Comedy Now!
CTV · 1999 · 30 min
A half-hour of surreal nineties stand-up for Canadian television.
Harland Williams doing stand-up in the late nineties is an exercise in controlled absurdity. He relies heavily on bizarre vocalizations, surreal tangents, and a total commitment to odd premises that succeed through his deadpan earnestness.
By 1999, Williams was already a recognizable character actor in American multiplexes, having secured memorable roles in films like Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary. Returning to his native Canada, he filmed this half-hour set for the third season of Comedy Now!, a broadcast showcase on CTV and The Comedy Network. The barebones television format strips away the Hollywood gloss, leaving him on a plain stage to run through the left-field material that originally built his career.
How it plays
- Tone
- Playful, engaging, self-deprecating, and wildly inventive
- On stage
- Uniquely energetic, physically comedic, uninhibited, and playful
- Pace
- Energetic, dynamic, and unpredictable
- About
- everyday experiences, relatable anecdotes
What the critics said
Characterized as a standout showcase of raw comedic talent highlighting his enduring appeal, physical comedy, and improvisational rapport with the crowd
In the room: Williams maintains a playful and engaging rapport with the crowd, actively responding to audience reactions and incorporating them into the act
Backstory
An episode of Comedy Now! (Season 3, Episode 15), the Canadian television showcase series broadcast on CTV and The Comedy Network featuring Canadian comedic talent
Details
- Released
- Runtime
- 30 min
- Where
- CTV
- Director
- Allan Manson
- Topics
- Before
- HBO Comedy Half-Hour (1997)
- After
- Comedy Central Presents (2005)
More from Harland Williams
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Har-Larious
Comedy Central Records · Album
-
Comedy Central Presents
Comedy Central
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