TV review: Kevin Hart's new show about stand-up comics has got talent, but lacks X Factor
Hart's new comedy show follows the format of many reality TV talent shows that have come before it
(Netflix) made me laugh out loud. Eventually.
This is pitched as The X Factor for stand-up comedians, with super-comic Hart touring around America to unearth a new talent and give him or her the holy grail of a Netflix special. The first eight minutes are cringingly unfunny, with Hart and his Louis Walsh-style side-kicks trying out some banter before heading off around the US for auditions.
At which point Tata Sherise comes on stage in New York and makes a very funny joke about kidnapping. Then LeClerc Andre comes up and tops that with a joke about polar bears. I could watch sassy New York comedians trying out material all day, but this is reality TV, so we have to sit through a bit of “I want this so much” chat as well.
I was back laughing when Winston Hodges bounded up on stage with a string of thigh-slappers about his sex life. No one has bombed yet, I’m starting to get worried. Surely some one will come up and leave the audience smiling expectantly for five minutes. (There will be some whooping too because this is America, and it’s really easy to get them to whoop.) But instead of showing someone having a nightmare, they take a joke apiece from the next four or five contestants, which means the rest of their set was just smiling with the odd whoop. That’s ok. It’s funny watching someone singing really badly. It’s horrible watching someone failing to raise a laugh.
The next big hit was Usama Siddiquee. Hart was so impressed he ran up on stage to tell him he was through to the next round. I didn’t think Usama was all that, but Hart’s endorsement had the other stand-ups worrying, so it was good for the overall drama.
If you’re a comedy nerd or fancy trying stand-up, this is the show for you. Hart and his Louis Walshes eventually stop the cringey banter and start sharing decent insights on how to make a joke work. It’s an American take on comedy, so there are a lot of jokes about whites and, wait for it, homeless people. Hart even singled out one gag as the best joke he’s heard about homeless people.
Apparently Americans love laughing at homeless people. Who knew?
But that doesn’t take from the genuinely funny comedians on show. It’s not really The X Factor, this is no open mic night down the pub. It’s professional comedians who know how to make people laugh. Hart is engaging and generous, I’m looking forward to the next five episodes. Give it a watch.
