Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: "TV Funhouse," Animation
Likes: "SNL," Rob Smigel
Dislikes: Current "SNL" lineup
Hates: Safe comedy

The Show
No matter how lame the guest host is, no matter how dull the musical guest is, no matter how bad the sketches are, it's all but certain that the TV Funhouse segment is going to be good. Along with Brian Regan, it's the closest you can get to a sure thing in comedy.

So strip out the host, the band, and the sketches, and you're left with over 70 minutes of animated and offensive comedy that represent the heights "SNL" could reach with some effort. As it is, it's one hell of a good time, and the best of the show's recent years.

Why it's so good is why the show it's seen on struggles: there are no rules when it comes to the lampooning. Sure, some of the targets are safe picks, like George W. Bush, Michael Jackson and Osama Bin Laden, but it's the way the jokes arrive that makes the segments. Repositioning Jackson as a "Top Cat"-like cartoon character and going above and beyond infollowing through on it, makes for a brilliant and disturbing show.

There's a big difference between edgy and being over the top, and much of the difference lies in the message. If TV Funhouse was nothing more than rude jokes and potty humor, it would be meaningless and forgettable, but the pointed jabs at targets like the celebrity reaction to 9/11 in "The Narrator that Ruined Christmas", or the brilliant observation on race in "Find the Black People at the Knick Game" make more of an impact than the rest of "SNL" could hope to.

Of course, TV Funhouse isn't an editorial cartoon, so there's plenty of pure silliness, like the Anna Nicole Smith/Smurfs mash-up "The Smurfette Show" or the ridiculous "Anitominals" cartoon. None are as silly as the Ambiguously Gay Duo cartoons. Voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell, these superheros trade in innuendo and play off the homoerotic theories about Batman and Robin, make all those around them uncomfortable. Though the episodes are very formulaic, they are always funny, in large part due to the great voice work by Colbert and Carrell. The visual parody of old cartoons, a staple of TV Funhouse, is simply excellent, right down to the quality of the image.

While the sharp observations and out-there comedy are what TV Funhouse is known for, its possibly best-known segment is a jab at televangelists that ends with a poignant reference to Rob Smigel's favorite cartoon. It's absolutely touching, but it's followed by a cartoon that explores the Peanuts' kids quasi-mystical powers, which shows that nothing is safe from TV Funhouse's jokes. That's why it's so good.

The segments:

Are You Hot?
Rather dated at this point, but it's funny to see cartoons rated on their sexiness, including Popeye, Droopy Dog and Dagwood. It's a relatively weak bit in comparison to the rest of the special, but it's probably the only show open done by TV Funhouse.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Monologue
Ace and Gary act as hosts of the special, starting off a running series of innuendo jokes about Jimmy Fallon. They are more cute than funny.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Blow Hot, Blow Cold
Ace and Gary take on an ice monster and the idea that they might be gay. This was probably the first appearance of Ace and Gary, and sets up every ambiguous joke to follow.

Fun with Real Audio: Bush Dress-Up
Using George W. Bush's crowd-appeasing speeches as a theme and playing off his flight suit/"mission accomplished" photo op, the cartoon puts him in a variety of costumes designed to appeal to specific crowds. A hilarious parody of Bush's pandering.

Bambi 2002
The first of several Disney parodies, it his on the recent bastard sequels of classic Disney films and the company's vault marketing scheme. Good stuff for Disney fans and haters.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Interstitial
Ace and Gary meet Chris Parnell and Maya Rudolph.

Saddam and Osama
What starts as a kid's cartoon parody about the two maniacs expands to become a parody of an Islamic kids network. The anti-American/Jew viewpoint is hysterical, but it's the audience's nervous reaction that's most interesting.

Sexual Harrassment and You
Fred Armisen, Tom Brady, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler star in a live-action take-off of old educational films. It's pretty good and makes a good point about how mostly unattractive people get accused ofharassment.

Fun with Real Audio: Presidential Address Outtakes
As Bill Clinton talks about the Monica Lewinsky controversy, he deals with several distractions, including Ken Starr, much baby batter and the ghost of Richard Nixon. Funny, but very dated.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Interstitial
Rachel Dratch gets a visit from the boys.

Michael Jackson
The infamous pop star is recast as a goofy cartoon character in the mold of Hanna-Barbera's animal stars. Disturbing, ridiculous and perfect.

Journey to the Disney Vault
Two youngsters visit the vault and find out what secrets the company is hiding in there with the out-of-print DVDs. An example of TV Funhouse's twisted genius.

The Smurfette Show
This parody works well if you remember the Anna Nicole Smith show. Otherwise, you'll have to settle for the dead-on Smurf parody.

The Narrator Who Ruined Christmas
A parody of the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials is a perfect skewering of celebrities' reaction to 9/11. It might have been too fresh at the time, and might not have the right context now, but it's still very well-done.

