- Michael & Michael Have Issues
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Michael & Michael Have Issues 
Series promotional intertitleFormat Comedy, sketch comedy Created by Michael Ian Black
Michael ShowalterStarring Michael Ian Black
Michael Showalter
Josh PaisCountry of origin United States No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 7 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Michael Ian Black
Michael Showalter
Lou Wallach
Jim BiedermanRunning time 22 minutes Broadcast Original channel Comedy Central Original run July 15, 2009 –
August 26, 2009External links Website Michael & Michael Have Issues (MMHI) was a cable television comedy series starring comedians and actors Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, who created the series. Both comedians appeared together in several TV comedy series, including The State, and Stella. The show premiered on July 15, 2009, on Comedy Central.[1] Showalter and Black confirmed on March 3, 2010 via their Twitter accounts that the show had been canceled.[2][3][4]
Contents
Overview
The series stars Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter playing fictionalized versions of themselves. As stated in a recent New York Times article, "Mr. Black and Mr. Showalter play the bickering stars of a sketch comedy program who never miss an opportunity to undermine each other. In between skits about stores that sell only sweatpants and characters like John the British Fork Offerer, narrative segments chronicle the not-so-fictional frenemies who constantly step on each other’s toes, even in seemingly inconsequential situations like an interview for a high school newspaper or the search for a birthday gift for their producer."[5]
Characters
- Michael Ian Black (Michael Ian Black) – Michael plays a fictional version of himself, as well as a variety of characters.
- Michael Showalter (Michael Showalter) – Michael plays a fictional version of himself, as well as a variety of characters.
- Jim Biederman (Josh Pais) – Producer of the fictional show MMHI. Based on Jim Biederman, one of the producers of MMHI.
- Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) – Pakistani staffer on MMHI.
- Marla Ratner (Jessi Klein) – Associate Producer of the fictional show MMHI.
- Lindsey (Susan Heyward) – Office assistant of Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter.
Other characters
- Episode one
- Greg the Intern (Matt Bennett)
- Jane (Diane Davis) – Michael Showalter's fictional girlfriend.
- Jen Biederman (Jennifer Biederman) – Biederman's wife.
- Christopher Meloni as himself
- Greg the Intern's father (Tom Daddario, comedian)
- Episode two
- Nick (Leo Allen) – An editor on the show.
- Guy in office (Kumail Nanjiani)
- Newswoman (Andrea Rosen) – Newswoman on MMHI News.
- Vanessa (from the fifth floor) – Goes home from Biederman's party with Michael Showalter
- Episode five
- Anna (Grace Helbig)
- Other episodes
- Female Sketch Player (Arden Myrin)
- Michael Ian Black's wife (Amy Spanger)
- Pinecone Guy (Zak Orth)
- Male Sketch Player (Henry Zebrowski)
Episodes
Season 1: 2009
# Title Original airdate Prod. Code 1 "Greg the Intern" July 15, 2009 101 Jealousies flare when Black and Showalter battle for their intern's (Greg) admiration. Sketches: Teenage Abstinence. 2 "Biederman's Birthday" July 22, 2009 102 What to give the boss who has everything? Pot. Sketches: King's Gift, Weatherman. 3 "Matchmakers" July 29, 2009 103 Black and Showalter conspire to play cupid.[6] 4 "Pulling Your Weight" August 5, 2009 104 Black leaves the brunt of the workload for Showalter.[6] 5 "College" August 12, 2009 105 Black and Showalter secure a college gig.[6] 6 "Sh... Bag House" August 19, 2009 106 Showalter proves to be a problematic houseguest.[6] 7 "Frogbox" August 26, 2009 107 Series finale. The guys agree to appear on a competing sketch show.[6] Reception
The series received a mix of good and bad reviews. The Hartford Advocate stated that "With Michael and Michael Have Issues, they've made arguably perfect comedy for the Comedy Central audience, which is basically everyone."[7] Randee Dawn of The Hollywood Reporter commented, "the Michaels have raw material in spades. Thus far, they haven't been able to harness it and make it consistently funny. For now, MMHI's real issue is that it's likely to be just another in a string of missed opportunities."[8] In the Boston Globe, Joanna Weiss wrote, "Black and Showalter work together perfectly..." and "It’s a lot to cram into a measly half-hour, but each part - and each person - makes the other one funnier."[9] IGN gave the first season a 7/10 stating that "it was a good season but never great" and that none of the episodes truly stood out.[10]
Soon after the show was canceled, Comedy Central began airing reruns of the first season, to which Michael Ian Black responded via his Twitter account:
"Apparently Comedy Central is airing my canceled show right now, to which I graciously say, "FUCK YOU, Comedy Central."[11]
References
- ^ "Michael & Michael Have Issues" (Press release). Comedy Central. 2009-02-18. http://www.comedycentral.com/press/series/michael-and-michael-have-issues.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
- ^ Showalter, Michael (March 2, 2010) "To all who were fans of "Michael&MichaelHaveIssues" I can confirm that one week ago Comdy Central cancelled the show.Thanks for watching!". Twitter.com.
- ^ Black, Michael Ian (March 4, 2010) "Now that "Michael and Michael" is canceled, I am seeking employment. What kind of employee discount does the Olive Garden offer?". Twitter.com.
- ^ Modell, Josh (March 2, 2010). "Newswire: Michael & Michael Have Issues canceled". The A.V. Club.
- ^ Itzkoff, David (July 10, 2009). "Friends Who Wish Each Other the Worst". New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/michael-and-michael-have-issues/?ipp=40
- ^ Snyder, Brianna (July 14, 2009). "This Show Is Real Funny". Hartford Advocate. http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=13751.[dead link].
- ^ Dawn, Randee (July 14, 2009). "Michael and Michael Have Issues – TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2010 . http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/michael-michael-issues-tv-review-93351.(subscription required)
- ^ Weiss, Joanna (July 15, 2009). "Michaels play well together". Boston Globe. http://articles.boston.com/2009-07-15/ae/29258630_1_comedy-troupe-michael-showalter-sketch-comedy.
- ^ Krakow, Jonah (August 28, 2009). "Michael and Michael Have Issues: Season 1 Review - A good, not great first season". IGN.com. http://tv.ign.com/articles/101/1019656p1.html.
- ^ Black, Michael Ian (March 4, 2010). "Apparently Comedy Central is airing my canceled show...". Twitter.com. http://twitter.com/michaelianblack/status/9964887058. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
External links
- Michael & Michael have Issues at Comedy Central
- Michael & Michael Have Issues at the Internet Movie Database
- Review & Video interview at ScreenJunkies.com
- Interview with Punchline Magazine
- "Michael and Michael Have Issues, Animals and a New Show" - Interview with PopEater.com
- Article with Time Out New York
- Michael Ian Black Interview with Time Out Chicago
- Michael Showalter Interview with Time Out Chicago
- College Humor Interview with Michael Showalter
- Review at Manolith.com
- Michael Showalter Interview with Cinema Diving
- Michael Ian Black Interview with Cinema Diving
Members TV Series The State (1993-1995) · Viva Variety (1997-1999) · Stella (2005) · Michael & Michael Have Issues (2009)Related articles Categories:- 2000s American television series
- 2009 American television series debuts
- 2009 American television series endings
- Comedy Central shows
- American sketch comedy television shows
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