The 1/2 Hour News Hour
The 1/2 Hour News Hour
| 18 February 2007 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Reviews
    tdmlundy

    The segments of each show come from recent news items and historical records (ACLU skits based on their court cases come to mind.) Each segment takes a position normally found in reporting from ABC, CBS (sorry to hear Katie Couric is auditioning for Al Jazeera, she should have done the Limbaugh interview and kept her CBS anchor job), NBC, MSNBC, CNN, the LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post ... Insert your "objective" unregistered lobbyist for the Democratic Party "news" source here. The writers then show the holes in these "objective" reports and to the applause of the live audience provide constructive counter point and humor. I'm disappointed to see those who enjoy the drive-by truth deniers can't laugh at themselves. Next time read the disclaimer at the beginning of each show. You can switch to the Cartoon Network until the real fake news is over.

    ... View More
    kapop69

    This show is so awfully amateurish it is agonizingly uncomfortable to watch. What's worse is the overzealous audience who hoot and holler at jokes that are more ideologically pointed than funny. The director compounds this forced laughter and applause during the shows credits when the audience tries applaud and cheer for 2-3 minutes. I feel sorry for the "actors." I know I have seen a couple in other shows on Comedy Central and in TV commercials. They are really hitting rock bottom with this turkey. The worst example of this is Dennnis Miller, whose rapid-fire, arcane references are so beyond the ken of the audience that the timing of their laughter is not in sync with his not-so-funny and very bitter punch lines. What is it with conservativism and comedy? Miller used to be a hoot when his observations weren't such blatant attempts to attack one side of the political spectrum. Like Miller, the conservatives who write for this show are so consumed with trying to score political points against the left that they miss being funny by a long shot. One skit had "God" smiting secular humanist authors (to quote O'Reilly) and the audience not only laughed but cheered as each met their fate. Now who wouldn't find that funny? Good Christian humor, huh? I suppose the kool-aid drinking Fox News die-hards will force themselves to laugh and keep watching but it won't last long. I've watched three episodes and even on a good night this show is worse than a high school comedy routine. As Lewis Black observed, "If this is supposed to be a 'fake' news show on Fox News, shouldn't it be a real news show?" To those faithful acolytes of all things Fox, keep trying to laugh while you cringe inside.

    ... View More
    theVHSrocks

    This is a mildly entertaining fake news that's fun and good for a nice number of laughs, especially if you already are very familiar with the news. Unlike perhaps the Daily Show or Colbert Report, an above average knowing of the news events and things they talk about is probably much more of a requirement towards getting all of the humor, as there are many references that you need to have deeper familiarity with the news and punditry to catch. In fact, this show will probably appeal most to those, who are already fans of Fox News because a lot of it's content reflects items that already are made points on the channel.In terms of how good it is, I'd say 1/3 of the jokes are good, 1/3 of the jokes are okay-mediocre, and 1/3 of the jokes are bad. Okay, I admit, the comedy is slightly worse than that found on the Daily Show and Colbert Report but really not by much. So, it's a fun show, so if you want to see a yes, right-wing fake show, I recommend this one.

    ... View More
    babcl

    Most of this show is laugh out loud funny. Who cares if there is a laugh track, it just makes the show funnier. It is good to have a comedy to watch where the main joke is not the President. Thanks to good ratings, it now has a full season to entertain.It's great the the actors are not easily recognizable. It gives the show the 'local news' type of feel. And, unlike an earlier reviewer, I found the "BO magazine" skit to be fall down funny. I'll bet even Mr. Obama laughed. American television has too long been run by those with a liberal mindset. It's good to see the other side, and I'll keep watching.

    ... View More