Observational humorist Demetri Martin is one of the most promising talents on the circuit today, but like most stand-up comedians who are given their own TV series, “Important Things with Demetri Martin” is but a shell of his real potential. Produced by “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, “Important Things” blends Martin’s unique stand-up routine with the more generic stylings of sketch comedy, and the end result is about as hit and miss as you’d expect. While the stand-up portions are solid thanks to the variety of his delivery (from deadpan one-liners to silly songs like “You vs. Me”), the sketches aren’t quite as good. In fact, with the exception of just about every sketch featuring Jon Benjamin (including a great bit where two guys fight over a parking spot and another involving an Olympic sport called the Passive Aggressive 800m), most of them are downright dull. Nevertheless, fans of the comic will still enjoy hearing some of his new material, and for those that feel cheated by the short season, Paramount has included a nice collection of bonus features like deleted sketches, a look at an early concept for the show, and audio commentaries by Demetri and friends.
Click to buy “Important Things with Demetri Martin: Season One”
