Preview
COMEDY INC.
Tuesdays
CTV
Wednesdays starting June 29
The Comedy Network
Comedy performer and Calgary native Albert Howell has a habit of making the most of his sometimes limited roles. Go back to the 2004 stoner comedy film Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and you’ll see Howell squeezing everything he can from a bit part as a security guard.
"I had, like, one line, but then I started improvising stuff," he recalls of the shoot. "Eventually they cut out my written line. I am only onscreen (in the movie) for literally two minutes, but everything I say was improvised on the spot."
Howell’s "take what you get and run with it" approach can also be seen in his work on the CTV and Comedy Network sketch show Comedy Inc. Working primarily as a writer on the series, Howell generally pops up in front of the camera in small supporting roles. But when the lanky performer with the deep voice gets the occasional lead part, he really delivers.
In a yet-to-air segment from the show’s currently running second season, Howell does a hilarious turn as a public radio announcer. Sporting a bow tie and an almost silent nerdy laugh, his character makes not-so-humorous quips about the work of classic composers. Soon an unseen listener starts to lash out in a very violent way.
Howell says the character in that bit is derived directly from his Alberta roots. "I grew up in Calgary and I used to listen to CKUA radio all the time. That’s where that guy came from."
Howell is pleased to have found a home with the Toronto-based Comedy Inc., a show he says has a solid team concept. "Everybody works well with everybody else. We sit around the table and we read our scripts to each other and people offer up ideas. We all help each other out and it’s just a lot of fun."
The cast camaraderie seems to be paying off. Although it’s still a hit-and-miss affair – like most TV sketch comedy – a preview glimpse of its upcoming episodes reveals the show will be delivering many more hits this year. It’s also receiving greater international exposure now that the U.S.-based Spike TV has picked it up.
The large and diverse cast of Comedy Inc. is led by another Calgary native, Roman Danylo, who bounds into each of his parts with a refreshing dose of reckless enthusiasm. The show also features a solid trio of multi-faceted female regulars, Aurora Browne, Jen Goodhue and Jenn Robertson. Browne particularly shines in the first batch of new episodes, playing everything from Jennifer Aniston to a talk show host that’s Al Jazeera’s answer to David Letterman.
While the program does feature some celebrity impersonations, it more often lampoons entertainment genres and general pop culture conventions than specific people. That is by design, according to Howell.
"There are some people we do impressions of, but that’s sort of being done a lot by Saturday Night Live and Mad TV, so we wanted to break different ground."
Howell feels the show benefits from the devil-may-care attitude of its performers. "Everyone in the cast is willing to take chances and look foolish," he says. "Sometimes you can get people who look at a script and their egos say, "I would never do that.’ But in this cast there’s none of that. Everyone is willing to try anything and look as stupid as possible to make things funny." |
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