I'm a huge fan of KITH, Mr. Show, and A Bit of Fry & Laurie and I think this show has the potential to end up in that rarified air. The sketches are clever and hilarious and they're not tethered to impressions, recurring characters or current events, which is refreshing.Give these guys time to mature and I think they'll be the next big thing. Only Key and Peele can compete with these guys in terms of quality sketch comedy that is currently in production.I see several negative reviews here which is fine, its not for everyone. What I don't get is why people have to be so over-the-top with their negativity these days! You can just say you don't like. You don't have to call it 'crap' or moan about losing respect for Bob Odenkirk. It ain't that serious folks!

The initial reason that I watched The Birthday Boys was because I heard Bob Odenkirk would appear in there and those who know me know how much I love Bob Odenkirk. It is hilarious. I guarantee you you will laugh. The boys are very good at the comedy. Of course being directed by Bob Odenkirk it was brilliantly shot and the acting was superb. The sketches they had in there were funny too reminded me a little of Mr. Show with Bob and David. I'm presuming its because Bob's genius mind was involved in it somehow. I have been having super withdrawals from Mr. Show with Bob and David and when this came out I was super excited. Thank god it wasn't a let down but then again I didn't think it would be. There isn't very much genius comedy like this around but thank god for Bob Odenkirk is all I can say. 10 out of 10 for this show. Truly genius. I cannot say it enough.

With each episode I see, these talented young men continue to impress me. Their sketches are well written, clever, without resorting to the crutch of vulgarity. These are not one joke sketches like those you see on SNL, either. Rather, they build on the absurdities and clever ridiculous premises established early on, throughout the sketch. Their acting is top notch and I can't wait to see what they will accomplish as they move forward. If you want intelligent comedy that doesn't insult your intelligence, this show is for you. Favorites include the Chistian Youth Group sketch, the roofers, and the beer company sketch. I believe these funny young men met each other at college where they had time to hone their comedic skills. I was fortunate enough to see them perform live on the Comedy Bang Bang tour and they were equally as funny live. I also got a chance to meet most of them, and they turned out to be a bunch of great guys with no egos or attitudes.

I've probably re-written this review 20 times so far and it just gets more and more long-winded each time, so the hell with it, let's do the quick, no-bullshit version.The show's not good. Y'know when you're watching something that's supposed to be funny, and instead of laughing, even inwardly, you catch yourself instead just thinking things like, "Oh, I see how that could be funny. Or could've been. Neat idea. ... K, why haven't we moved to the next sketch yet?" It's not that it's all that bad, even, I mean, I see how it could be funny at times, but in a lot of ways it's so much worse to be disappointing than just flat-out bad. When something is just bad, it doesn't tend to feel like nearly as much wasted potential as something that could've been real damn good.Here's hoping these guys learn to edit their show a lot more objectively in their next season. In the meantime, re-watch Mr. Show if you want some actually funny Bob Odenkirk sketch comedy. Hell, go back further to the Ben Stiller Show, more classic sketch comedy, written, produced by, and actually starring Bob Odenkirk and Ben Stiller (nerd note: Ben is also an E.P. on Birthday Boys); the last few episodes of its lone season still hold up incredibly well something like 20 years later, whereas this...(Truthfully, I'm really sad. I really thought Bob knew how to pick 'em when he got behind Tim & Eric way early, and nearly everyone from Mr. Show is now either a household name or at least seen/heard constantly... This is a very negative review with a very heavy sigh attached to it.)