The Jeselnik Offensive

''The Jeselnik Offensive'' is an American late-night television series that aired on Comedy Central. It was hosted by stand-up comedian Anthony Jeselnik, who extended his onstage character into weekly, topical humor with a sociopathic, dark twist. The show primarily consisted of a monologue and two panelists who joined Jeselnik in adding a humorous take on shocking, lurid news stories. The series premiered February 19, 2013, on Comedy Central and was renewed for a second season on April 26, 2013, and aired July 9, 2013. On November 11, 2013, Comedy Central cancelled ''The Jeselnik Offensive'' after two seasons, due to low ratings.

Format

''The Jeselnik Offensive'' has been described as combination of the late-night comedy series and a podcast. Each episode opens with a monologue from Jeselnik, which focuses on tragic news and dark humor. The following segment can sometimes be a comedic remote or an audience-participation game ("Which Kind of Asian Is This?"). Several recurring bits are used: "Sacred Cow" is a segment that takes a subject deemed off limits, and proceeds to make several jokes about it. Each segment uses its platform to tackle such "off-topic" topics as cancer, bullying and missing children through jokes. The following two segments feature guest panelists who continue the wicked take on news. The final segment, "Defend Your Tweet", in which Jeselnik digs up an old tweet by each of the panelists and confronts them with it. At the end of each show, Jeselnik looks back at faux "Best Moments" from the broadcast, and closes the show with his sign-off phrase, "Good night, kids, go read a book."

The series was live at Hollywood Center Studios in Los Angeles.

History

In preparing the show, Comedy Central was looking for a half-hour, four-nights-a-week show following '' The Colbert Report'' titled ''Midnight''. Jeselnik's main draw was the monologue, where he felt he could tell jokes that he was unable to do on '' Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'', where he worked in 2009. For the pilot, Jeselnik did a test interview with a celebrity but felt "so wrong ..it just fit me like a bad suit." For the show's first episode, Jeselnik performs cancer-related standup for a cancer support group. "I had to fight with Comedy Central to put that on the first episode", said Jeselnik. The network felt uneasy using the sketch as an introduction. Jeselnik pointed to the premiere episode of '' Chappelle's Show'', in which Dave Chappelle plays a blind African-American Klansman, which he regarded as "one of the edgiest things they ever did." As such, the sketch opened the first episode and received a positive reception; Jay Leno called to inform Jeselnik how much he loved the cancer segment. Season 2 premiered July 9.

Jeselnik revealed in his Netflix Special "Thoughts and Prayers" that Comedy Central threatened to cancel the show after Jeselnik made a joke about the Boston Marathon bombing the day it happened on his Twitter account. After Jeselnik told Comedy Central he would not delete it (once they threatened to fire only him), they then informed him that they would simply cancel the show and fire everyone who worked on the show to which Jeselnik then deleted the joke citing "what I could not do, what I cannot do, is walk up to my cameraman and say, 'Hey, buddy, no work for you on Monday; I had this sweet Tweet.{{'"

Episodes

Season 1 (2013)

{{Episode table , background=#A62220 , overall=7 , season=7 , title= , titleT=Panelists , airdate= , prodcode=20 , viewers=14 , country=US , episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 1
, EpisodeNumber2 = 1
, RTitle = Aziz Ansari and Amy Schumer
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 2, 19
, ProdCode = 101
, Aux4 = 1.363
, ShortSummary = Monologue references: to Christopher Dorner's manhunt, Pope resignation, Catholic Church and HIV/AIDS, North Korea's threats of 2013, Storage Wars' Mark Balelo suicide, naming of park after Ku Klux Klan's founder, Detroit's Osama Bin Laden targets sale, Chris Brown's Porsche crash, Navy SEAL soldier unemployed.{{citation needed, date=May 2020

Segments: ''Who Wore It Better?'', ''Sacred Cow'' (Cancer, with Christy A. Russell, M.D.), Panel, Show's Best Moments.
During panel, there were additional segments, namely ''Best Worst Thing of The Week'', ''Worst Worst Thing of The Week'', The JonBenét Ramsey Memorial Parenting Segment, ''Latino Voices'', ''Defending your Tweet''.
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{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 2
, EpisodeNumber2 = 2
, RTitle = Nick Kroll and Patton Oswalt
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 2, 26
, ProdCode = 102
, Aux4 = 1.26
, ShortSummary = Monologue references: ex-pornstar Scarlett Rouge charge with second degree murder, Adam Lanza tried to beat Anders Breivik murder record, Mindy Kaling's new show.

Segments: Black Name Spelling Bee.
Panel references: man was stabbed during a '' ménage à trois'' after he refused to change positions,{{citation needed, date=May 2020 Oscar Pistorius' alleged murder of Reeva Steenkamp and segments ''Not Buying It''(about Four Loko) and ''Defending Your Tweet''.

