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The Unexpected Joys of Middleditch & Schwartz
Late last month, Netflix — as they are want to do — added to their ever-expanding lineup of comedy specials with something rarely seen in the world of filmed and produced comedy: a series celebrating long-form improv, Middleditch & Schwartz.
Starring the titular Thomas Middleditch (best known as the lead of HBO’s Silicon Valley) and Ben Schwartz (of Parks & Recreation or voice of Sonic the Hedgehog fame), Middleditch & Schwartz is the end result of literally seeing a live comedy show come together before your eyes. They take a prompt from the audience, ask some questions, and then weave a tale running roughly an hour.
Literally, that’s all they’ve got to go on. And miraculously, it works. Sure, it helps that Middleditch and Schwartz respectively have both been improvisers for roughly two decades each, but each of the three specials is truly funny, and more importantly, truly alive.
A lot of writing has been done in recent memory about the media and content people are using to self-medicate during this pandemic. I’ve mostly tried to avoid the topic on here, so as not to bum folks out, but the secret ingredient of Middleditch & Schwartz is the “third member" of the show. The audience.
The live audience, like you at home, lives or dies based upon how quick Ben and Tommy can be on their feet. If it works, it’s amazing - you want the magic trick to continue. But if it didn’t work, you and the audience both would be completely uninterested. This is how it’s easy to see why no one had really ever brought improv into a properly produced format before. What makes the shows presented here so savvy, however, is that both improvisers are willing to break the fourth wall. They acknowledge their screw ups. They point out in jokes. They’re not afraid to engage when they’ve lost the plot. But more than anything, they keep saying “Yes.“ And in turn, so does the audience.
I went into watching Middleditch & Schwartz looking to laugh and have a good time. I left watching it realizing how much I miss being a part of a live show — as a performer or an audience member — but the joys of their show, if just for 50 minutes at a clip, reminded me of how truly alive a great show can make you feel.
Throw it on. Laugh, hard. Have a great time.
Middleditch & Schwartz is available via Netflix, now.
Tuesday May 5, 2020