"Some comedians are simply born funny. When Will Ferrell appeared on The Late Show earlier this summer, Stephen Colbert asked him to name who he saw at his first concert and he responded Roddy Ricch with a straight face. Just a hip-hop guy, about five years ago, he joked. My first concert. It was enough to bring me to tears, and Ferrell did it so easilylike King Midas, but if everything he touched burst into laughter."
"It's that same ability that probably keeps Kenan Thompson on Saturday Night Live in prime form year after year. He can just walk on stage and the crowd is already chuckling. I've been thinking a lot about what specifically makes something (and someone) funny this week, especially as we welcome the premiere of The Office spin-off, The Paper. Esquire held a screening of the first episode at the Hearst Tower on Wednesday, alongside a Q&A with stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore."
"If you're unfamiliar, The Paper follows the same documentary crew from The Office as they capture the lives of their newest subjects: a struggling newspaper. Peacock dropped all ten episodes of the first season on their streaming service this week. Though the series moves on to a new cast, the tone teleported me right back to NBC's cozy Thursday night comedies in the early aughts."
Will Ferrell's deadpan recounting of seeing Roddy Ricch at his first concert exemplifies effortless comedic delivery that provokes strong audience reactions. Kenan Thompson's consistent ability to elicit laughter simply by appearing onstage demonstrates how presence and timing sustain long-term comedic success on Saturday Night Live. The Paper follows the documentary crew from The Office as they chronicle a struggling newspaper, and all ten episodes of the first season premiered on Peacock. The series adopts a tone reminiscent of early 2000s NBC comedies, invoking nostalgia for that television era. The Office's iconic cold opens, like Kevin spilling chili and Michael hitting Meredith, highlight the enduring power of physical slapstick rooted in traditions established by Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
Read at www.esquire.com
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