When I watched the first episode of "Workaholics," Comedy Central's latest television series that premiered on April 6, I thought of nothing but a sausage fest that's all too familiar. This is coming from a girl who often hangs out with a bunch of semi-lethargic wits who, by getting involved in juvenile antics and later talking about them over some weed and Bud Light, flip the bird at the monotonous wheel of life.
What's more dull and monotonous for the men in "Workaholics," played by the unfamiliar faces of Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, and Adam Devine? Life fresh out of college and into an entry job - and boy are they holding strong onto the last patch of grass on the cliff of high times.
The first episode is full of kickers that will engage viewers on various "gotcha" jokes and leave them indignant. Titled "Piss and Shit" (so that you're warned on the impending hilariously crude, low brow humor), the first few minutes introduce a large daytime backyard party full of khaki shorts, bikini, bare skins, and booze-filled Solo cups.
Amidst the wackiness, Anders, 1/3 of the post-college trinity that includes Blake and Adam, receives advice from his roommates that the best way to take part in this newfound communication of "sexting" is to "give back the goods." (Note: even though they're college graduates, they're still interested in the culture of mischievous youth.) A flash of his flesh, click, and "text received" later, a randy Anders realized that his pimping was actually a trap set by his roommates. Not only did the bare skin and the booze encompass the life of the party, so did Ander’s down under.
The premise of the premiere episode stars, yes, the poop and the pee. The three roommates/co-workers come to work after their day of partying with a notification that a company-wide drug test is taking place that day. In panic, the trio spends their work day figuring out how to bypass submitting their own heavily infected urine samples to a villainous drug tester. The well-prepared Anders had his stash of clean urine accidentally smacked out of his hand, so the three scurry the office and a children's playground for plan B and C. To make sure that the episode has a "random" sub-plot, the three pass their time scattering "poo dollars" on sidewalks and streets, cat calling its victims. Can there be any better way to relate a plotline to their intended demographic of your average college/post-college bro?
Kyle Newacheck, the 27-year-old director of the series, lives with two of the main characters, so it's safe to imagine that the brotherly love/hate among the three characters reflect the roommates situations the director has among the main actors. I imagine an exchange of poop jokes and laughter, but the kind that harkens back to the dazed dorm days of college. These poop jokes are a slight intellectual upgrade from the playground sandbox, wearing glasses and with a copy of The Onion in tow. Moments like Anders having clean urine stashed in his drawer escalading to having a stashed urine-related accident will leave viewers in disgust.
Unfortunately the first episode brings nothing new to the comedy table, but instead provides an alternative. It's like if your mom replaces the inimitable roasted turkey with a chicken substitute for Thanksgiving. There's familiarity, it may be pretty good, but you can't beat the originator. Workaholics is the chicken substitute to shows like "Arrested Development," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and "Office Space." It just happens to switch up the conflict of the characters to be fresh out of college and, with difficulty, making the transition from the party life to real life.
But hey, if the viewers like the aforementioned series and wouldn’t mind diving into a similar but equally satisfying alternative, then Workaholics may be the next series on their DVR cue.
New episodes of the series airs Wednesdays @ 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central. Click here to watch the reviewed episode in its entirety.
Photo from LivingfreeNYC.com.
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