, I was happy.
You know, this show is one of my favorite things on earth, but I also don’t care for the baby sketch. It wasn’t unfunny, but they really hit the oral thing super hard and the whole thing really meandered.Don’t get me wrong, ITYSL goes some pretty awesome places when it meanders. But this one just wasn’t very strong, and I’ll never understand how anyone could call it the best of this amazing collection of sketches.
I HOPE YOU DIE BART HARLEY JARVIS!
River Mountain High is way too far down the list. So is Has This Ever Happened to You?I’d watch a whole show that was Scrooge and The Ghost of Christmas Way-Future fighting the Bonies. Damn you, Skelletrex!
This show made me cry. Fuck the haters. Also you are underrating the Herbie Hancock skit.
I HOPE YOU FUCKING DIE, HARLEY JARVIS!
GET THEM OUTTA HERE!
My wife and I almost finished an episode… we couldn’t make it through 17 minutes of this cringefest. Production values are shoddy, the main actor/writer(?) doesn’t have any redeeming aesthetic… be it physical, emotional or mental. We’ll never get those minutes of our lives back.
Huh. “Both Ways” was my favorite.
My hot take is that both the concept of ranking each episode, and the commentary it invites down here in Kinja, kind of take the steam out of the show. It’s an utterly absurd show delivered quickly. It really seems like people are thinking too hard about this.
Also, ranking something is always a good way to get clicks. I mean, they got mine, so…
I do not agree with these rankings. Instagram, Has this ever happened to you, party house, and horse ranch should all be wayy higher
I just re-watched the first ep so my wife could see it, and Has This Ever Happened to You and Instagram still made me choke with laughter the second time. I’m okay with Best Baby at #1, though.“Its Turbo Time!”
Instagram is hands-down my favorite. “Slopping down some pig shit with these fat fucks” immediately stabbed its way deep into my brain.
Now go ahead and eat that goop, AV Club. It’ll give you the skeleton’s sense of humor, and once you have one, you’ll recognize that Instagram is the best sketch.
The one true correct opinion.
I liked “Which Hand” way more than the consensus here, obviously. Cecily Strong nails the contempt before even saying a word, and “but I won’t respect you, and I’ll make sure the kids don’t either” might be the best line in the show. I also liked “Has This Ever Happened to You” more than a lot of the sketches that ranked ahead of it, but I’ve had a soft spot for silly TV lawyer commercials since Saul Goodman’s “Did you know that you have rights? Well the Constitution says you do” spot on Breaking Bad.
“but I won’t respect you, and I’ll make sure the kids don’t either” might be the best line in the show Yep.
I liked the “Has This Ever Happened to You” sketch more than most because friends and I used to provide our own narration to those ads when they would come on in bars.
I liked the idea of the sketch, but the part with Cecily Strong haranguing Robinson went on and on and got sidetracked because we were supposed to be amused at how many times she talked about little dick. I thought it was a huge waste of her talent. She was just stuck in the basic unhappy wife role when she can do much more.
That is actually one of my complaints about the show, that they’ll marr a good idea with an incredibly annoying detail (like Cecily Strong going on about the little boy dick.) I probably would pick “Biker Guy” as my favorite but even there I was really annnoyed when he described a car as “two motorcycles with a house in the middle.” I get the idea, he conceives of everything in terms of motorcycles, but a house? It was like a wrong note in a good song.Even “Gift Receipt” could be improved if he didn’t insist on saying “mudpie” ten times.So yeah, I agree and I’ve got more notes if you want them kthxbye.
The mudpie stuff annoyed me too. It just takes you out of the scene.
that’s what takes you out of the scene?
One of the main things, yes. It’s too self-conscious and feels like actors reading a script.
That and the re-use of ‘tuna can’ as an insult were jarring to me, too. I liked a lot of the sketches, but the half of them that were just Robinson doing something stupid/embarrassing and taking it to the extreme were only so-so.
I guess the main point of the mudpie stuff is its a callback the lawyer sketch because he describes them as mudpies too. There was a few great sketches during his time on SNL that called back to a sketch earlier in the episode, which mainly stand out because it breaks the expectation that sketches are stand alone. I wonder if maybe he wrote them too?
Completely agreed. I really liked “Which Hand”, “Has This Ever Happened to You”, and “Pink Bag”, way more than Erik did.
