MTV’s comedy “Human Giants” will premiere April 5 at 10 p.m. bringing comedians like Aziz Ansari, Rob Heubel and Paul Scheer to the screen to show-off what critics have called a collection of “recklessly hilarious, fast-paced short films.
Some might recognize the actors from other popular shows like VH1’s “Best Week Ever” or “Arrested Development,” but all will star and executive produce in this seasons new comedy series.
“When I first saw the Human Giant sketches on the Web, I knew this was something special and had to work with these guys,” Executive Producer of MTV Tony DiSanto said in a press release. “… It’s fast-paced, laugh-your-ass-off humor with a rebellious rock n’ roll attitude.”
The show’s clips can be viewed on the internet as a preview of the type of comedy to come. Skits like “Shutterbugs” and “The Illusionators” have had over 30,000 hits on Web sites like YouTube and My Space and are gaining popularity.
In a viewing of the press reel of “Human Giants,” the audience did not take a liking to the numerous skits that were weaved into one episode.
However, videos the audience did enjoy included one with Ansari carrying around a stereo on his shoulder blaring the “Shittiest Mix Ever” through parks and highly populated streets. Songs like “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer, “Butterfly” by Crazy Town, and the Dawson’s Creek theme song by Paula Cole “I Don’t Want to Wait” blasted while Ansari walked around a city receiving curious looks.
In another video, Ansari dresses up in a space suit and walks into a bar with the assumption that “chicks dig astronauts”.
“The whole thing was kind of ‘hit-or-miss’,” industrial technology senior Rob Jordan said. “The magic tricks were ok, but the funniest one was the one about the bad mixed tape. But there was way more bad then good.”
Landscape architecture senior Adrian Acevedo said that he probably wouldn’t watch the show after seeing the press reel. “It had one really funny part, but all the other ones were lame,” Acevedo said. “More real-life skits would make it better, like when (Ansari) was taking the boom box around town.”
Ansari, the comedian that was the main character in all of the skits, is a standup comedian out of New York City. In 2006, he won the Jury Award for Best Standup at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo. Rolling Stone also chose him as the “Hot Standup” in their annual “Hot List.” He has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” and plans on doing more standup on television soon.
The other actor, Huebel is probably best known from his movie theater commercial campaign, ‘Inconsiderate Cell Phone Man’ and has produced for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and was nominated for an Emmy award for his work on “The Awful Truth with Michael Moore.” Scheer completed projects for Comedy Central and VH1, and has made numerous appearances on “The Today Show,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Weekends at the D.L.”
For more information about the show check out clips and news updates at MTV.com or thehumangiant.com.