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{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 3
, EpisodeNumber2 = 3
, RTitle = Billy Eichner and Kristen Schaal
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 3, 5
, ProdCode = 103
, Aux4 = N/A
, ShortSummary = Monologue references: Hot Air Balloon crash - Egypt hot air balloon crash killing 19 people, Miss Teen Delaware porn video,{{citation needed, date=May 2020 Boston face transplant recipient, Mindy Kaling new show, 'One Million Moms' Wants Geico Pig Commercial Pulled, Carrie Fisher Bipolar episode, Man who claims to have $7500 of porn stolen, Joe Francis's Girls Gone Wild creator files for bankruptcy, Xavier Nunez who stabbed a classmate with a screwdriver, Bobby Brown convicted of DUI

Segments: ''Sacred Cow'' (Missing Children, with private investigator Logan Clarke), ''Elderly Shaming'', ''What's their problem?'' and ''Defending your Tweet''.

Panel references: Scott Lively proof that President Obama is Homosexual, Veteran Pornstar Ron Jeremy aneurism heart surgery, Abducted Alabama child, Elder abuse, Tiffany Ennis who Duct Taped Children's Faces and Sent Pictures To Dad, Daytona 500 Crash, Kara Vandereyk caught having sex with pit bull, man broke into a firehouse and masturbated on gear.

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{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 4
, EpisodeNumber2 = 4
, RTitle = Brian Posehn and Doug Benson
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 3, 12
, ProdCode = 104
, Aux4 = 1.12
, ShortSummary =
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{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 5
, EpisodeNumber2 = 5
, RTitle = Andy Kindler and Brett Gelman
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 3, 19
, ProdCode = 105
, Aux4 = 1.266
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = A62220

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 6
, EpisodeNumber2 = 6
, RTitle = Jonah Ray and Jeff Ross

, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 3, 26
, ProdCode = 106
, Aux4 = 1.38
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = A62220

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 7
, EpisodeNumber2 = 7
, RTitle = John Mulaney and T. J. Miller
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 4, 2
, ProdCode = 107
, Aux4 = 1.206
, ShortSummary =
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{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 8
, EpisodeNumber2 = 8
, RTitle = Jason Mantzoukas and Natasha Leggero

, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 4, 9
, ProdCode = 108
, Aux4 = 1.29
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = A62220

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 9
, EpisodeNumber2 = 9
, RTitle = Abby Elliott and Pete Holmes
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 4, 16
, ProdCode = 109
, Aux4 = 1.23

, ShortSummary =
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{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 10
, EpisodeNumber2 = 10
, RTitle = Reggie Watts and Kumail Nanjiani
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 4, 23
, ProdCode = 110
, Aux4 = 0.88
, ShortSummary =
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Season 2 (2013)

{{Episode table , background=#FF614F , overall=7 , season=7 , title= , titleT=Panelists , airdate= , prodcode=20 , viewers=14 , country=US , episodes=
{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 11
, EpisodeNumber2 = 1
, RTitle = Jim Norton and Amy Schumer
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 7, 9
, ProdCode = 201
, Aux4 = 0.655
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 12
, EpisodeNumber2 = 2
, RTitle = David Koechner and Kumail Nanjiani
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 7, 16
, ProdCode = 202
, Aux4 = 0.551
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 13
, EpisodeNumber2 = 3
, RTitle = Adam Pally and Casey Wilson
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 7, 23
, ProdCode = 203
, Aux4 = 0.765
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 14
, EpisodeNumber2 = 4
, RTitle = Doug Benson and Rob Huebel
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 7, 30
, ProdCode = 204
, Aux4 = 0.600
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 15
, EpisodeNumber2 = 5
, RTitle = Dave Attell and Joan Rivers
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 8, 6
, ProdCode = 205
, Aux4 = 0.572
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 16
, EpisodeNumber2 = 6
, RTitle = T.J. Miller and Eric André
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 8, 13
, ProdCode = 206
, Aux4 = 0.846
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 17
, EpisodeNumber2 = 7
, RTitle = Thomas Lennon and Marc Maron
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 8, 20
, ProdCode = 207
, Aux4 = 0.64
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

{{Episode list/sublist, The Jeselnik Offensive
, EpisodeNumber = 18
, EpisodeNumber2 = 8
, RTitle = Nick Kroll and John Mulaney
, OriginalAirDate = {{Start date, 2013, 8, 27
, ProdCode = 208
, Aux4 = 0.613
, ShortSummary =
, LineColor = FF614F

Reception

The series received positive reviews. Kevin McFarland of '' The A.V. Club'' wrote, "''The Jeselnik Offensive'' is one of the best omedy Central shows It's a highly intriguing and reliably funny take on the late-night format," adding, "Jeselnik and his writers prove that the key to making jokes about touchy subjects is ''actually being funny'' instead of simply trying to be edgy."{{cite web, url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/ithe-jeselnik-offensivei-finale-96793, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602200257/http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/ithe-jeselnik-offensivei-finale-96793, url-status=dead, archive-date=June 2, 2014, title=TV Review The Jeselnik Offensive — Finale · TV Club · The A.V. Club, website= The A.V. Club, date=April 24, 2013

See also

* List of programs broadcast by Comedy Central

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

The Jeselnik Offensive
*{{IMDb title, 2736666

{{Anthony Jeselnik
{{Comedy Central programming

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeselnik Offensive, The
2010s American black comedy television series
2010s American late-night television series
2013 American television series debuts
2013 American television series endings
American English-language television shows
Comedy Central late-night programming