Real Rob

Even if Real Rob falls far short of the genre's peaks, and even its midland prairies, moments here work.

The show features narrative moments, snippets of his stand-up, and talking-head interview segments that would feel more at home in a mockumentary (think The Office or Parks and Recreation), all coming together into a hodgepodge that makes no sense.

Mr. Schneider seems to be trying to combine the Sandler-Schneider style of gross-out humor with the minimalist sensibility of current premium-cable and digital comedy, which might be interesting in theory but here has a numbing effect.... Still, Mr. Schneider has his hangdog charm, and when he’s on screen by himself the show is tolerable.

Real Rob has elements of “Louie” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm’s” heightened reality, but the only thing that sets it apart from its predecessors is that it’s not very good. Unfunny scenes are broken up with equally unfunny stand-up.

Ultimately, though, Real Rob’s undoing is in the doing too much. Schneider’s mixing too many elements from too many shows, so he’s unable to update them in any way. And because the cast is so small, Schneider ends up spreading himself too thin.