Catch all of this week’s must-see TV shows on Comcast Cable!
It’s the rare television talk/variety show that breaks boundaries — a show such as Saturday Night Live or Late Night with David Letterman — but Comedy Bang! Bang!, now in its second season, has earned its place in that pantheon. Sure, each half-hour-long installment includes the requisite skits and interviews, but comedian Scott Aukerman presents them in such an offbeat manner that watching this show is like watching a new art form taking shape. The interview questions are improvised and often veer into bizarre terrain, and the sketches are truly inspired and slightly deranged. For example, on the episode entitled “Zoe Saldana Wears a Tan Blouse and Glasses” — which airs Friday, August 16 at 10 p.m. EST on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) — bandleader Reggie Watts switches jobs with a police officer; the results are both surprising and sidesplitting.
By the way, Comedy Bang! Bang! began life as a podcast, as did another current IFC comedy series, Maron.
For an entirely different TV viewing experience, check out AMC’s Breaking Bad from 9 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, August 18. After this episode, only six new episodes of this groundbreaking series remain. Breaking Bad chronicles the exploits of Albuquerque high school science teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Facing terminal cancer, White begins manufacturing methamphetamine to provide for his family. In the process, White devolves morally from a beloved educator to a criminal monster known as Heisenberg. This program is haunting in its implications and heart-stopping in its suspensefulness. It’s truly American in style and attitude, yet at the same time it often evokes ancient Greek and Shakespearean tragedies. And Bryan Cranston’s performances, week to week, just about represent perfection in the craft of acting.
Of course, if you watched Breaking Bad on August 11, there’s probably no way you’d miss the August 18 installment, given the cliffhanger ending. Last week, Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), a drug enforcement agent and Walter’s brother-in-law, confronted Walter and asked him point blank if he is Heisenberg.
