Maya & Marty

I'm a big fan of Maya Rudolph, but I didn't particularly enjoy her first attempt at doing a variety show ("The Maya Rudolph Show"), but Martin Short brings a unique freshness within the collaboration. I'm a millennial so I have heard of Martin Short before, but never really knew who he was, but I absolutely fell in love with him (particularly his character Jiminy Glick). The comedy is definitely modern and seems like it's for a niche market (hence the split in reviews).

I really hope NBC renews this show for a couple more seasons. The ratings seem to be on par with SNL so I don't know why they wouldn't?

I can't get enough of Jiminy Glick!

Even in their best moments Maya Rudolph and Martin Short can be self-indulgent and nerve-grating. When they are not reigned in they become unwatchable.

Week one gave me some hope. There were flat moments but more than a few chuckles. Most promising, the show had several guests that kept M&M coming in small, measured doses. Then came Week two... a total train wreck. There were Maya and Marty mugging and overacting in virtually every minute of the show. And it seemed to be catching, as they managed to make the rest of the cast equally terrible. Only the Glick skit evoked a few laughs.

Finally, can somebody tell me, does Maya think she can sing and dance, or is she doing a bit? She reminds of the person who tries to pull off karaoke but then acts like the whole thing is a goof when it becomes obvious that she is terrible.

I had hopes that this really was a revival of the old variety show theme. But, alas there is no variety, it ALL stinks.

Bottom line: Not that entertaining or funny.

It's just like Saturday Night Live, hit and miss, but with less of the firepower behind the "hit" (smaller cast and writing staff, I think - either way, it's shorter, so two unfunny skits is like 1/3rd of the show).

Personally, Rudolph was perfect on stage, but Short was a little too old school hokey for me (I like him in SNL skits, movies, etc., but on stage, he overdoes it, like he wants to make sure the senior citizens get the jokes).

There were five skits, and two musical numbers. I only thought one skit out of everything was funny (Short doing his Jiminy Glick character with Larry David, which I always really like). I had ZERO interest in Miley Cyrus's song and the second musical number: tap dancing!

I think Networks are going to have to do some serious belt tightening. Now, with streaming so pervasive, and only growing, consumers have the option to watch EXACTLY what they want. They no longer have to put up with shows, skits, or music they don't like just to get to the stuff they do like, which is exactly what "Maya and Marty" is.

As an SCTV fan who admired the comedic genius of Martin Short since his "Shower in a Briefcase" days, I knew I had to check this out, and it did not disappoint. Fully understanding that this is a variety show, I did not expect every skit to be a home-run-- and it wasn't. Some funny bits, some not so funny-- and I could personally do without the serious Broadway numbers. That said, I can not remember that last time I laughed at anything harder than Jiminy Glick's Larry David interview (Episode 1). It was 7+ minutes of pure Martin Short insanity. After that, I was hooked. I wanted more Jiminy Glick! Yes, Maya Rudolph is very talented and funny, Kenan Thompson can make you laugh with just a look, and Steve Martin saying, "I am currently traveling in Europe and can not attend" was comedy gold-- but it's all about Jiminy Glick stupid! Do I believe this show will last? Probably not because it doesn't cater to 12 year-olds, so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Open Letter to Don Kaplan of the New York Daily News:

I am not going to write a sophisticated verbiage to counter your remarks reviewing the Maya and Marty show. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and that is really all it is, an opinion. When I saw that Maya and Marty was going to be produced by Loren Michaels, then I knew it was going to be funny. Yes, this is a variety show. I am so sick of sitcoms that are not funny. This show IS funny. I laughed out loud several times, more than twice. I remember those variety shows of yesteryear. They were funny, too. The writers for Maya and Marty are excellent and intelligent. They are not writing for 14 year old boys. I miss a good quality variety show. The musical guests are spot on and used for some of the comedy skits. The show gives a stage to showcase Maya's musical gifts and Marty's sharp whit. I highly recommend the Maya and Marty show. Please give this show a chance! One last word for Don Kaplan and all those cynical critics out there, "Kiss my Grits!"