Codebreaker

Yahoo! goes funny ha-ha

Marc Sanchez Mar 5, 2012


If you’re sick of the Monday night TV line up, maybe you should consider switching the channel to Yahoo! The once-giant Internet company is trying its hand at original comedy programming on the Y Screen comedy channel. The “station” premiered last Thursday with a streaming performance of a new Bill Maher stand-up special, and two new shows premiere today. One is a collaboration with the comedy website, FunnyOrDie called “First Dates With Toby Harris.” The other, “Sketchy,” is written and directed by Lindsay Crystal, daughter of Billy. Neither are traditional TV shows; rather, they are short videos, designed to make the meme rounds on Facebook pages, with real actors, scripts, and production value.

The series with the most potential will premiere later this year is called “Hackerazzi.” According to the New York Times, “The cast of the series — which will be executive produced by Ben Stiller through his company, Red Hour Films — is filled with seasoned pros: Adam Scott, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Michael Ian Black, Natasha Leggero and June Diane Raphael, among others.” So you may not find a full, half hour replacement the next time NBC runs a 30 Rock rerun, but this might help pass the time through a commercial or two.

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