Michelle Wolf is a stand-up comedian who may be better known as a writer and correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and more recently for the ‘controversy' she caused when appearing at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Her 19 minute comedy routine garnered quite a lot of criticism, however whether you thought it was funny or not probably depends on which side of the political fence you find yourself on. Either way, it got people's attention which would have been a welcome boost to her brand new late night comedy show that currently airs on Netflix and forms part of it's Original content.
At the time of writing this there have only been seven episodes – they air weekly, and it seems like the show is still trying to figure itself out. There is the usual stand-up at the beginning which is normally a witty take on current affairs before Wolf ventures into either sketches or topical short conversations with well known guests. I haven't quite made up my mind about this show yet. On the up side she is very sharp, brutally sometimes, and appears to be an equal opportunist when it comes to having a go at members of the political elite in the US. She isn't shy about covering topics others have steered clear of and because it's on Netflix she has been given free rein to say whatever she wants without fear of any real retribution. And I do love her mini roasts.
That said, some of the jokes miss the mark so either I just didn't get them or they weren't funny (I really don't know which). The combination of part stand-up, part behind a desk like a talk show host, part conversationalist, part sketch show is a touch awkward. This show is trying to do it all and in the process becomes a master of none – so far. No doubt as the series develops, Wolf will figure out what works best and adapt it which will make for smoother transitions and an overall more enjoyable show. I'll keep watching but it's not up there as a favourite yet. In fact, if you're looking for a decent talk show along these lines, Chelsea Handler is bit more entertaining.
