The Birthday Boys

Whether lampooning political cartoonists or mocking indie-rock tropes, the team continues to shine at silly, Mr. Show-style comedy. [17 Oct 2014, p.63]

The high-energy group's smart, counterintuitive brand of absurdism is especially reminiscent of The State. [18 Oct 2013, p.61]

It seems like they’re trying to build a little universe of their own, on the shoulders of the most notable sketch shows of the past. It’s a show worthy of attention for that reason alone, and doubly so because it’s often funny as hell.

This is not sophisticated, drawing-room humor. It's closest to what they used to call college humor, and what is now considered stoned humor. But beneath the silliness is gentle but still dead-on satire that makes The Birthday Boys worth a look and a laugh.

The more frequently Birthday Boys returns to seemingly unfunny or barely funny bits, the funnier they eventually become--another Python borrowing, and a good one.

The Birthday Boys is a consistently funny show for viewers who are regular consumers of pop culture and recognize the elements from TV and film that are being spoofed.

If you are reaching the saturation point with this type of sketch work, The Birthday Boys may cause you to sigh at the sameness of it all. But if you’ve stayed away from those other yucksters, these ones provide fairly consistent midlevel laughs.