Featured TV on DVD Review: Crashing: Season 1
August 13, 2017
Crashing: Season 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD and Blu-ray
Pete Holmes writes and stars in this semi-autobiographic TV series about the life of a comic. The show airs on HBO and there were only eight episodes during the first season. It only got through four of those before HBO renewed it for a second season. Clearly they were happy with the results. Will those who don’t have HBO want to check out the show? Is it worth picking up if you’ve seen the show?
In real life, Pete Holmes is a stand-up comic and in the show he plays a fictionalized version of himself while he was first starting out as a stand-up comic. The plot kicks off when he discovers his wife, Jess, cheating on him. He has no where to go, so he does a set and it doesn’t go well. He bumps into Artie Lange and the stand-up comic takes a liking to Peter and decides to help him out. Like Peter Holmes, Artie Lange is playing a fictionalized version of himself, but the fictionalized version is close enough to reality that he is able to impart some real heart-felt wisdom, as well as get Peter punched in the face. In exchange, Artie Lange let’s Peter crash at his place.
That’s the basic setup for the show. Pete Holmes is homeless due to his breakup with his wife and he meets many stand-up comics, like Hannibal Buress, Artie Lange, T.J. Miller, and Sarah Silverman, who help him out and let him crash at their places while he gets back on his feet. There are also more traditional sitcom plots, like convincing his wife to pretend their marriage is solid so his parents don’t find out about their divorce. However, for the most part it is about a struggling comic on the lowest rung of the stand-up comedy world.
I’m of two minds when it comes to Crashing. On the one hand, there are a lot of really great parts in this movie. Pete Holmes gets a lot of heart-felt lessons on stand-up comedy that talk about the downsides of stand-up as a career. I especially like T.J. Miller talking about when you are just starting out and working the open mic circuit, it doesn’t matter if you have a bad night, because you can hang out with the rest of the struggling comics and there’s lots of comradery there. However, once you become big enough to be the only headliner, you travel around the country performing by yourself. You have the success you worked so hard for, but it is a lot lonelier. You rarely hear about this side of the business and it is these moments that elevate the show above your typical stand-up comic sitcom.
On the other hand, there is some Grade A, Top Shelf Cringe in Crashing. Pete Holmes comes across as an affable man trying to find his voice, but that results in some, well, awkward moments in the show. As I’ve gotten older, my tolerance for awkward comedy has gone down. That said, I understand if Pete Holmes was having success in his chosen profession, his interactions with established comedians wouldn’t be nearly as successful. I also fully admit that the Cringe is one of the reasons fans of the show love it. There is certainly an audience for that type of humor.
Extras on the first disc include Pete Holmes talking about some of his favorite comedians who did guest spots on the show, as well as extended comedy bits. Disc two starts with a nearly hour-long stand-up special with Pete Holmes. There are also a couple of shorts on the show and another bit with Pete Holmes talking about one of his favorite guest spots in the season. Overall, there are about 20 minutes of extras, in addition to the stand-up comedy special. Without the special, it would be disappointing. With the special, it’s a good selection of extras.
There are only eight episodes in the first season of Crashing, but the DVD and Blu-ray comes with an hour-long Pete Holmes stand-up special, so if you like his comedy, then it is absolutely worth picking up. If you’ve never seen Pete Holmes do stand-up, but are interested in the stand-up comedy world, then it is worth checking out.
Video on Demand
The Show
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Artie Lange, T.J. Miller, Sarah Silverman, Hannibal Buress, Lauren Lapkus, Pete Holmes