Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
This weekend’s Pete Holmes: Face and Sounds stand-up special is an introduction of sorts for HBO. The cable channel will be presenting to viewers the tall, goofy comedian as a way of saying, “Hey! Check out this guy! We hope you like him, because there’s plenty more where that came from.” The question is, will it work?
Pete Holmes is a comedian and host of the popular podcast You Made It Weird, as well as the former TBS late night show, The Pete Holmes Show. You might remember the show that aired after Conan, and ran for two seasons in 2013-2014, equalling 20 weeks and 70 episodes total. The show had a loose version of the familiar structure of many other late night shows: a monologue, albeit one that veered closer to stream-of-consciousness stand-up, comedy bits, and an interview segment. They tried their hardest to capture what works so well on You Made It Weird: Holmes’ ease, openness, dorkiness, honesty, and close friendships with other comedians. Turns out, podcasts aren’t entirely transferable to a visual medium.
It will be interesting to see if another major facet of Holmes’ life will work in sitcom form. His new show, the Judd Apatow-produced Crashing, debuts on HBO in February 2017. Based on the IRL events of Holmes’ ex-wife cheating on him that led him to focus on both his comedy and friendships, the trailer is promising. Objectively, it’s hard to dislike a guy like Holmes. Look at him! He comes off as the kind of guy that wears his heart all over his sleeve, a rarity in both comedy and the year 2016. His goofy faces and sounds (and appropriately titled stand-up specials) are approachable and mostly appealing to a wide audience. One listen to an episode of You Made It Weird and you’ll feel like you know this dude. He could be one of your buddies, or that guy who lived on the same floor in your freshman year dorm. He’s not a dick. He’s charming enough. And he seems to bring positive vibes to any room he enters.
But will the edgy HBO be the right home for his earnestness? Is the channel with Game of Thrones dragons and Westworld orgies and Veep’s pottymouths the place for a guy so…genuine? Will new audiences find him utterly refreshing and relatable? And will longtime fans of Holmes who are familiar with his comedy, particularly that of his failed marriage, find the rehashing entertaining? Will (and should) the things they like about You Made It Weird crossover to Crashing?
The premiere of Faces and Sounds, worth watching for more reasons than just curiosity, will be interesting for Holmes superfans and noobs alike. It’s hard to root against a guy like him, but it’s also proven to be hard to find the right home for his comedy. As we continue to come down from the headbutt of the 2016 election, Holmes’ harmlessness could serve as the perfect antidote to the onslaught of news, even of the comedic variety. Because really, who could possibly turn up the opportunity to listen to a sweet doofus tell jokes about crafts?
