Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis

Last updated
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.png
Genre Comedy, talk show
Created by
Directed by
Presented by Zach Galifianakis
Theme music composer Bernard Hermann
Opening theme"Theme from Taxi Driver (Reprise)"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes21 (and 1 special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Mike Farah
  • Scott Aukerman
  • B. J. Porter
Producers
  • B. J. Porter
  • Scott Aukerman
  • Christin Trogan
  • Zach Galifianakis
  • Anna Wenger
  • Corinne Eckhart
Production locations Los Angeles, U.S.
Cinematography
  • Brian Murray
  • Matt Sweeney
  • Matt Krueger
Editors
  • Daniel Strange
  • Caleb Emerson
  • Mordecai Druitt
  • Hank Friedmann
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time3–6 minutes
Production company Comedy Bang! Bang!
Original release
Network Funny or Die
ReleaseJanuary 4, 2008 (2008-01-04) 
June 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis is an American talk show hosted by comedian Zach Galifianakis which features celebrity guests. Episodes last several minutes, in which the interviewer (Galifianakis) and guests trade barbs and insults. In addition to the online series, there is a Comedy Central television special, and a Netflix original movie Between Two Ferns: The Movie .

Contents

Format

Host Zach Galifianakis interviews celebrities while sitting between two potted ferns. [1] The set intentionally resembles a low-budget amateur production for public-access television, [1] with on-screen graphics containing deliberate comedic errors. For example, in a 2014 episode, Brad Pitt's name is spelled "Bart Pit" and his film 12 Years a Slave —the winner of the 2013 Academy Award for Best Picture—entitled "12 Years a Salve ". [2]

Galifianakis maintains a very awkward and often antagonistic demeanor with his guests, asking them bizarre, inappropriate or insulting questions mixed with offhand non-sequiturs . The guests' responses are mostly improvised. [3] Episodes often include a segment in which Galifianakis awkwardly interrupts his guests to promote a sponsor's product. Examples include bananas, the video game Need for Speed: Shift , and (most frequently) Speed Stick deodorant. Some advertisements, like the graphics, are based around aspects of or events related to the interviewee. For example, the episode featuring Hillary Clinton included one of Donald Trump's campaign commercials.

History and reception

Barack Obama interviewed on Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, 2014 Barack Obama and Zach Galifianakis, Between Two Ferns.jpg
Barack Obama interviewed on Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, 2014

The show originated as a short film on Scott Aukerman and B. J. Porter's Fox sketch pilot The Right Now! Show, a spin-off of their Comedy Death-Ray live show. After the network declined to pick up the show, the duo put the short up on the website Funny Or Die, where it made a successful transition to an internet series.

Discussing the show on ABC News Now , Galifianakis said, "The sycophantic way that Hollywood machine runs – it's fun to make fun of it. That's how Between Two Ferns started." Guests aren't told what will happen in advance, according to Galifianakis, "They agree to come. There is no discussion beforehand...It just happens, no real prep, no organization whatsoever." He continues, "Inappropriateness is really fun to me...That is kind of the take on Between Two Ferns – inappropriate humor." [4]

The Chicago Tribune described it as "surreal improv...a talk show that's more of a charming critique of the faked intimacy of celebrity interviews than a talk show." [5]

A 30-minute television special, Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York, aired on Comedy Central on May 6, 2012. The show featured interviews with Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Richard Branson. [6]

The episode featuring President Barack Obama was timed to encourage Americans to sign up for health insurance at Healthcare.gov. Funnyordie.com became the top referrer to the government site during this time. [7] The September 2013 episode featuring Justin Bieber also received significant media attention. The show opened with Galifianakis telling him, "It's really exciting to talk to you. Especially right in the middle of your public meltdown." [8]

In the 2014 episode featuring Brad Pitt, the actor was referred to as both "Bradley Pitts" and "Bart Pit", and Galifianakis referred to Pitt's latest film, Fury as " Furry ", and asked Pitt, "Is it hard for you to maintain a suntan...because you live in your wife's shadow?" Galifianakis also asked Pitt if his relationship with wife, Angelina Jolie, was anything like "Ross and Rachel" from Friends , the show that made a star of Pitt's ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. [2]

In a January 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times , while promoting Baskets , Galifianakis discussed the status of Between Two Ferns, stating: "I don't know what else to do ... [Between Two Ferns has] kind of run its course a bit." Galifianakis also expressed his desire to interview the Pope on the show. [9] Between Two Ferns' first new episode in almost two years aired in September 2016. It featured then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and received over 30 million views in its first 24 hours, the highest viewership in FunnyorDie.com's history. [10]

