Klepper Maniac

I just set my DVR (which is no longer a TiVo and I'll explain why one of these days) to record Jordan Klepper's new show on Comedy Central. It's called Klepper — which must have taken them months to think of — and it debuts May 9.

I liked Mr. Klepper a lot on The Daily Show and a bit less on his own show, The Opposition. The trouble with the latter was that they had him playing a right-wing nutcase so he was working an area that had already been strip-mined by Stephen Colbert.  And since they ratcheted up the intensity, it made him pretty unpleasant. It's also difficult to parody Alex Jones when Alex Jones is doing such a fine job of that.

Klepper is devoted to field pieces, which Klepper did so well on The Daily Show. These are longer and a much deeper dive into the topics he covers. Advance publicity is stressing that in one, he actually got arrested. In another, he was on a boat that capsized. Say what you will about the guy, he may be the gutsiest person to ever do that kind of thing for television. And when he isn't trying to do Alex Jones, I find him pretty funny. I hope I like this show.  It looks so promising.