Lewis Black's Root of All Evil: Season 1 (2008)

Lewis Black makes a great snarling curmudgeon of a comedian who gets really worked up about life's idio(syncra)cies. His game-show-like Root of All Evil show pits two comics against each other as they present the "evidence" and contend as if in court as to which one of two things is the "root of all evil." Each comic presents his or her case and then argues it, with ample space for rejoinders and cloy name-calling. Testimony includes recorded street or personal interviews (for example, asking people on the street whether Samuel Adams is more famous for signing the Constitution or selling beer). Next, Black conducts his own whip-smart Q&A before each comic is asked for a "Ripple of Evil" -- a hyperbolic worst-case scenario for how bad things would get if his or her subject got out of control. Finally, Black pronounces judgment as to which of the following pairs are the greater evil: Oprah vs. the Catholic Church ("If Oprah's followers are not a cult, then we don't know what a cult is"), Viagra vs. Donald Trump ("a stiff dick -- and a stiffer dick"), weed vs. beer, YouTube vs. porn, Paris Hilton vs. Dick Cheney, American Idol vs. High School, Kim Jong Il vs. Tila Tequila, and Las Vegas vs. The Human Body. This edgy show makes for fast-paced, exaggerated, snap-crackle-pop comedy. Though some of the crackle falls flat, it's great fun to hear the arguments. Lewis Black's The Root of All Evil is like Jon Stewart's The Daily Show on steroids. Enjoy! 4.5 stars. (6-17-10 posted 7-9-10)