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Season 2 of “The Big Gay Sketch Show” Funnier Than First

Logo claims that there’s nothing gayer on TV than The Big Gay Sketch Show, and for the most part, they’re absolutely correct. The aptly named series offers sketch comedy à la Saturday Night Live or Mad TV, but with a decidedly queer twist: Instead of simply parodying pop culture as a whole, gay icons and stereotypes take center stage.

Thankfully, the second season of the show, which premieres tonight, Feb. 5, is as funny as it is out and proud. With Rosie O’Donnell at the helm and Amanda Bearse in the director’s chair, the new season improves upon the already winning formula with tighter direction and a livelier atmosphere.

Season 2 brings back more of the same antics from the first series, with a few welcome twists. A live audience adds a bit of life to what was once canned laughter, and a roving backstage camera shows brief snippets of the performers before and after the sketches. This tactic works perfectly to break up the action and keep the audience giggling in between skits – evidence of better pacing and overall direction.

Another welcome addition is the inclusion of celebrity guest stars. In one early episode, Broadway legend Elaine Stritch marches out in the middle of Nicol Paone’s pitch-perfect impersonation of her, making for one of the funniest – and most meta – moments of the season so far. Thankfully, the sassy Stritch is played to her strengths and not overused (a common problem in many sketch shows).

Other guests set to appear in the new season’s eight episodes include Kate Clinton and Christine Ebersole (Saturday Night Live, as well as a recent turn as Lily Parrish on Cashmere Mafia). Best of all, Rosie O’Donnell and Chastity Bono actually make an appearance at the end of every episode, where they make fun of the show from their balcony seats, much like Waldorf and Statler from The Muppet Show. The new additions serve the inclusive, “big happy family” atmosphere and add a bit of sly self-awareness to the proceedings.

Quite a few of the new improvements can be traced directly to teaser web series The Big Straight Sketch Show.

Hilariously tongue-in-cheek, the straight version of the show did a great job of spoofing itself and experimenting with the live formula. While it ripped off The Office in several ways (with a docu-drama camera, “confessional” footage and an overall deadpan style), the straight version of BGSS was a successful setup for the second season of the show, hinting at O’Donnell’s involvement and introducing the new cast members, Paolo Andino and Colman Domingo.

One feature that hasn’t changed for the new season is the use of stereotypical humor. In one early sketch, out performers Kate McKinnon and Julie Goldman star as bored lesbians trying to hide from their exes at a bar. Just about every fashion-related lesbian stereotype is trotted out as Goldman exclaims, “She’s the one standing by the bar, short brown hair, glasses, she’s got the V-neck with the tie underneath, a lot of hair product in the hair, thumb ring, man wallet, and she has a wrist cuff and a studded belt.” The punch line is (of course), “Which one?” Subtle it isn’t, though Goldman and McKinnon pull it off nicely.

The show has always been more Mad TV than SNL, favoring physical comedy and cartoonish portrayals to a more deadpan style. Suffice it to say, an appreciation for this kind of over-the-top approach is essential to enjoying BGSS, something that isn’t lost on the producers.

After one particularly bawdy sketch at the end of an episode, Bono proclaims, “You know, I don’t usually like sketch comedy.” O’Donnell replies, “Really, and?” After a pause, Bono continues, “And I still don’t like sketch comedy.”

It’s actually a fair assessment. The first few episodes dip into potty humor more than once, and rely heavily on celebrity spoofs along with the potentially off-putting stereotypes. Some sketches simply fall flat, like an unfortunately boring setup involving an attractive UPS worker and his (mostly male) adoring customers. The sketch relies so heavily on sexual innuendo that it collapses under its own weight within moments.

Another skit based entirely around vomiting fares better, but certainly dips further into the lowbrow realm. In other words, the show certainly won’t convert those who don’t care for the format, but those who do will find a great deal to like.

The lesbian characters themselves fare about on par with the gay male characters in terms of screen time and number of sketches, a promising feature in the generally male-skewed world of TV. While many of the celebrity impersonations are aimed more at the gay male audience, most skits feature jokes that can be enjoyed by every letter of the LGBT spectrum and are integrated well within the overall context of the show.

The greatest selling point of BGSS has always been its immensely likable cast, particularly female stars Goldman, McKinnon, Erica Ash and Nicol Paone (all of whom are returning from Season 1). On the male side, Stephen Guarino and newcomer Colman Domingo stand out the most, with respectable turns from Paolo Andino and Jonny McGovern. The performances routinely transcend the occasionally spotty writing, making even the worst of the setups worth watching.

Season 2 cast from left to right: Stephen Guarino, Colman Domingo, Kate McKinnon,Jonny McGovern, Nicole Paone, Paolo Andino, Julie Goldman, Erica Ash

The show is at its best when the sketches highlight specific characters (again, showcasing the cast) or poke fun at established institutions. McKinnon is priceless when she reprises her character Fitzwilliam, a foppish, British boy who wants to be a girl (with a “first-rate vagina!”). Similarly, Domingo has a sidesplitting recurring role as Maya Angelou reading explicit Craigslist “missed connections” entries as if they were poetry. And as always, Paone absolutely nails her impersonation of Elaine Stritch, “selling it to the back row” every time.

Likewise, BGSS shines when it takes on hypocrisy in established media channels. Closeted Republican officials and dating website eHarmony’s homophobic policies receive hilarious special attention and raise the show into social commentary mode without losing any wacky charm. If the real power of comedy is its ability to change minds and break barriers (or to “complain with charm” about the status quo), the show does an admirable job.

Despite some unevenness, The Big Gay Sketch Show is genuinely funny and often inspired. The show has improved immensely from its already decent first season, and it shines above the occasional rough patches by delivering in full on the promise of queer-friendly laughs. It’s big, loud, gay and perfectly outrageous.

The second season of The Big Gay Sketch Show premieres Feb. 5, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET.

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