For #WebSeriesWednesday week two I followed a sketch comedy series called The Big Time Show. The series follows two aspiring entertainers – a musician and an actor, as they move out to LA to stay with a rather shady character named Doctor J.

The show has a very ‘Flight of the Concords’ vib to it – without the added bonus of the characters being from New Zealand. The two shows share a similar ‘quest for success’ theme, where everyone is failing – the only difference being that our characters here are not actually talented. In fact they are really the opposite of talented.

The videos in the series are divided up based on sketches essentially, rather than episodically. I kind of enjoy this method, at least for this type of series. There is not too much in the way of plot – in traditional sketch comedy style – and this means viewers have to be ready for virtually anything in upcoming videos.

This format is perfect for youtube distribution. The videos are short, and centered on just a few very simple, but quality jokes. This makes them easy to digest – and the 40 minutes or so of content just breezed past – I did not even realize the show was about to end, which is great. While watching I found myself occasionally going back and watching certain parts again – the jokes are fast and quality, I had to experience some over again.

For a show that is seemingly improvisational in nature there is a lot of clearly well planned writing that runs through these videos. One of my favorite moments is during a sequence that shows Dave’s three consecutive audition failures. He is told by the director that he is sooo bad that a random bum off the street could do better – cut to a random bum off the street (with a Johnny Appleseed sack on a stick look) absolutely nailing the part.

If you are a fan of sketch comedy you will love The Big Time Show. And with the promise of new videos coming up in August, The Big Time Youtube channel is certainly one to watch. 

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