Viewers who have been a fan of several previous Comedy Central programs, such as “Nathan For You,” “Workaholics” and “Kroll Show,” definitely have a reason to be intrigued when hearing of the network’s newest original show entitled “Detroiters.”
Another influence that plays a role is seeing the involvement of “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels and former cast member Jason Sudeikis as executive producers for the buddy sitcom. Sudeikis even makes a guest appearance as a character in the pilot.
The show focuses on two best friends, and advertising industry workers, Sam Duvent (Sam Richardson, “Office Christmas Party”) and Tim Cramblin (Tim Robinson “Saturday Night Live”) as they venture around the city of Detroit to make names for themselves.
Right out of the gate, wacky moments and awkward conversation help set the tone. The up-tempo level of comedic really do an excellent job of introducing the audience to the new characters who, if anything, are just a couple of hopelessly ambitious, yet extremely lovable, goofballs.
Tim and Sam run the advertising company they work for, ‘Cramblin Advertising,’ which was mentioned to have previously been owned by Tim’s father, until he apparently went insane, at which point Tim inherited it. Their company’s mostly known for producing commercials for local furniture companies, but the main characters are extremely motivated to claw their way to the top by getting a gig with a hometown auto company. En route to accomplishing their goal, Tim and Sam face outrageous obstacles at just about every turn, allowing for plenty of exceptionally humorous moments throughout the episode.
While the series pilot heavily revolved around Tim and Sam, the viewers were also introduced to some minor characters, including the Vice President of marketing for Chrysler, Carter (played by Sudeikis, “Son of Zorn”), Cramblin client and hot tub store owner Eddie Champagne (Steve Higgins, “Ghostbusters”) and Cramblin commercial editor, and apparent college student, Lea (Lailani Ledesma). It remains to be seen if any of the characters will develop bigger roles.
Overall, the concept of the show appears to be simple and familiar, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The classic buddy comedy concept can be a major success when the right pair is put together, which is seamlessly executed through the natural chemistry between Richardson and Robinson, who are also responsible for the show’s creation.
The pilot episode ultimately did its job; introducing the audience to the characters, while at the same time keeping them engaged and laughing. Throughout, Richardson and Robinson’s dynamic exceptionally commands the screen making viewers anticipate what shenanigans they will find themselves in next. There is something about the show that comes off as fresh and exciting. Even after one episode, it is not crazy to believe Comedy Central may have a strong show to create positive buzz among critics, resulting in a bigger following down the road.
Since the show is being broadcast on Comedy Central, a cable network, it will release episodes one week at a time. New episodes will premiere every Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. and they are absolutely worth checking out.
