Emmy Episodes: Key and Peele

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. This year, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Key and Peele: Season 6, Episode 1 “Y’all Ready for This” (C)
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Keegan Michael-Key)

If it’s not clear from all the posts I’ve written about these Emmy-nominated episodes, I don’t make a habit of watching variety shows. I prefer scripted series, drama or comedy, that have a solid storyline and narrative to follow, even if it’s episodic and not connected week-to-week. I watched six episodes of “Saturday Night Live,” one episode of “Inside Amy Schumer,” and then this. I’ve only seen it once before, when I watched Michael-Key’s submission last year. I want to like it since I think the duo can be funny, but I really just don’t get it. There was very little in the way of funny moments throughout this entire episode, and it felt much more irreverent than anything else, and not in a particularly good way. To me, the only decent bit was when he played what appears to be a regular character, which is Jordan Peele’s President Obama’s anger translator Luther, who has fun getting riled up and lashing out at Hillary Clinton and her anger translator, played by Stephnie Weir from “The Comedians.” I wasn’t into the strange incomprehensible terrorists on a plane sequence, and the whiteface cop shoots a bunch of black people bit at the end was the definition of wearing out a joke until there’s really nothing left. Michael-Key also contends this year for writing his show and for a character voice-over performance on “SuperMansion.” His show, which signed off this year, is nominated for Best Variety Sketch Series. It might get a sendoff trophy, but I wouldn’t count on Michael-Key to take home an Emmy with this showcase.