When it comes to bizarre and surreal programming, few production studios have perfected the genre quite like Abso Lutely Productions. Founded by Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Dave Kneebone; Abso Lutely is responsible for some of the best and most unorthodox shows from the past several decades. The shows under the Abso Lutely umbrella are typically some of the best shows on Adult Swim, but they have also been shown on other networks such as Netflix and Comedy Central. Today, we are taking a look at just a few of the zany series produced by Abso Lutely Productions.
7 Nathan For You
Nathan Fielder is an actor/comedian who also has a business degree. He decided to put this degree to good use in the Comedy Central show Nathan for You. In it, Nathan plays a fictional version of himself who looks to help struggling small businesses succeed. He does this by offering outlandish advice and strategies that almost always fail. Nathan used much of his real-life experiences in the show, which gives it a realistic feel.
A key point of Nathan's character, as well as in his real life, is social anxiety. He attempts to overcome his anxiety but fails when he comes off as awkward and unknowing. This show has been claimed by many as one of the best shows in recent decades and has a large fan base. The show is funny, sweet, and meaningful, but most of all it is entertaining. This is one of the more grounded Abso Lutely shows, yet it is still one of the best. Fielder is creating a new series for HBO, and it is likely to be just as entertaining.
6 Tom Goes To The Mayor
Tom Goes To The Mayor stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, two of the founders of Abso Lutley and the faces of the studio. This animated series follows a man named Tom as he offers ideas to the inept mayor. The Mayor usually alters the ideas and causes them to horribly backfire. The show is animated in a playfully crude way — photos are taken of the actors making various facial expressions. These photos are then filtered through Photoshop to give them a photocopier effect.
Tom Goes to the Mayor originally started as a web cartoon on Tim and Eric's website. The show caught the attention of Bob Odenkirk (after Tim and Eric sent a tape to his home, with an invoice), who pitched the cartoon as a series for Adult Swim. The show is a precursor to Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and features elements that would be mainstays of the later show.
5 Comedy Bang! Bang!
Late-night talk shows have been one of the most popular forms of entertainment for decades. Many satirical talk shows have aired to spoof this phenomenon, but few have had the same tone as Comedy Bang! Bang! The show was created and hosted by Scott Aukerman and was based on his podcast of the same name. The show mocked late-night television and featured Aukerman as he performed mock interviews with various people. The guests sometimes featured celebrities playing themselves, but they were mostly various characters. The show had a surreal feel to it, including various inanimate objects that would talk. The show aired on IFC and was a massive hit with viewers. Comedy Bang! Bang! ended in 2016 after five seasons.
4 Tim And Eric's Bedtime Stories
Taking the absurd surreal comedy Tim and Eric are known for and putting it into a horror anthology TV series similar to Tales From The Crypt is a match made in bizarre heaven. Airing for two seasons on Adult Swim, Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories was an anthology series with episodes containing a horror tale. The show was a slight departure from the duo's more popular Awesome Show but still had the same humor. The episodes dealt with some heavy horror themes with a splash of ridiculous humor, and was hit or miss with many fans, but the consensus was positive. As of now, there are no plans to bring the show back for a third season, making this a short-lived but memorable show in Abso Lutely's filmography.
3 The Eric Andre Show
It is no surprise that one of Adult Swim's most popular shows was produced by one of their most prolific studios. The Eric Andre Show is made to spoof low-budget public access talk shows. The show features outlandish interview segments with celebrities and other personalities. The catch is, that these guests have no idea what to expect. Many agree that the best parts of the show follow Eric as he does public pranks and interviews random people on the streets, filled with outrageous moments.
The show was co-hosted by Hannibal Buress up until the fourth season. Hannibal is a sort of straight man, calling out Eric's antics in a deadpan manner. Eric Andre has stated that he intended each season to be tonally different from each other, which led to each season having some sort of hook that would last throughout. While the show is short on some of the surreal editing Abso Lutely is known for, the odd and often dark humor is still very much present. This is one of the most popular Abso Lutley shows, and it didn't even feature the golden duo of Tim and Eric at any point.
2 Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule
A direct spin-off of Awesome Show, Check it Out! with Dr. Steve Brule features John C. Reilly as the titular doctor. The show is meant to take on the tone of an '80s public access show. To drive the point home, the producers fed the footage through a VCR to give it an old and grainy look. Steve Brule is the host of a show where he researches various facets of life, in his own naive way. Brule interviews various people, who were real-life experts in whatever field is being discussed in that episode.
According to Tim Heidecker, these guests believed they were taking part in a real interview, so their reactions to Brule's antics were genuine. Check it Out! was wildly successful, and to many is one of the best Tim and Eric projects of all time. The show shines thanks to Riley's performance as Steve Brule. He is clearly having fun acting as bonkers as possible, and fans love it all.
1 Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is one of the most unhinged and surreal shows to ever hit the airwaves. The show gives the feeling of watching a public access network with various skits, faux commercials, and other off-kilter content. The show features a cast of bizarre and unique people that Tim and Eric supposedly hired off the street, giving the series an even more surreal feeling.
Where the show really shines, is the unhinged editing by Doug Lussenhop. This editing gave the show a unique feel that has leaked into other Adult Swim programming. This is the show that put Tim and Eric, and Abso Lutely Productions, on the map. This is one of the most ridiculous programs of all time, and everyone should watch it at least once.