”The Downer Channel” debuts 8:30 p.m. on NBC. The promo with the hottie asking a phone-beholden Steven Wright if he wants to have sex makes Herc laugh. Laughter good!!
TV Guide says:
Frustrations of modern life are the thrust of a summer sketch-comedy show from executive producers Steve Martin and former Letterman cohorts Robert Morton and Steve O'Donnell. On-the-street comments about cell phones, bad bosses, noises and the like are used to introduce fast-paced (and very brief) bits. Regulars Jeff Davis, Lance Krall, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Wanda Sykes put the opening pieces in play, including “Anal Retentive Rage” in which a control freak (Davis) goes on a rampage - by loosening his tie and taking a glass off a coaster. Teri Garr, Fred Willard and Steven Wright also appear in the opener.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
If there was such a thing as "summer comedy," this would probably be it. Bright, frothy and easy to swallow, "The Downer Channel" requires little of viewers -- but, then again, it doesn't give that much in return. It's a sort of "Laugh-In" light: all of the goofiness with none of the cerebral or biting wit.
Variety says:
Prepare for 29 minutes of unfunny business. Think back to some bad date that included a trip to see the local improvisational comedy troupe and the age-old routine of asking audience members for incongruous ideas that become fodder for a skit. That's the concept guiding "The Downer Channel": Part sketch comedy, part man-on-the-street interview show, it attempts to "put a hilarious spin on life's little frustrations." Far more frustrating is wondering why this is even on TV.
