The Comedians – "The Red Carpet" Retrospective. The Olaf Call.

Season 1, Episode 3

Air Date: Thursday, April 23, 2015, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“We’ve taped two shows. We have fired two directors. They’re freaking out.” – Billy

<i>The Comedians</i> – "The Red Carpet" Retrospective. The Olaf Call. 1

Shopping with Billy.

When both Billy (Billy Crystal) and Josh (Josh Gad) are nominated for a Kids Critics Award, the studio decides sending the two stars together is the best way to promote the upcoming premiere of “The Billy and Josh Show.” But when the two take a detour on the way to the ceremony, will it put the future of the show in jeopardy?

Despite being the third episode in the series, “The Red Carpet” is one of two episodes shown in an advance screening last month at SXSW in Austin, Texas along with the pilot. It’s no surprise why; it’s hilarious.

Originally, I wanted to see more scenes involving head writer Mitch (Matt Oberg) but as the series progresses, I’ve come to appreciate how the writers use him sparingly. For example, Billy and Kristen (Stephenie Weir), the show’s producer, are admiring the gift basket Josh received when Mitch walks in, looks at the accompanying card, and says,

Mitch: “Hey Josh, you sent this?”

Josh: “No, no, I think my agent did.”

Mitch: “No, the card says sent by Jos…”

Josh: “My agent sent it. My agent sent it!”

The exchange is so subtle, it’s easy to miss. In some ways, Mitch’s role becomes a punchline as he then fades into the background until Josh, Billy, and Kristen leave to make a conference call and unknowingly shut the door on him.

THE COMEDIANS -- "The Red Carpet" Episode 102 (Airs Thursday, April 23, 10:00 pm e/p) -- Pictured: Denis O'Hare as Denis Grant. CR: Byron Cohen/FX

Will he pull the plug on the show?

Part of what makes this mocumentary appear real is FX’s willingness to poke fun at its image. While Denis Grant (Denis O’Hare) plays the fictitious president of the FX Network, it’s the posters for The Americans, Married, The Strain, and other FX shows that provide a sense of authenticity.

The conference call, as Grant sits there listening to Gad, Crystal, and Kristen, is hilarious. Everything, from the timing of the dialogue to how the scene is edited, works on every level and is what makes The Comedians so funny. It’s the subtle comedy from something as simple as Esme (Megan Ferguson) with her hands full of grocery bags as Crystal waits for her to open the door for him that makes The Comedians stand out from other comedies.

The biggest laugh of “The Red Carpet” comes during a great will he/won’t he moment that is quickly answered by the expression on Crystal’s face and is absolutely priceless. By using their real names instead of fictional characters, there are some risks doing a scene like this but I give Crystal and Gad credit for running with it. What do you think? Does the way Crystal and Gad come across in “Red Carpet” change how you view them?

Taking a break to have some Ice Cream.

I could spend hours writing about how funny the supermarket scene is. Josh sums it up perfectly when he says, “You really haven’t been to a supermarket until you’ve been to a supermarket with Billy Crystal. And my sense is that Billy Crystal hasn’t been to a supermarket in a long, long time.” I would love to know how much of the scene is scripted and how much is improv as everyday items become props for the two comedians. I don’t know about you but I’d watch an entire hour of just Billy and Josh wandering the supermarket.

The kid in me loves how “The Red Carpet” acknowledges the two stars are also the voices behind Mike Wazowski (Crystal) from the Monsters Inc. films, and Olaf (Gad) from Frozen. We say it all the time when we see someone on television —“Hey, that’s the guy from…” To have The Comedians acknowledge the stars’ roles in other movies adds a little fun to the show. While it’s just a schtick in “The Red Carpet,” I wonder if Gad has ever used his Olaf voice to get out of trouble.

Of the nine episodes of The Comedians I’ve screened so far, “The Red Carpet” is one of my favorites. The only thing keeping me from awarding it a perfect five stars is, once again, the skits in ‘The Billy and Josh Show’ continue to be The Comedians’ weakest link. I’m fine with the raunchy dialogue but bits like the Anthony Bourdain skit with the projectile vomit feels juvenile, a level the writers shouldn’t stoop to given the comedic talents of Crystal and Gad.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “The Red Carpet.”

Tune in to The Comedians Thursdays at 10:00 pm ET/PT, only on FX.

Visit the show’s website at http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/the-comedians.

Looking for The Comedians on social media? Follow these links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheComedians

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecomediansfx/

Tumblr: http://thecomediansfx.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecomedians

You can also follow the cast on Twitter: Josh Gad, Billy Crystal, Dana Delany, and Megan Ferguson.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.