Every episode ofThe Eric Andre Showroughly starts the same way: an announcer declares that the show is about to start, followed byEric Andresprintingin from out of frame, leaping onto his desk, and subsequently annihilating the entire set. As the band plays throughout the discordant chaos, Andre lashes out at them, taking out the drummer before firing off guns, shoving raw chickens onto his appendages, simulating acts with mannequins, and finally collapsing into the remnants of his desk chair. A curtain falls behind him, covering the newly-created mess as identical replacements for the set literally fall into view. All this happens before Andre’s co-host arrives, leading directly into the episode’s attempt at a “monologue,” which often consists of off-kilter skits or meme-worthy moments – including Andre unloading a handgun into his co-host.
The Eric Andre Showis not a talk show for everyone. Originally premiering in 2012, the series has now gone on for five seasons, with a sixth due for release in 2023. Featuring celebrity interviews, off-color comedic pranks, and a sense of humor that’s only become more schizophrenic as it’s continued, we have to ask: what exactly gaveThe Eric Andre Showso much staying power?
The Eric Andre Show Is a Nightmarish Parody
The Eric Andre Showis a farcical, surrealist late-night talk show parody starring the titular Eric Andre and former co-host Hannibal Buress. Most episodes follow a standard talk show formula: Andre destroys the set and gives a monologue before we’re treated to 11 minutes of celebrity interviews, jokes, and candid pranks, culminating in a musical performance as the credits roll.
What exactly happens in those eleven minutes, however, is a cavalcade of crazed comedy. The show primarily gets its humor from getting a rise out of people, either by acting completely absurdly, defying societal expectations, or just refusing to act rationally. This can be seen in just about all the show’s pranks. From carrying a bloodied body bag around the streets of New York to pretending to be an escaped slave during a Civil War reenactment to emerging out of a city’s river with concrete shoes and torn clothing, the show’s pranks range from risqué to outright illegal.
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Sometimes, the show even abandons the formula it set up for itself altogether. The episode “Bird Up!” takes a running joke – Andre donning a green morph suit in public – and goes absolutely wild with it, taking over the whole episode with epileptic editing, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it timing, and a special appearance by Chris Rock. The season two finale, “Scott Porter & Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake,” is an indecipherable cacophony of noise, violence, and destruction. Primarily featuring Andre continually destroying everything around him and assaulting various strangers to blaring metal music, the episode rarely takes a second to breathe as Eric creams like a maniac throughout the episode’s entire runtime.
Celebrities Have No Idea What to Expect
Next toAndre’s on-the-street antics, the celebrity interviews are easily the highlight ofThe Eric Andre Show.While the first season relied more on celebrity impersonators spouting non-sequiturs, the show was able to acquire some surprisingly high-profile guests once it jumped to high-definition.
However, unlike a traditional celebrity interview, each appearance is treated like a circus funhouse. The set will often be rigged with various “surprises,” ranging from birds hanging around in the rafters to pyrotechnics hidden in Andre’s desk to unaffiliated actors interrupting the interview for a quick bit. On top of this, the set is viscerally unpleasant to be in – it’ll often be boiling, smell off, or otherwise be unbearable to tolerate after some time.
Every interview featured on the show is condensed from several hours into just a few minutes at most, creating a bizarre, disjointed experience of unrelated tangents, crass remarks, and awkward silences. It’s a fascinating viewing experience, knowing that each guest has no idea what they’re about to experience.
While some celebrities featured on the show, including Jack Blackand Jimmy Kimmel, knew what they were getting into, others weren’t so lucky. A particularlyinfamous interview featuring Lauren Conradwas the closest the show ever got to facing legal troubles. She was the only guest to walk out mid-interview after Eric “vomited” oatmeal onto his desk. Other celebrities, including Steve Schirripa, even get physically agitated by Andre’s antics.
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Some celebrities even play into the madness taking place: John Cena slammed Andre through his desk in one episode, giving him an actual concussion; T-Pain scats over the band’s music while occasionally chiming in; Tony Hawk, Tom Green, and Tyler the Creator even help in destroying the set. Many times, multiple musical performers will often play the show out at once, leading to some hilarious results.
Eric Andre’s Weirdness Makes Amazing Entertainment
In a backward way, the insanity thatThe Eric Andre Showputs out feels more authentic and genuine than any othertypical talk show. There’s no guise that each participant puts on; there’s no shilling of future projects; there’s no means to an end. It’s just envelope-pushing fun, occasionally at the expense of others, mostly at the expense of Andre himself.
Is it the most intelligent form of comedy? Not necessarily. Is it some of the wildest television available? Absolutely. No two episodes are alike, and with widening gaps between seasons, it’s a testament to how hard the production crew works to continually outdo themselves. It’s the type of show that only Adult Swim could air, and seeing as how it’s gone on for more than a decade at this point, let’s hope that it won’t stop anytime soon.
All episodes ofThe Eric Andre Showcan be seen on Hulu. A continuous marathon of the series can also be watched for free on Adult Swim’s official website.
