The show, for the uninitiated, is sort of a “Mystery Science Theater 3000� for the jock set. The basic concept is that comedians (and identical twins) Randy and Jason Sklar watch tapes of old, bizarre sporting events and mock them. Actually, the shows they watch can be considered “sporting events� in only the loosest of terms. I’m talking things like spelling bees, celebrity fishing tournaments and scrabble tournaments.
It’s pretty basic and definitely goofy, but it’s hilarious mostly due to the Sklars, the funniest twins since…hmmm. I don’t know how to finish that. Twins aren’t usually funny.
At any rate, the two bless the show with their rapid-fire witticisms. For instance, this week’s episode showed clips from the “1999 Ultimate Heavy Athletics� event, which featured men in kilts throwing heavy objects. An easy target, sure, and sometimes the boys’ jokes were a little obvious (“Full kilt ahead!�). But they can be sophisticated and literate, too. When an all-lowercase graphic popped on screen, one of the boys shouted “Graphics by e.e. cummings!� (You can hear the exclamation points in all the boys’ jokes). Funnier still were their quips about a hurling match in Ireland (“This feels like a game you’d make up while in prison,� they scoff).
And I love the little mockumentaries that occasionally pepper the shows. Last week’s episode, which showed clips from a junior putt-putt tournament, had a classic bit about a pair of putt-putting brothers -- one of whom walked off the putt-putt course in his youth during a strike, the other of whom acted as a scab. The latter brother was played by the always brilliant Patton Oswalt of “King of Queens,� who perfectly captured the arrogance of a former kid athlete (“Sanctioned strike player,� he haughtily corrects an interviewer at one point. “Not scab. Sanctioned strike player.�)
Yeah, I guess the parallels to Mystery Science Theater are a little too strong (one episode even featured the MST3K gang mocking the Sklars’ mocking. Whoa, heavy). But I actually like “Cheap Seats� better. For one thing, at a half-hour long, it’s shorter and tighter than MST3K, so it’s easier to digest. Also, “Cheap Seats,� though it’s been on for several seasons, hasn’t quite caught on in the mainstream, so no one’s sick of it yet. That’s why I’m reluctant to persuade people to watch it. What if it gets really popular and loses its outsider appeal? Well, I’ll risk it. The show is just too darn funny to miss.
“Cheap Seats� airs every night at 10 p.m. on ESPN Classic, with a new episode on Mondays. That same episode re-airs on Thursdays, so if you missed the hurling and the men in kilts, be sure to catch it this Thursday at 10 p.m.
A Brief Aside: I'd be remiss if I didn't take a minute mourn the sad passing of former SNL star Charles Rocket, 56, found dead of an apparent suicide last week near his home in Connecticut. Rocket was probably best known for uttering an obscenity on SNL, which led to his dismissal, but to me, he'll always be Richie, David's flaky but lovable brother on "Moonlighting." It's sad to see yet another SNL player succumb to personal tragedy. My thoughts go out to loved ones and fans alike.