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Looking for some quality comedy entertainment to check out?
Who better to turn to for under-the-radar comedy recommendations than comedians?
For three seasons,A Black Lady Sketch Showhas delivered pointed, twisty comedy on HBO.
According to series creator Robin Thede, season three features more than 40 celebrity guest stars in six episodes.
Twenty of them appear in the first episode alone.
Thede has worked in sketch comedy for years and was a fan long before.
Thede expounds on her love for Lincoln from Moores levels of rage to the floppiness of Abes hat.
What do you love about this Lincoln sketch?I rewatch it a lot.
I was reminded of it last year, obviously, whenTrevor Moore sadly passed away.
I love absurdist comedy, andthe Whitest Kids U Know just did some of the greatest modern absurdist comedy.
Its a call and response; we like to give our support.
I love the idea that a historical hero can be an asshole.
Its just one of those iconic underrated sketches.
Thats sad, because it was silly and ridiculous.
This sketch encompasses the things that I love: revisionist history, icons being assholes, and hilarious concepts.
Again, I would watchVampireHamletall on its own.
But then you broaden out the scene and get to see Lincoln acting like an asshole.
Everybodys like, Yeah, Lincoln freed the slaves, but maybe he was a dick!
Only Daniel Day-Lewis knows.
Every time I watch the sketch, I see something different.
Its really perfect on so many levels.
Its crazy how many, as you say, levels there are to the sketch when its that short.
And a lot of Whitest Kids sketches were short.
Thank you for asking.
All of our sketches have to have a narrative journey.
Thats why I love the Abraham Lincoln sketch so much.
It has the beginning where you think itsVampire Hamlet, then, in the middle, it switches.
It becomes this conflict between two opposing forces, and there are all these beats in the way.
That has challenged what I think the length of sketches can be.
But, honestly, usually anything over five minutes is way too long.
How do you feel about yourwork being called dumb?
I personally think its a compliment it takes no thought to find it funny.It is, 100 percent!
We define it in the dialogue as you have to use your feet to make it work.
And I said, Thats fine, because youre all laughing.
Its a joke where, even if youre really confused, it sounds funny.
And its a dumb joke; its so stupid.
But to me, when people are like, Oh my God, you are so dumb.
I hate you, Im like, Thank you so much!
But in my job, its the highest compliment.
The sketch takes one of the few universally beloved presidents and asks: What if he was an asshole?
If were being honest, I dont think there is a president who wasnt an asshole in some way.Correct.
The net good of it was great, but there were some really fucked-up things that Lincoln did too.
He had ultimate power.
He was a product of his time.
He would be a bit of a dick.
The group has saidthat they did this sketch for years, and they never bought a stovepipe hat.
Zach would just make one out of construction paper before every show.
Your show has very high production value whileWhitest Kidshas a very intentional DIY energy.
Im sure youve done plenty of both.Oh yeah, all of it.
What changes when the production value goes up like that?You know what the change is?
Now, I do not have one wig or prop in my house.
We had taken out the plugs that make them look fake, and we got stopped by security.
They were like, Why do you have all these guns?!
And I told them, Were a sketch-comedy group its not what you think!
We got detained a little bit by TSA.
Its much more of a collaboration having a whole five-person team to do props.
We attempt to be very specific about them on the show.
We put a lot of Easter eggs in with art design and production design.
Theyre visible, and you might see them if you really know the show.
The one right behind Nicoles head is by Claude and the Boppers.
They are a Motown group from a sketch called Motown Meltdown earlier in the season.
Things like that connect the show.
And if not, will this elevate it comedically?
It continues with props, set design, shot choices, the color and sound mixes.
This is kind of Sketch Comedy 101, but, if someone falls down, you enhance that sound.
But the absence of sound can be really funny as well.
Ashleys and my characters are like, … What?
There are moments when we weaponize silence rather than enhancing sound to make something funny.
When its the next sketch, its a whole new language were using.
So that will be interesting, too, because now youre mixing different styles when characters meet.
Whose universe is stronger?
Were really pushing the boundaries of what dumb comedy can be.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
