I'm not making fun of the past winners. Really, i'm not. They're talented and even occasionally funny. But success on LCS is not what will make Tommy Johnagin a successful stand-up. He's good, and he was already getting the attention of the right people. Even if he's eliminated next week, I expect he'll be fine. And Williamson, and Fortune Feimster, and Michael Vecchione will also be fine (or at least Vecchione will be once he gets a site away from MySpace. C'mon Mike! They're about to tear it down!) Their acts are better than what NBC is willing to show on this little cavalcade.
So watching LCS outcomes too closely as a test and display of comedic skill is kinda like following Survivor as a test of Navy Seal prowess, or American Idol as a test for religious icons. You have to step away from the title a bit. Sure, Star Search gave us Sam Harris, Sawyer Brown and Sinbad. But do those good deeds excuse the show for giving Tiffany the shaft with a mere 2nd place finish in the finals? You know what, America? I blame you.
We need to keep a few things in mind with these shows. We can blame NBC for the editing and image massaging that nudges voters one way or the other. Did anyone else notice James Adomian suddenly sprouting facial hair between doing his backstage banter and coming out for his set? I'm even pretty sure many of the audience reactions—laughter, groans, and cricket chirps—are planted. And a laugh track was enough to convince some of you that Suddenly Susan was funny, so we know it works. But the final rounds, where it's all viewer votes, do say something about who's watching TV. And just like I would never let my grandmother choose my date to the prom, I can't expect to be happy with her choice for best stand-up. And I can't really blame NBC if I agree that Nana gets a vote.
It's the early rounds where we can really hold the suits accountable. This shouldn't be a surprise to Sasso, at Shandeh.com, who comments on Greg Giraldo's tell-tale expressions when the finalists were announced:
That look, confirmed my suspicions that the producers of Last Comic Standing are backstage pulling all the strings.
Ya think? Another clue might have been the second season when Dan Naturman didn't make it to the finals and two judges, Drew Carey and Brett Butler did a lot of complaining on camera, and little math on their notepads, and finally claimed no one told them the producers had final say. (Carey has said that the 3rd judge, Anthony Clark, was also upset, but I don't remember Clark saying anything obvious on camera.) When producers are also agents, the similarity between the contestant list and client list shouldn't shock anyone. Sure, it's called a competition. But the reward isn't just money, it's also a talent deal. They're looking for a nationwide vote to decide what they themselves normally decide based on personality, demographics, advertising potential, and if there's room for it, talent. The early weeding out isn't a scandal. It's how the business works. The closing credits tell us that in the early rounds the producers and NBC have a say in each contestant to advance. So the nationwide vote is just an enormous focus group. With more power than most focus groups. Before they give up that much power, the executives have to make sure the pool is safely made up only of people that they have OK'd.
This is not a hidden agenda. They want someone they can work with. And besides, do we really need the best stand-up to win? Does the arc of a great career really have to go through that board room? I'm not saying that any comedian with a development deal is a sellout. A comedian that wants to sit at the table and take corporate's advice—or obey corporate's commands—can do so and still turn out amazing work. Seinfeld took a seat at that table then gave us one of the best sitcoms ever. He took chances. He laughed at Susan dying. He said that Whatley's jokes about Jews were OK as long as they were funny. He gave Corbin Bernsen a cameo. Those things take balls. But was The Toy really what we all had hoped for Richard Pryor? Was that the success he deserved? Really?
Sure, I would have thought that a cute and quirky kid like Taylor Williamson would be what the producers want. But now am I rooting for the network to find their pony? Or in Felipe Esparza's case, their burro?
Well, if you're looking for some simple and direct and helpful coverage of LCS, I recommend reading Sean L. McCarthy's posts at The Comic's Comic. He tells you what happened without intrusive spin, while his take on it is nicely present thru his careful tone. I'll be checking in over there regularly.
In the meantime, watch the show and appreciate the good jokes. Because there are many. Just don't hope for much more for each comic than that their sets go well and they don't make fools of themselves offstage.
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