For those unfamiliar with Kill Tony and its host Tony Hinchcliffe, the show has been since its inception a free YouTube comedy show which gives aspiring comedians who are selected after having their name pulled from a hat at random, the chance to do 1 minute of their material in front of a live audience only to be interviewed by a panel of elite comedians headed up and hosted by Tony himself.
Adding to the stress of the 1 minute of material in front of a live audience is the show’s tagline: “Kill or be killed,” foreshadowing what is to come from the post 1 minute interview by Tony and his panel of comedic superstars.
The post-game interview is less so to find out deep and valuable insights about the comic and more so to see what he is made of. To see if he is in fact any good and whether or not he can kill Tony with his words. These wannabe comics almost always fail to hold up to Tony and his panel’s scrutiny, but when they do, it really separates the amateurs from those who really have a chance to pursue a career in comedy.
This method of testing aspiring comedians, although can be incredibly brutal, has been able to unearth some real diamonds. Notable figures like Hans Kim, William Montgomery, Casey Rocket, Kam Patterson and other now legendary comedians had their careers forged during their one minute routine and subsequent beating from Tony.
The show is now a hallmark of the comedy world and after its move out to Austin, Texas to be hosted under the roof of Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership from the Los Angeles Comedy Store, it has further cemented its role in the now flourishing comedy scene which has migrated over Austin’s 6th street.
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One thing about Kill Tony is it is not there to make sure no one gets their feelings hurt. They really push the envelope on what some might consider offensive. It is real comedy in that regard. Absolutely anything goes, no topic is off the table. Race, gender, sexuality is not only up for discussion but it makes up a core part of the show and in today’s social and political landscape it’s hard to believe that a show like this even exists.
Even more difficult to believe is how a show like this ended up on Netflix which has quite clearly aligned itself with the new non-offensive overly self-censored content that has become mainstream. In fact it was a running joke throughout the special that most of the jokes they made would likely be edited out in Netflix’s final cut.
I think what this represents is a real coming back to center for the cultural zeitgeist. In the last 10 years there has been 0 offensive and insanely funny comedy movies that plagued movie theaters and DVD stores in the early 2000’s as these type of films were too risky and deemed too offensive for mass consumption. As a result fringe comedy shows like Kill Tony opened up and aired its content on free streaming services like YouTube. But it now appears as though these types of shows are making their way back into the mainstream after years of having been cut off from viral pop-culture.
This is all to say that if you are someone who is easily offended over relevant social issues a show like Kill Tony not only openly addresses these issues but actively pushes the envelope on these subjects. It actually almost feels like comics are actively trying to offend people so it might be best to give shows like this a try with this in mind.
How did it do?
Just like anything else, depending on where you get your news you would get very mixed reviews over the Kill Tony Netflix debut. For example Cracked magazine’s piece on the show’s debut titled “Even ‘Kill Tony’ Fans Couldn’t Stomach the ‘Kill Tony’ Netflix Show” tells you everything you need to know about the article’s agenda with its opening line: “When controversial comedian and disgraced Trump stumper Tony Hinchcliffe inked a massive four-special deal with Netflix late last year, the streamer likely thought that they struck gold in their rush to promote conservative-friendly comedy during this tumultuous political moment at the start of President Trump’s second term.”
In reality the debut was nothing more than good comedians telling funny jokes and very little do with aligning itself with a political narrative. No one was concerned about hurting someone’s feelings and no one was concerned about people taking their jokes too seriously. That is what comedy is about, making people laugh, and there was plenty of that throughout the show.
With Kyle Dunnigan’s incredibly accurate Elon Musk impressions paired with the back and forth between Joe Biden (Adam Ray) and Donald Trump (Shane Gillis) the show was an incredible performance of great comedy and what looked to be just a really fun night.
The most notable part of the evening is that Tony kept true to the show. There was no overt censorship in order to appease Netflix executives. It was just plain fun, like the show always is. There were certainly some tough moments when some of the random one minute acts not only bombed in front of a live audience but the entire Netflix user base but that is no different to any other performance from any comedy show around the world.
Overall the Netflix debut was a great success and gave incredible exposure to some really talented comedians. The four special deal Hinchcliffe has signed with Netflix will not only bring about even more exposure for tons more talented up and coming comedians but it is a signal of something greater: the return of edgy comedy.
