Human Giant is a sketch comedy show starring writer/performers Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel,[1] and Paul Scheer, and directed primarily by Jason Woliner. The show ran for two seasons on MTV. In 2008, the group was offered a third season and was reportedly developing a feature film with Red Hour Productions, but these projects did not transpire due to Ansari's commitments to starring in the NBC show Parks and Recreation. In 2010, Ansari, Huebel and Scheer reunited to do a skit for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.
| Human Giant | |
|---|---|
 The cast of Human Giant (from left to right), Huebel, Scheer and Ansari | |
| Genre | Sketch comedy |
| Created by | |
| Starring |
|
| Opening theme | "Romantic Rights" by Death from Above 1979 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Production companies | 3 Arts Entertainment MTV Production Development |
| Original release | |
| Network | MTV |
| Release | April 5, 2007 – April 15, 2008 |
Premise
editThe show, which premiered on April 5, 2007, consists of short humorous videos.[2] Some of the clips were first seen online such as "Shutterbugs", as part of Channel 101 NY, "Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru", "The Illusionators" and an unaired skit called "Other Music".[3][4][5]
Production
editAnsari, Huebel, Scheer, and Woliner began working together as the comedy group Human Giant in 2005.[6][7] They gained a large following in the New York City comedy scene through live shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade and their weekly comedy show, Crash Test, and later expanded their sketches into short films.[8][9] Their early digital videos "Shutterbugs" and "The Illusionators" became popular on MySpace and YouTube and led MTV to offer the group a sketch comedy series.[10][11][3]
On MTV, the show closed out a Thursday night "10 Spot" line-up for MTV, which also included Pimp My Ride, Short Circuitz (before being put on hiatus), and Adventures in Hollyhood, ending with Human Giant.[12] The line-up started at 9 PM and ended at 11 PM.
In interviews, the group has mentioned they were offered a third season by MTV, and were also considering developing a feature film.[13][14] However, the group was unable to make a third season or movie due to personal projects, particularly with Ansari's commitments to the hit NBC show Parks and Recreation.[13] Without Ansari's participation, the group agreed not to make future content together and decided on ending the series on a positive note instead of burning out over several seasons.[15]
Episodes
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 8 | April 5, 2007 | May 24, 2007 | |
| 2 | 6 | March 11, 2008 | April 15, 2008 | |
Season 1 (2007)
edit| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mind Explosion!" | April 5, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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| 2 | "Let's Go!" | April 12, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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| 3 | "Lil 9/11" | April 19, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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| 4 | "Mosh Pit" | April 26, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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| 5 | "Ice Cream Party!" | May 3, 2007 | |
| 6 | "Kneel Before Zerg" | May 10, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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| 7 | "Hello, Susan" | May 17, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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| 8 | "Ta Da!!" | May 24, 2007 | |
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Sketches:
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^a This sketch was removed from the season one DVD.
^b These sketches were edited for the season one DVD.
^c Added for the season one DVD.
Season 2 (2008)
editThe group began working on Human Giant Season 2 at the end of August, 2007. Note: the CrimeTime sketch, the Gay Porn Star Car Accident sketch, and the Illusinator Camera Trick sketch for season 2 all show up on the Season 1 DVD as easter eggs.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Duffel Bag of Death" | March 11, 2008 | |
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Sketches:
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| 10 | 2 | "I'm Gonna Live Forever!" | March 18, 2008 | |
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Sketches:
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| 11 | 3 | "Respect. Honor. Discipline" | March 25, 2008 | |
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Sketches:
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| 12 | 4 | "I Want More Corn Chowder" | April 1, 2008 | |
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Sketches:
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| 13 | 5 | "Still Here, Man. Still Here." | April 8, 2008 | |
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| 14 | 6 | "She Be a Witch"" | April 15, 2008 | |
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Sketches:
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Critical response
editThe show received positive reviews from critics. Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Gillian Flynn described Human Giant as "everything sketch comedy should be: smart, odd, and surprising."[16] The Village Voice called it "something like a Mountain Dewed-up version of MTV’s mid-'90s sketch offering The State."[17] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said, "It's a testament to the show's addictiveness that the [sketches] leave audiences hungry for more.[18] He added: "Human Giant serves as a vital link between Mr. Show and the current generation of web-weaned funnymen who made their names posting homemade videos online instead of working their way through Second City, The Groundlings, or Saturday Night Live. The show's central dynamic echoes Mr. Show as well. Like Bob Odenkirk, Rob Huebel boasts the bland good looks of a local TV news anchor, yet there's a spark of madness and rage at his core. Castmates Paul Scheer and Aziz Ansari, meanwhile, take turns inhabiting the David Cross role."[18]
In its list of the 40 Greatest Sketch-Comedy TV Shows, Rolling Stone ranked Human Giant at number 38.[19]
24-hour marathon
editThe cast of Human Giant were on-air on MTV and MTV2 for a twenty-four-hour period between noon on Friday, May 18, 2007 to noon on Saturday, May 19, 2007, broadcasting from MTV's Times Square studio, during which time they were given free rein to perform skits, bring in guests, and air clips from classic MTV series like Remote Control and The State.[15][20][17] The ostensible premise of the "marathon" was that their show would be given a second season if they could get a million hits on their website (which it did) during that time. Notable guests stopping by included Albert Hammond Jr., Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone from Saturday Night Live, Will Arnett and Michael Cera from Arrested Development, John Krasinski, Bob Odenkirk, Michael Showalter, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Ted Leo, Corn Mo, Todd Barry, Matt Higgins, Zach Galifianakis, Morningwood, Mastodon, Tapes 'n Tapes, The National, Tim and Eric, Tegan and Sara, and others.[15]
Reunion
editIn late May 2010, troupe member Aziz Ansari announced on his website that he and fellow members Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and Jason Woliner had filmed a brand new sketch for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, which Ansari was scheduled to host. Ansari mentioned that it would be a Human Giant reunion of sorts, the first time they filmed a new sketch together as a sketch group since the series ended.[21]
The sketch was called "Stunt Kidz",[21] which consisted of Huebel and Ansari's Shutterbugs characters, now owners of a child stunt agency where little children act as stunt men for dangerous scenes and end up injured in several occasions. Scheer acts as a director who employs Huebel and Ansari.