I really hope Cecily Strong has a strong breakout career after her SNL tenure. Even when a sketch she’s in is bad, she’s always the standout performance.
I’m just going to throw this on the pile with Tim & Eric, Comedy Bang Bang, the Eric Andre Show, and numerous other shows that I Just Don’t Get.
As someone who loves this show and has rewatched it multiple times already: this list wasn’t necessary at all.
Thanks, I hate it.
FUCK YOU, HARLEY JARVIS!Baby of the year had to be #1. This goddamn show made me laugh so hard.
I love this show. The Instagram sketch had me laughing so hard that I was having trouble breathing.
This show is fantastic if you like this sort of comedy. I don’t because my existence is awkward enough. I just cringe and hide my face.
This show sucked and it makes me sad that the baby of the year, one of the ones I did see, wasn’t funny and you rank it as best. Enough said.
Kat e Berlant (whom I usually don’t care for) in the Garfield sketch nonchalantly pointing out to one of her guests that everything in the room is Garfield is my favorite line of the show.
Haven’t seen it all – but if baby of the year is best – I’ll just leave now.
It’s certainly not for everyone. But it’s for me.
This list really shows how subjective comedy can be. I prefered the sketch’s without Robinson. He’s kinda the comedy of equivalent of David Tennant, in that they both seem to think the louder they are the better their work is.
I had the same reaction you did initially – I was getting bad Will Ferrell and ‘90s SNL flashbacks. Loud = funny was his only stock in trade. Fortunately as the episodes went along I felt like he became more measured and he also let other people take over the spotlight a bit.
Will Forte > Will Ferrell
the one where it really works, though, is the CornCob TV sketch. “They say, “it’s just a bunch of dead guys, bustin’ out of shit-wood, and hittin’ pavement!”
“I didn’t RIG SHIT! “love it every time
If you like this show, PLEASE watch his Netflix “The Characters” episode. The first sketch, Sammy Paradise, is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years.
the whole show is only big enough for a fart
I think you ranked Gift Receipt way too high (I was so annoyed at the waste of Steven Yeun and the laziness of “lol they keep saying shit this is so cool” writing I nearly gave up on the show), and I also think the baby sketch is too high, but I agree with some of your other rankings. I would have put Garfield at #1. I thought it hit the nose on the balance between shock and absurdity and had an absolutely perfect ending. And I just loved the concept of this woman who genuinely thought she’d bought a house from Jim Davis and had Jim Davis coming into her home ranting and raving and didn’t even question it, especially as it was such a left turn from the intervention opener.I would have put New Joe at #2. Beyond being so happy to see Fred Willard and Clifton Davis (how random!), I thought it was genuinely weird and funny and not trying too hard. It’s the type of sheer zaniness that we would have gotten on TV comedy back in the ‘50s or ‘60s, with just a few changes. I would put Brooks Brothers at #3. I think it had Tim’s best comic performance of all the sketches – the sheer shamelessness he displayed got to the point where when he started stealing the suits I was actually hoping he’d get away with it. I also liked Choking quite a bit – it veered from one obvious opening (Tim trying to impress someone) right into complete nonsense (choking and trying to hide that he’s choking) right back to the opening (he ends up impressing the guy…by running out of the restaurant to get the Heimlich). Such jarring shifts in tone that somehow worked. There were a number of sketches I would have put higher with trimming – for all the talk of how great the show is because it’s only 16 minutes, several pieces like focus group and Babysitter felt too stretched out. I still enjoyed both, overall, and would probably put them in the top ten. One of the reasons I like Babysitter is that, beyond the story being pretty clever (just too long), Tim cast himself as gay and cast a cute guy (Artie O’Daly) as his husband and it was treated matter-of-factly. For many years we would have had a forced kiss that we would be invited to half-gawk at, half-laugh at, and Tim would have put on a bit of a mince or a lisp to try to impersonate a gay man. Instead this was nothing more than a flip of the norm with a generic cute woman being put into the thankless spouse role. It’s the type of flip that even a few years back would have probably gotten some kind of laudatory coverage. These days it’s not that noteworthy (and we all have much more to worry about than stereotypes in sketch comedy), but I still thought it deserved praise.
“It’s called “He Laieth on High” and it’s about a big baby duck that gets his head stuck in a stewed tomato” kills me every time.
