Ridiculous Anti-Talk Show Puts Public Figures In The Hot Seat
If you’re an avid TV watcher, you’re probably quite familiar with the standard talk show format, which sees various celebrities and public figures making the rounds to promote their latest projects and tell a few scripted anecdotes. One series however, titled Ziwe, sees actors, comedians, and even politicians caught off-guard by the hilariously hard-hitting questions of one of TV’s brightest up-and-coming stars. The series, which ran only 2 seasons on Showtime, is currently streaming in full on Paramount+ for those interested in checking it out.
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Ziwe sees the titular comedian sitting down with a revolving door of guests including Wayne Brady, Drew Barrymore, Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Yang, and many others.
Unlike the standard talk show format, Ziwe utilizes her trademark deadpan delivery to offer leading questions, causing her guests to squirm with discomfort and trip over their words.
The series functions almost like a cross between The Eric Andre Show and Real Time with Bill Maher, though Ziwe packs way more hyper-active editing and fabulous flair.
Ziwe’s Career
If you’re at all familiar with Ziwe creator and host Ziwe Fumudoh, you’ve likely seen her work on various social media platforms. Though her writing career has been steadily growing for years, Ziwe is best recognized for her viral comedy videos on sites like YouTube and Instagram.
The young Massachusetts-born comedian got her start writing for numerous online publications such as The Onion, Reductress, Vulture, and more, before transitioning into television and streaming work for The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Desus and Mero.
Moving Up
In 2017, Fumudoh launched the internet talk show Baited with Ziwe, wherein she tricks or otherwise ‘baits’ her white friends and associates into accidentally saying something racially insensitive.
The web-series garnered tons of viewers and rapidly blew up, serving as the basis for Showtime’s Ziwe in 2021. Fumudoh even appeared as a fictionalized version of herself on a season 3 episode of Succession to parody her work on the show, under the name Sophie Iwobi.
Once she took the show to the premium network, Ziwe managed to secure a number of high profile guests, resulting in some hilariously awkward interviews. Highlights of the series see the host getting Saturday Night Live‘s Michael Che so flustered he can barely function, or forcing Hannibal Buress to put on sunglasses in order to escape from the onslaught of cringe.
My personal favorite scene in Ziwe is the season 2 interview with Chet Hanks, who manages to flip the script on Ziwe herself by remaining so innocent and absent-minded that he circumvents every trap she sets for him.
Not For Everyone
While critics and audiences alike have gone head over heels for Ziwe, it’s definitely not for everyone, as the cringe humor can definitely make your skin crawl at times. Still, fans of the series have recognized it as a boundary-shattering innovation on the tired talk show formula, with some truly hilarious editing choices and a top-shelf selection of guests.
When Showtime cancelled the series in April 2023, fans everywhere were shocked, since the show’s second season had produced a litany of ultra-viral clips on TikTok.
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Apparently Showtime only cancelled the series as a means to escape the late night genre altogether, focusing their efforts on scripted dramas instead. Still, it seems like a no-brainer to bring Fumudoh back for additional seasons of her hilarious anti-talk show, even if it means reviving the series with a new home like Netflix. For now, those interested in watching Ziwe can stream the entire affair on Paramount+.
