I can’t compete with Arnab’s Kids’ erotophilia. (I’m tempted to simply write: “Arnab Chakladar has an unhealthy love for Kids.” Let’s see that come up on google.)
But the Upright Citizens Brigade long-ago earned a place in my pantheon of great comedy shows. Their work comes out of a dedicated improv set-up, sketches developed live and on the fly, tweaked but still very free-form — and displaying an often-dizzyingly wonderful talent for absurd synchronicity. (I also have this huge love for depictions of people singularly, obsessively, aggressively focused on a plan of action. Whether promoting the use of ass pennies, teasing others at an ugly club, or trying to get a group of Christian-camp kids to confess to wrong-doing, the slow-burn build to angry exasperation always makes me laugh.)
Their concert film Upright Citizens Brigade: ASSSSSCAT illustrates the improv in action; following a monologue from a guest-speaker, on a topic thrown from the audience, the UCB troupe (supplemented by a few other guys, including a very very funny Horatio Sanz and Andrew Daly) riffs on elements of the story. The filmed show is grand; the extras include clips and scenes from a number of other shows, and they’re all great.