I’ve only watched the first two episodes and so far “The Man” and “Gift Receipt” are the best two.There’s something about the escalation of the first that even when you know how it’s about to end….the ending still hits you.As for “The Man”, I genuinely did not expect him to have screwed up and bought the wrong seat. The man still crying while the two sat blissfully unaware was a good close.And maybe that’s why these worked? Because they hit their high note and the show just *ended.*(Also, I’m assuming they worked better because I didn’t binge the episodes. Wonder if the humor wears out if you watch them rapid fire.)
Seriously though. Fuck you, Harley Jarvis.
lotta commenters sound like they’re genius sketch comedians just waiting for their big break!
Are you insane? Both Ways is first, not last.
After seeing that at the top I thought it was ranking down from the best to worst. How do you have that at last!?!
I love everything about this show.
“Party House” should really be higher.
For me, it’s Horse Dongs, Honk if you’re Horny, Will Forte, Focus Group, Mature Boyfriend and Spinal Surgery in some order. Everything else is just amusing or meh for me.
Am I the only one who hated “New Joe”? Also, “Pink Bag”, “Which Hand”,”Nachos”, and “Has this ever Happened to You?” got totally jobbed in the rankings.
SNL has this annoying trend of taking a premise or joke 2 minutes past being funny. That’s this show to a T. I really like Tim Robinson but this is awful.
You forgot to add the words “National Treasure” before “Fred Willard”
My favorite part of Baby of the Year is when Richardson just keeps muttering insults even after the “In Memoriam” video starts playing. “Fuckin’ stupid. Asshole.”
Now I’m laughing, the “In Memoriam” part was the only thing that made me laugh in that first ep. When the judge is like “aaaugh god no” when Richardson announces the segment, to the part you mentioned, I watched like 4 times in a row.
Check out his episode of The Characters, also on netflix. the pointer brother sketch is one of the funniest things ive seen in years, Ive re-watched it way too many times. im sure it was a warm up for ITYSL
I wish Netflix produced a second season of With Bob and David.
I can be a Vulture too!Laser Spine Specialists – MOON RIVER ROCK! MOON RIVER ROLL!Has This Ever Happened To You – FART TOILETNew Printer – Patti Harrison gives my favourite performance of the entire show.The Day Robert Palins Murdered Me – I get it! I get why he would think it was okay to sing that song!Baby of the Year – This is the moment Sam Richardson became one of my favourite performers.Both Ways – The perfect way to start this series. It’s absurdity but also so real. I don’t want to make a bad impression on a recruiter!Party House – All. Garfield.Biker Guy – Aww I love the Biker Guys!Instagram – This one is the most standard sketch of the show but it’s still basically perfect.Baby Shower – I love how many layers of the story unfold and reveal themselves in real time.Brooks Brothers – THE OTHER HOT DOG SUIT!New Joe – What a wacky guy!Which Hand – Cecily dominates this one.River Mountain High – It’s the attention level that the students are paying to the teacher’s shirt that sells this.Gift Receipt – Awesome build-up in surrealist storytelling. Perfect supporting performances.Focus Group – STINKY!Bozo – This one felt so real and personal to me.Babysitter – That person is nothing!Christmas Carol – Good effects!Fenton’s Horse Ranch – I like how comforting this concept is to the problem it’s addressing.Wilson’s Toupees – I also love the specificity of the protagonist’s desire.Chunky – I love a skit about people half-assing the planning process.Lifetime Achievement – I love that it’s a team effort to get the video up on the screen.Choking – Very funny but also kinda unpleasant!The Man – Suffers from too much Will Forte, whom I still love, which is why I still like it.Pink Bag – Pretty funny! Not the best.Game Night – I love it but also I hate watching it.Nachos – Also unpleasant but very funny.Traffic – This one goes on a little long, not a great rewatchability score.
I saw most of the first episode, and if that baby sketch is the best thing this show has to offer, I made the right call in turning it off.
Baby of the Year at #1? foh. The funniest thing about it was the included cause of death in the in memoriam but the rest was meh. 3) New Joe2) Focus Group1) Traffic
I can’t believe both ways and pink bag are last. Two of my absolute favorites. And the motorcycle one was funny but.. 7? And spine specialists? And the honking one?! I can’t believe multiple authors were able to agree on the top 10 and put some of the best In the bottom. I want to start a blog just so I can write my own ranking because I can’t believe this one lol
This show is truly not that fucking good.
