Important Things with Demetri Martin

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Important Things with Demetri Martin
ImportantThingslogo.JPG
Created by Demetri Martin
StarringDemetri Martin
ComposerDemetri Martin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17
Production
Executive producers Demetri Martin
Jon Stewart
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Garris Stokes
Eric Slovin
Running time21–23 minutes
Production companies Busboy Productions
PersonGlobal
Comedy Partners
Original release
Network Comedy Central
ReleaseFebruary 11, 2009 (2009-02-11) 
April 15, 2010 (2010-04-15)

Important Things with Demetri Martin was a sketch-variety show that aired on Comedy Central starring comedian Demetri Martin. Each episode examined a single theme, the "important thing", such as timing, power, control and money. All sketches, short vignettes, animated segments and stand-up comedy were loosely related to the theme of the episode. The show was produced by Jon Stewart's Busboy Productions, [1] and contained stand-up, prop comedy and musical comedy by Martin, as well as taped sketches. Jon Stewart took an active role in editing the first few episodes. [2] H. Jon Benjamin appeared in eight episodes and had a writing credit on seven as well.

Contents

Recurring segments

In addition to Demetri's unconventional style of stand-up comedy, which he has performed for many years, there are several recurring segments on the show including:

Opening Act – In the opening of the show, Demetri Martin greets the audience and brings up the theme/topic of the show. This is followed with a short joke via flashcards. The card generally has play-buttons with a caption under them, which Demetri then reads and decides which one he will choose, usually "Jokes".

Good, Bad, Interesting – Demetri presents a good, a bad and an interesting reaction to topics based on everyday life situations.

This is... – Often used as a transition, this segment features a single humorous concept related to the show's topic in which one or more cast members will act out.

Important Things Things – An infomercial narrated by Demetri in which imaginary products related to the show's topic are advertised for sale. The products are often comically impractical or unnecessary like the "Burning-Hand Potholder" featured in the Strategy episode.

Demetrocles/Da Mici – In this segment, Demetri presents a humorous concept related to the show's topic as an ancient philosopher much like Socrates or Plato or an inventor like Da Vinci.

Other Jokes – This segment consists of other jokes about the topic that weren't included in the Opening Act.

New Expressions – In this segment Demetri is approached by a series of people that talk about different situations. Demetri responds to each person with an original saying/expression that applies to the situation.

Episodes

Season 1 (2009)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"Timing"February 11, 2009 (2009-02-11)101
22"Power"February 18, 2009 (2009-02-18)102
33"Brains"February 25, 2009 (2009-02-25)103
44"Chairs"March 4, 2009 (2009-03-04)104
55"Safety"March 11, 2009 (2009-03-11)105
66"Coolness"March 18, 2009 (2009-03-18)106
77"Games"March 25, 2009 (2009-03-25)107

Season 2 (2010)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air dateProd.
code
81"Attention"February 4, 2010 (2010-02-04)201
92"Ability"February 11, 2010 (2010-02-11)202
103"Strategy"February 18, 2010 (2010-02-18)203
114"Money"February 25, 2010 (2010-02-25)204
125"2"March 11, 2010 (2010-03-11)205
136"2 Part 2"March 18, 2010 (2010-03-18)206
147"Lines"March 25, 2010 (2010-03-25)207
158"Nature"April 1, 2010 (2010-04-01)208
169"Space"April 8, 2010 (2010-04-08)209
1710"Control"April 15, 2010 (2010-04-15)210

Reception

Ratings

The Comedy Central show premiered on Wednesday February 11, 2009 and attracted 2.4 million viewers, making it the best cable series show since Chappelle's Show drew 2.5 million views in 2003. [3]

Critical reception

The show has received generally positive reviews from critics, and currently has a 71/100 rating on Metacritic, based on 8 reviews. [4]

Cancellation

During a comedy show at College Park, Maryland on October 28, 2010, Demetri Martin confirmed that Comedy Central had not picked up the show for a third season. [5] The first season was released on DVD in 2009, while the remaining 10 episodes (the entire second season) have yet to see a release date as of 2020.

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References

  1. "Stewart stamp on 'Martin'". Hollywoodreporter.com. October 3, 2007. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  2. "Jon Stewart producing new Comedy Central show". Reuters. October 3, 2007.
  3. "'Demetri Martin' definitely important". Variety. December 2, 2009.
  4. Important Things With Demetri Martin metacritic.com
  5. KPCS: Demetri Martin #107 Archived 2012-07-07 at archive.today Cancellation Confirmed