COMEDY: IT'S NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE

Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele in a sketch from "Key and Peele"

There is a great article on CNN.com (which you can read HERE) about the comics behind "Key and Peele" on Comedy Central, Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele. It gives you information on their background and their show.



I would like to focus on the critics of the sketch comedy series, "Key and Peele" say that it doesn't appeal to black audiences because it isn't as edgy as its predecessor, "The Chappelle Show and that it tries to appeal to the, "white liberal" view of a post-racial world."



I've often wondered why as a black culture that we look down upon people that are trying to do something that's funny and that anyone could enjoy. It doesn't have to be racial comedy to be funny. Comedy is something that should not be defined by race, creed, or culture.  



Yes I know that comics such as Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy are Icons in black culture because they attacked taboo subjects like race and sex in a comedic way but why should it be expected of every black or bi-racial comic to do that?


EDDIE MURPHY AND RICHARD PRYOR


We as a culture need to just let comics do their thing and be funny without putting race into the equation. Comics like Bill Cosby and Sinbad are very funny without having to use race or racial themes in their comedy.








BILL COSBY
For the record  Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele are bi-racial men who are funny as hell. As an African-American male I find their show to be very funny.



One of their best skits is about President Obama (Peele) who uses Luther(Key) as an "anger translator" to get his message across. You can see the video HERE.


It seems that Comedy Central and its audience disagrees with the critics of "Key and Peele" as it has renewed it for a second season according to TVBYTHENUMBERS. Key and Peele had the best launch for a series on Comedy Central since 2009 drawing in over 2 million viewers.










It's great to see these men have success as in today's TV marketplace, it's hard to draw in a new audience and keep it. Congratulations to them.





Class Dismissed,
The Professor