Baby of the year should absolutely hold the #1 spot. I’m haunted by the possibility that porkins won because of the oral. Spine specialists, focus group, and biker guy I was meh on. Party house and river mountain high need to be bumped up!
Erik Adams’ to save you from future embarrassment, plates aren’t flatware.
I have not seen one second of this show but just looking at the pictures I know its got to be funny. Will be checking it out presently, Detroiters was pretty damn funny.
Baby Shower ranked so much higher than Pink Bag? No way. Watched the whole season 5 times already. Hope there’s more.
Just finished this series. AVClub’s rankings are fucking retarded and so was 80% of this show. Kill yourselves.
This is a terrible list.
I did not agree with this list at all! The baby sketch should be almost last and the nachos or game night sketches should be first and second. The list was incredibly wrong it almost blows my mind. Haha 😕😅
Both ways is such a perfect way to start the show. It’s a top 5.
Too high: Game Night – oh look it’s Tim Heidecker playing Tim HeideckerToo low: Both Ways – brilliant in its simplicity and as a mission statement for the entire series
The joke about him burning his tongue on room temperature gazpacho is an all time classic in my opinion
“It’ll feel like your mouth is on fire.”
Agreed, Both Ways is a top 5 sketch for me
i would have put the order almost exactly backwards.
People, people, my God. There can only be one best sketch, and it’s Robert Palins.
Well seeing Gift Receipt was high on the list as it was the only sketch i found even slightly funny. And the only reason i even remember it was because it had Steven Yeun in it.
Ghost Tour should be top five at least. It’s a perfect exercise in what makes Tim’s character so funny — but then it pulls the rug out from under you and actually gives him some depth in the closing moments. Beautifully done. I’m not done with season two just yet but I have a feeling that sketch is the peak.
What a great idea! RANKING COMEDY!!!!
Fuck off.
“Just body after body busting out of shit wood and hitting pavement.” That sketch is my #1 of the show. Just perfect.
“this world is fuckin’ so fucked up…”
I agree. This one is #1 with a bullet for me, maybe b/c i don’t generally go for “uncomfortable” humor (like The Office or even Curb). I get that the underlying premise of most sketches is “Someone acts a fool and everyone thinks (but never says) “I think you should leave” – but i find myself 10-sec bumping thru sketches like Nachos and Gift Receipt b/c i just can’t take it.That being said: Focus Group, Driver’s Ed, Dan Flashes, the Santa Movie, and several others are all great. I love Santa’s detective’s lame trash-talking “You suck!” And i really dug the idea/execution of the “Prank Show where the star gets super self-conscious and starts questioning the entire concept mid-show”.
I agree. This one is #1 with a bullet for me, maybe b/c i don’t generally go for “uncomfortable” humor Yeah, I usually don’t either, but most of the sketches bridge that gap for me. Only thing I’d change about the Coffin Flop bit would be to end it before the “I’LL KILL YOU.”
The Prank Show skit is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I love this show; my wife won’t let me watch it when she’s in the room.
It’s a funny show, but keep it in your pants.
Thanks for updating this list so I could remind myself how bad this ranking is!!!! And now it’s extra bad!!!!! Just horrible!!!!!!!
I sat through every episode of this….show.
It did not make me laugh, i did not crack a smile.
This isn’t funny.
Obnoxious idiot taking real life stupidity to absurd extremes isn’t humor. At the very most, it’s a warning of what direction the lowest rungs of the american population are quickly heading towards.
This isn’t even cringe humor, it’s just unpleasant.
What the fuck is wrong with you people?
The first three episodes of Season Two are probably my favorite block from the series so far. Episode three of S2 is probably the show at its best with the insanely funny trial sketch serving delivering some huge laughs. That sketch, driver’s ed, Odenkirk’s diner sketch, the Crashmore Q&A, the Dan Flashes store commercial, Corncob TV, and the hot-dog remover should all be in the top-20 (at least.) I feel like this entire list really favors S1 while S2 really seemed more confident and better executed. The way they connected some of the sketches this time (such as the two Dan Flashes bits) was really great.
After being hugely disappointed with the first season i thought i’d give the 2nd a chance. Got 3 sketches into the first episode and turned it off. Coffin Flop? Seriously did anyone think that was funny at all? Buff Boy Parade? Really?
this show is far from funny. I tried 3 times before giving up