Comedy Central
It’s Amy Schumer’s world, we’re all just living in it. No, really, the world that Schumer puts on the small screen thanks to her Comedy Central series Inside Amy Schumer may be hilariously weird and over-the-top, but it’s also a pointed reflection of the one we (her, you, me, us) actually live in, even if it’s not always funny in real time. (The show, however, is definitely funny in real time). Thankfully, Schumer’s show is also a reflection of her own worldview and voice, one that’s not afraid to shine a light on the worst human behaviors and prejudices and turn them into something that’s amusing and educational.
Comedy Central has already released a clip from the show’s upcoming third season premiere that memorably (and musically) shows off the razor-sharp and culturally astute humor waiting for Schumer’s fans when the show kicks back up again later this month, a little ditty known as “Milk, Milk, Lemonade.” The song sketch marks the series’ first attempt at a music video (but not the last, as we learned during the show’s Tribeca Film Festival panel this weekend), and it’s a fun and fizzy entree into Schumer’s brand of smart. It’s telling that “Milk, Milk, Lemonade” is the very first segment of that premiere episode – it plays even before the show’s opening credits – and one that might serve as a snappy way to familiarize Schumer newbies. And that’s good, because everyone needs to be watching Inside Amy Schumer, and it’s not too late to start.
Schumer and some of her creative team – including Ryan McFaul, Jessi Klein, Kim Caramele, Dan Powell, and Kevin Kane, an impressive array of writers, producers, and even its main director – brought the season three premiere to Tribeca on Sunday afternoon for a special screening and post-viewing panel. Even before Schumer showed her face (on the screen or in person), the large screening room at Spring Studios was buzzing with Schumer love. “Milk, Milk, Lemonade” was a home run before its opening lines were even out of Schumer’s mouth (or, perhaps a touch more accurately, before the first butt was twerked on screen). “Milk, Milk, Lemonade” is a definite crowd-pleaser (and Comedy Central’s decision to push it out early was an excellent move), but it’s also a nifty bit of commentary on the world’s current obsession with butts (as Schumer termed it later, the current “ass boom”) that encourages its audience to both laugh and think.
That’s Schumer’s sweet spot.
The episode is a treasure trove of topics that are currently resonant and deserving of some major skewering, including bits on women being forced to ask everyone’s opinion (well, every man’s opinion) on if birth control is right for them, Schumer’s thoughts on May/December romances, and a stand-up piece about the weird way men and women’s feelings about sex are portrayed in most mainstream movies (mostly, with dudes liking it and gals preferring to fold laundry instead).
But the episode really sings (and, frankly, zings) when it buckles down on two larger segments: a send-up of Friday Night Lights called Football Town Nights that features Schumer and guest star Josh Charles adorably aping FNL while also addressing rape (if anyone can address rape in the guise of an FNL parody, it’s Schumer), and another guest star-heavy section (no spoilers here, though Schumer and company did feel free to share that it was guest-directed by Nicole Holofcener, which may come with a hint or two) that pokes fun at Hollywood’s obsession with deciding when a starlet can no longer be considered sexually desirable (the term “last fuckable day” is thrown around with great regularity). It’s hot button, but without any cheap “hot take” trappings.
These are real world issues – our world issues – but Schumer knows how to make them both humorous and bruising. You’ll laugh at these segments, but once the giggling wears off, Schumer’s audience will likely find themselves thinking about the darker elements they expose and portray. And the next time they encounter them in person (in the real world), they’ll at least be harder to ignore.
The rest of the season sounds similarly toned and aimed, as Schumer and her team revealed a few upcoming segments to look forward to, including a Bill Cosby-themed bit (“Cosby Court”) that will pop up in the third episode, that other music video (which is a send up of boy band jams that’s also about the myth of “natural beauty”), and an episode-long gag that involves Schumer directly addressing those who are critical of her looks. Based off 12 Angry Men, it’s the only episode that Schumer co-directs this season, but one that sounds indelibly Amy: a group of twelve, presumably angry men (including a mess of guest stars, including Jeff Goldblum, John Hawkes, and Dennis Quaid) battle it out, not to decide if someone is guilty of murder, but if Schumer is attractive enough to be on television.
Sounds painful, right? But also, perhaps, painfully funny? Yup, that’s Schumer’s sweet spot (and damn if she didn’t sound nothing but amped for the world to check it out).
Inside Amy Schumer’s third season premiere hits Comedy Central this Tuesday, April 21 at 10:30PM.
Related Topics: Tribeca
