When a comedy troupe arrives on TV with a sketch show, they want to hit with material that will make people immediately think: How did they get that on TV? The Whitest Kids U’Know appeared to be a normal spoof show when they opened with “real” couple waiting for their pregnancy test results. Things get weird when the husband realizes what his wife used as the test and his response is quick and harsh. This was not going to be comfortable comedy. Then it gets followed up with the rap video “Triumph of the Ill” with someone with a mustache from World War II announcing his new career change. The lyrics just keep getting wilder. How did this show get on the air? And you’ll say that for the next 49 episodes that are part of The Whitest Kids U’Know: The Complete Series.
The comedy troupe consisted of Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumete. They met up in college and performed live for a while. Because they were on Fuse and swapped over to IFC, they were able to push their comedy sketches to the outrageous. IFC at this time was begging for viewers. It also still ran independent films as it was known as The Independent Film Channel around this time. Viewers were used to envelopes being pushed in the feature films. I made a segment for IFC’s Split Screen series that had actual footage of a woman giving birth in the back of a car (you can see it on the Criterion Channel). The Whitest Kids U’Know were eager to push too.
The show understood the power of DVD sales and played with it on the air. One sketch basically ends with a female character pulling off her top while viewers are reminded that this scene won’t be blurred out on the uncensored DVD. The scene is uncensored on this DVD too.
Since the show was on IFC, the production budget wasn’t too out of control. There’s a rawness to everything so you can just focus on the weirdness between the cast. It’s almost like they’re performing on a stage the props borrowed from a children’s theater company. Quite a few sketches look like five guys with their dad’s video camera shooting at the park. While there are occasions where they dress up to play female roles, there are a few guest actresses on the screen. You get a sense that they did what it took to bring the funny to the small screen.
All five seasons of the show are in the boxset. The fifth season contained a continuing sketch “The Civil War on Drugs” that was eventually edited together for a complete feature film. The film reimagines the war so that a pair of stoners win the war in three days and Lincoln lives. This is in contrast to the first episode where we learn how Lincoln was really killed. The Whitest Kids U’Know: The Complete Series gives us five guys who pushed each other in their comedy. If you’ve never seen the show because your parents didn’t have the cable tier with IFC, it’s the ultimate way to discover them. If you were a fan because your parents paid extra for the “movie fan package”, you’ll want to binge the seasons a few more times.
The Video goes from 1.33:1 at the start to 1.78:1 at the end. Seeing how the show ran from 2007 to 2011, this was the transition time as people started buying HDTVs. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. The episodes are subtitled.
Audio Commentaries are on the episodes from season one to three.
Featurette (2:04) has them discussing how fame has changed them after season one. They talk about the love in their comedy
Post Sketch Discussions has them on a Zoom call discussing what they did. The sketches include the Intro (0:41), Timmy Poops His Pants (6:05), Super Size Me With Whisky (5:54), Astronaut Mess (3:37), Hunting Accident (3:41), Hot Air Balloon Poop Rope (4:56), Gallon of PCP (8:57), Glory Hole (10:28), Mountain of Chairs (3:49), Nail Gun (1:42), Alcoholic Husband (1:53), Call of Duty (3:24), Water Balloons (2:52), JJ Marvin (7:31), Presidential Props/Super Dog (15:00), Helicopter Door (3:25), Horses Love/Stegosaurus (3:26), Yellow Mustard-Ed (4:02), Table Monster (1:28), Dad Story (3:07), Wheel of Money (4:10), Hiking Documentary (1:32), Donkey Dad (1:39), Maroon President (1:53), Alien Autopsy (1:55), Santa Clause (2:49), Barf Museum (5:57), Changing Channels (2:27), Bike Up The Ass (1:44), P-Salad (8:17), Halloweiner (10:38), Baked Beans (7:39), Songs Of Olden Times (5:46), First Date (1:27), Careful Commandos (1:17), MacDougal (2:07), It Was Pretty Good (4:14),
Photo Gallery on season two (6:28) season three (3:06),
Bonus Sketches include Good Cop/Terrible Cop (2:22), There Will Be Dick (4:50), Greek Sketch (4:46),
Banned Sketches (3:50) is a McGriff PSA gone evil and a family sitcom with a disturbing audience. As someone who got in trouble with IFC for their Split Screen episodes, I can see why the network wasn’t cool with these.
Early Live Shows has them performing on stage. The selections include Fat/Baby/Ghost Teabag/Metallica Rules (14:31), Gun In The Face/Gross Out/Rad Mountain (11:23), Hot Air balloon/Baby Pop/Catcher Trip/Boiler Room (23:26) and Massage My – (5:45).
Shout! Studios present The Whitest Kids U’Know: The Complete Series. Starring Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumete. Boxset Contents: 50 episodes on 10 DVDs. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: December 10, 2024.