Between Two Ferns: The Movie , a film adaptation of the show directed by Aukerman and written by Galifianakis and Aukerman, premiered on Netflix on September 20, 2019. [11] Uncut interviews from the film featuring David Letterman, Paul Rudd, Awkwafina, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brie Larson, Keanu Reeves, Hailee Steinfeld, and Adam Scott were released on the Netflix Is A Joke YouTube channel and FunnyOrDie.com under the title Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: The Movie, Sorta Uncut Interviews, which was nominated for the 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series. [12]

Episodes

No.TitleGuest(s)Directed byOriginal release date
1"Michael Cera" Michael Cera Ruben Fleischer January 4, 2008 (2008-01-04)
2"Jimmy Kimmel" Jimmy Kimmel Ruben FleischerApril 17, 2008 (2008-04-17)
3"Jon Hamm" Jon Hamm Daniel StrangeDecember 12, 2008 (2008-12-12)
4"Natalie Portman" Natalie Portman Daniel StrangeMay 6, 2009 (2009-05-06)
5"Bradley Cooper" Bradley Cooper and Carrot Top Daniel StrangeMay 25, 2009 (2009-05-25)
6"Charlize Theron" Charlize Theron Scott Aukerman September 7, 2009 (2009-09-07)
7"Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter" Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter and Andy Dick Scott AukermanNovember 16, 2009 (2009-11-16)
8"Ben Stiller" Ben Stiller Daniel StrangeMarch 16, 2010 (2010-03-16)
9"Steve Carell" Steve Carell B.J. Porter July 27, 2010 (2010-07-27)
10"Sean Penn" Sean Penn Scott AukermanAugust 31, 2010 (2010-08-31)
11"Bruce Willis" Bruce Willis Scott AukermanOctober 12, 2010 (2010-10-12)
12"Jennifer Aniston and Tila Tequila" Tila Tequila and Jennifer Aniston B.J. PorterFebruary 8, 2011 (2011-02-08)
13"Will Ferrell and Jon Hamm" Will Ferrell and Jon HammScott AukermanMay 22, 2011 (2011-05-22)
14"Oscar Buzz Edition Part 1" Jennifer Lawrence, Naomi Watts, Christoph Waltz, Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams Ruben FleischerFebruary 11, 2013 (2013-02-11)
15"Oscar Buzz Edition Part 2" Jessica Chastain, Sally Field, Emmanuel Lewis, and Bradley Cooper Scott AukermanFebruary 12, 2013 (2013-02-12)
16"James Franco" James Franco, Edward Norton, and The Lonely Island Scott AukermanMay 7, 2013 (2013-05-07)
17"Justin Bieber" Justin Bieber Scott AukermanSeptember 26, 2013 (2013-09-26)
N–A"Happy Holidays Edition" Tobey Maguire, Samuel L. Jackson, and Arcade Fire Scott AukermanDecember 18, 2013 (2013-12-18)
18"President Barack Obama" President Barack Obama Scott AukermanMarch 11, 2014 (2014-03-11)
19"Brad Pitt" Brad Pitt and Louis C.K. Scott AukermanOctober 22, 2014 (2014-10-22)
20"Hillary Clinton" Hillary Clinton Scott AukermanSeptember 22, 2016 (2016-09-22)
21"Jerry Seinfeld & Cardi B" Jerry Seinfeld, Wayne Knight and Cardi B Scott AukermanJune 14, 2018 (2018-06-14)

Special (2012)

A special episode aired on television on Comedy Central on May 6, 2012.

TitleGuestsDirected byOriginal release date
"Between Two Ferns: A Fairytale of New York" Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Richard Branson Scott Aukerman May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)

Awards

AwardsCategoryNomineesResult
2013 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program Mike Farah, Scott Aukerman, Zach Galifianakis, B. J. Porter, Anna Wenger, Betsy KochNominated [13]
2014 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment ProgramScott Aukerman, Zach Galifianakis, B. J. Porter, Mike Farah, Sean Boyle, Rachel GoldenbergWon [14]
2015 Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment ProgramMike Farah, Scott Aukerman, Zach Galifianakis, B. J. Porter, Sean Boyle, Michelle FoxWon [15]

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References

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