Why? With Hannibal Buress

The premiere episode of Why? With Hannibal Buress on Wednesday night was an amiable half-hour.... The Schumer segment had a few laughs; the others were pretty flat.

The premiere’s apparent DNA blended with Buress’ unique style leads to a disjointed but occasionally funny premiere.

The premiere left the Why?--that is, the show’s purpose and point of view--unanswered.

What he did talk about, during a surprisingly old-fashioned opening monologue, was Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations, the Greek financial crisis and the dullness of soccer.... He spent the rest of the half-hour show introducing taped segments and scripted sketches. These were mostly underwhelming.

It is almost a given that shows like this, which invent variety anew for every new host, start on shaky legs, and Why? did not buck the trend. Still, it came out of the gate strong, before stumbling a little in the stretch.

This is only a first take, but a few things can be derived from it. The most obvious one is that this is a show that's a work in progress. The Wednesday premiere felt disjointed, lacking a point or a clear reason for being and--least promisingly--it wasn't very funny.