Home media
editThe first season of Human Giant was released on March 4, 2008, one week ahead of the season two premiere on March 11.[22] It was released in a two-disc set. Disc one features all eight episodes and commentary tracks on all episodes with special guests calling-in or with the cast in the commentary room.[23] Disc two features highlights from the 24-hour marathon, deleted and alternate scenes, unaired sketches, sneak previews for season two, early footage with Aziz, Rob and Paul, and a compilation clip.[24]
Credited consultants
editThe core writing team consists of Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, Jason Woliner and executive producer Tom Gianas. The following people have, at one point, also worked as consultants on the show:
- Eric Appel
- Andy Blitz
- Brian Posehn[4]
- Patton Oswalt
- Jon Glaser
- Dan Mintz
- Howard Kremer
- Jay Johnston
- Ian Roberts
- Matt Walsh
- Leo Allen
- Jerry Minor
- Ali Farahnakian
- Morgan Murphy
- H. Jon Benjamin
- Nick Swardson
- Tommy Blacha
- Chris Romano
- Harris Wittels
- Paul Rust
- Neil Campbell
- Bobby Moynihan
- Charlie Sanders
- Kristen Schaal
- Brett Gelman
- John Gemberling
- Curtis Gwinn
- Liz Cackowski
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "A 'Giant' misunderstanding". New York Daily News. April 20, 2008. p. 222. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Kharakh, Ben (April 3, 2007). "Human Giant, Comedy Troupe". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Sternbergh, Adam (March 22, 2007). "Sketch-Comedy Group Human Giant Tries to Save MTV". New York Magazine. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Westhoff, Ben (March 9, 2008). "Human Giant". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Maher, Dave (March 29, 2007). "Human Giant Talk Ghostface, MTV, YouTube". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 25, 2007). "Online Yesterday, on Cable Today". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "How did the members of "Human Giant" come together?". Big Think. April 1, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Barker, Andrew (July 17, 2006). "Human Giant: 10 Comics to Watch". Variety. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007.
- ^ Gross, Terry (April 19, 2007). "I Want My 'Human Giant': Web Comedy Jumps to MTV". NPR. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Gillette, Amelie (May 8, 2007). "Human Giant". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "MTV's "Human Giant" Has Columbia Roots". The Post and Courier. 2007. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "'Human Giant' Hijacks MTV Causing Mind Explosions Across the Country". TheFutonCritic.com. March 21, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Interview: Paul Scheer (Human Giant)". NBC Los Angeles. January 22, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Bronson, Dan (November 11, 2008). "Icons: Ben Stiller". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
He and Cornfeld are working on new comedy projects with sketch teams Little Britain and Human Giant.
- ^ a b c Robenalt, Michael (May 18, 2017). "A Look Back at 'Human Giant's 24-Hour MTV Takeover, 10 Years Later". Vulture. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Flynn, Gillian (March 28, 2008). "Human Giant". EW.com. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Westhoff, Ben (May 22, 2007). "1,440 Minutes". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Rabin, Nathan (March 5, 2008). "Human Giant: Season One". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "40 Greatest Sketch-Comedy TV Shows of All Time". Rolling Stone. February 26, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Gillette, Amelie (May 21, 2007). "Human Giant Programs MTV for 24 Hours". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Wigler, Josh (June 7, 2010). "2010 MTV Movie Awards Dominated By 'New Moon,' Sandra Bullock, Les Grossman". MTV. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Human Giant - Season One". DVD Talk. February 24, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Greene, Jr., James (April 6, 2008). "Human Giant: Season 1". PopMatters. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Human Giant DVD news: Announcement for Human Giant - The Complete 1st Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 1, 2007.
External links
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