# Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995)

> Bob Odenkirk and David Cross host a 1990s HBO sketch show that plays heightened versions of themselves before launching into absurd, pointed sketches.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/576

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 30
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: David Cross, Bob Odenkirk
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Jill Talley, Brian Posehn, Tom Kenny, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jay Johnston, John Ennis
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112084/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: irreverent, deadpan, absurdist, sharp, cringe

## What critics say

Critics broadly regard the series as a sharp, positively received sketch show whose absurdist, cringe-prone character pieces and dark satirical edge stand out from its contemporaries.

## Synopsis

Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995-1998) is a US cable sketch comedy series created by David Cross and Bob Odenkirk for HBO. Odenkirk and Cross star as hosts who introduce most episodes as exaggerated versions of themselves, then move into a rotating stream of live sketches and pre-taped segments. Jill Talley, Brian Posehn, Tom Kenny and Paul F. Tompkins anchor a large roster of recurring characters, each one a vehicle for escalating awkwardness, bluster and social stupidity. The engine of each episode is the pileup: a bit starts small, a character refuses to back down, and the joke keeps tightening until it becomes absurd. Across four seasons and thirty half-hour episodes, the show runs as an anthology of self-contained sketches rather than a continuing story, so any episode can be entered at any point. The register is sharp, irreverent and deadpan, skewering media, celebrity, and self-important hucksters with a precision that rewards close attention. Its late-nineties HBO setting gives it a particular cable-era swagger. Fans of Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Kids in the Hall and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! will find kindred spirits here.

## Shows like Mr. Show with Bob and David

- [The Man Show (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/5279)
- [Documentary Now! (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56427)
- [The Whitest Kids U' Know (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/9681)
- [In Living Color (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/4197)
- [Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/1151)
- [Big Train (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/1356)
- [The Kids in the Hall (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/1462)
- [I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/75310)
- [KaBlam! (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/513)
- [Tenacious D (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/1102)

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