Fun with Real Audio: Televangelists
Jesus Christ reacts to clips of TV ministers using his name to fund raise, push agendas or generally piss him off. It ends on a touching note, as he finds a show that gets it right.

Peanuts
The kids find they have special powers and put them to good use. Very funny, but too short (see the extras for the full clip.)

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Interstitial
In the wardrobe room with Armisen, Poehler, Seth Myers and Darrell Hammond.

Divertor
A superhero parody of how government distracts the public from the real problems in the world.

Find the Black People at the Knick Game
A fantastic comment on race and baksetball, done in old "Sesame Street" style. Look for cameos by Horatio Sanz and Tracey Morgan.

Belated Black History Moment
Dennis Haysbert hosts a retrospective of black cartoon history. This is one of the longest TV Funhouse bits ever and one of the most surreal, with adventure cartoons based on "Driving Miss Daisy" and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Easily the best sci-fi cartoon parody featuring an African choir...ever.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Interstitial
Tina Fey breaks bad news to the guys, which hurts Jason Sudekis and Andy Samberg.

Christmas for the Jews
A claymation music video for a Motown-style Christmas song about what happens while the Christians are celebrating. Another example of TV Funhouse's great claymation bits.

The All-New Adventures of Mr. T
Mr. T and his teen squad try to find T some acting work and spread his gospel about drugs, school and milk. A silly and fun segment.

X-Presidents: Constitution
The concept is so simple, its brilliant. The last few presidents, bored with post-White House life, band together to use their powers for bipartisan good. Political comedy mixed with superhero parody makes for a good time.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Safety Tips
Another adventure with questionable sexuality and kids safety. Probably not the best mix.

Fun with Real Audio: Early Show
Using a Bryant Gumbel "Survivor" interview to show Gumbel's frustration with his place in life is very morbid fun.

Fun with Real Audio: John McCain
McCain lowering himself to introduce George W. Bush give the animators plenty to work with in building an Apocalypse Now joke.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Interstitial
Samberg and Sudekis get to know Ace and Gary better.

Shazzang
An excellent imitation of a genie adventure cartoon explores the dark side of wish fulfillment and lame puns. Black comedy in bright colors.

The Anitomicals
The Yogi Bear parody is ridiculous and funny, focusing on cartoon sex organs, but the laughs aren't as fulfilling as your usual TV Funhouse bit.

Ambiguously Gay Duo: Wrap-Up
The running joke comes to a satisfying end.

The DVD
The one-disc release is packed in a standard keepcaese, with a promotional insert. The DVD has a static full-frame main menu, with options to watch the show, select scenes and watch the extras. The box says there are English SDH subtitles, but I couldn't get them to work if they are there. There are no audio options and no closed captioning.

The Quality
The look varies depending on the age of the cartoon and the quality of the source material being parodied, but for the most part the collection is solid. The only negative is during the first Ambiguous cartoon, when the thin lines are pixelized harshly. This looks to be a problem with the actual animation, not the disc. Color is very good across the board, and there is no dirt of damage.

The audio is delivered as a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, which is center-strong, and very clean. This is average TV sound, and won't disappoint if you expect it to be your average presentation.

The Extras
25 additional cartoons are available on this disc, including two cartoons seen at their original length (Bush Dress-Up and Peanuts Christmas), three more Ambiguously Gay Duos, three X-Presidents, and six Fun with Real Audio segments. The additional miscellaneous cartoons aren't among the show's best, though the inclusion of the awesome "Conspiracy Theory Rock" is much appreciated, along with the Disney parody "Ray of Light," about football player Ray Lewis being at the scene of several cartoon characters' murders. What isn't appreciated is the lack of a play-all option.

A show-length audio commentary is a great extra, featuring 19 participants, including Rob Smigel and J.J. Sedelmaier, Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell, James Carville and Paul Begala, Tracey Morgan, Bryant Gumbel, Al Franken, Mickey Mouse, Yogi Bear and "Lorne Michaels, and several members of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Participants come in and out of the track, like a bizarre talk show hosted by Smigel. Though the chat isn't focused on the usual behind the scene talk, there's plenty of interesting info, including a bit about Chris Parnell that I hadn't heard before (though many probably have.) As expected, Colbert and Carrell are the most entertaining part of the track.

Also found here is an animated storyboard for an episode of The Ambiguously Gay Duo that fans might find interesting. It's not the most exciting extra though.

On the Hunt
There's at least one Easter Egg here, which is a popular animated sketch that's been on some other "SNL" DVDs. It's also pretty easy to find.

The Bottom Line
There's very little on "SNL" that can match the comedy in TV Funhouse, though admittedly, they do about one sketch each week. It truly is a case of quality over quantity. The collection of sketches is good, but hardly complete, as plenty of "Fun with Real Audio" segments aren't included. Despite that, this DVD is well-worth picking up, thanks to the amount of material on it, including some nice extras. This is the kind of DVD you can revisit again and again.

Follow him on Twitter

*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.