A Constant Visual Feast

I’m interested in seeing how The Break with Michelle Wolf picks up in quality, but really, I’m interested in learning how many people actually tune in to watch it. It’s a good show; maybe I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, but the first two episodes (FYI: It’s a weekly joint, rather than a binge watching joint) run into a couple of seeming gaffs here and there, nothing earth shattering, but noticeable all the same. We’re talking about a new-ish concept for Netflix (not new new, of course, because recall My Next Guest Needs No Introduction), so expect some minor growing pains as you sit back and dig on Michelle Wolf’s sharp sense of humor.

Or not. My perception is that Wolf isn’t exactly a widely embraced comedian, and that there’s a percentage of people who strong dislike her work – even among my liberal peers – which puts The Break with Michelle Wolf in an interesting place. The show goes out of its way to avoid the appearance of self-importance, as well as the spirit of self-importance, but Wolf has a spotlight on her that forces her into a conversation about late night TV and its function in litigating contemporary politics. That’s a space Wolf is trying to stay out of. She just wants to make fun of stuff. But her speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and the public reaction to it, makes that difficult, even as the show succeeds in differentiating itself from other late night shows.

Anyways: I like the show, because I like Wolf. If you don’t like Wolf, you might not like the show, but that’s sort of your loss, sucker. You’ll lose out on more, however, if you don’t read my review of the series, published over at The ARTery. So do yourself (and me) a favor and go read it.