After two years in the making SEESO TV has proudly premiered their show My Brother, My Brother and Me.
This past Wednesday I had the privilege of viewing the first episode of MY BROTHER, MY BROTHER AND ME, an unconventional comedy that follows the lives of three brothers, Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy. The McElroys normally use their creative juices to fuel an advice podcast, but SEESO TV has helped them channel their creative juices to form a television show.
The pilot episode premiered at The Slipper Room, a venue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The dim pink and purple lights along with an open bar eased the guests into the room, and after everybody had ample time to knock back a few drinks the host of the premiere asked that we take our seats. When the show finally started, it brought us to the desk of The McElroys, and we watched as they fiddled with their brains to try and come up with a way to begin the first episode. They came to the conclusion that they should begin by trying to answer a question from one of the listeners of their podcast: How do I convince my wife to let me keep a tarantula in the house? The show then morphs into a multi-legged adventure taking the brothers to different locations in their native town of Huntington to try and attempt the impossible, convincing one of the wives of their listeners to allow her husband to buy a tarantula. The show draws humor from many places, the phobia of tarantulas by the middle brother Travis, the attempt by the brothers’ father to make tarantulas sexy again, and the parading of the brothers around town to raise awareness of the benevolence of the beautiful eight legged creatures that are tarantulas.
The brothers consistently break the fourth wall as they talk to the viewer as if she is along with them on this strange journey. Though MY BROTHER, MY BROTHER AND ME had sparks of real humor, it is apparent that the brothers are not TV experts, and will need time to adjust their form from podcast to television. The show basically follows the brothers around in their journey, and rather than following a set script, it lets the brothers showcase their humor in seemingly improvised conversation. One of the highlights of the show is the character of the father of the McElroy brothers, a radio host whose humor blooms from his use of an impersonation of a smooth radio voice as well as his refusal to be proud of his sons. The show ends with the brothers video-chatting the husband and wife who asked for tarantula advice, and the wife finally makes up her mind about keeping a spider in the house. I won’t tell you her decision, if you want to find out you should check out the streaming service SEESO and watch MY BROTHER, MY BROTHER AND ME on Thursday, February 23rd.
The Q and A after the show let me enjoy the humorous personalities of three brothers, as they shared with us stories of family life as well as the creative process and the frustrations of making the show. When asked why the show was filmed in Huntington, one of the answers given was that the brothers wanted to the show to look different from other shows. The brothers succeeded in this endeavor, the show not only looks different from other shows, it feels different, its entire style is different. Though the humor is far from spot on, the change of pace is refreshing, and the show is sure to please those who are looking for a unique comedic experience. So, if you feel like going for a weird and fun adventure with the McElroy Bros, be sure to check out their show next week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYSCjwc6pEo
