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Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell

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Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
GenreComedy
Satire
Written byW. Kamau Bell
Ethan T. Berlin
Chuck Sklar
Frank Conniff
Janine Brito
Hari Kondabolu
Danny Vermont
Kevin Avery
Kevin Kataoka
Louis Katz
Dwayne Kennedy
Aparna Nancherla
Eliza Skinner
Guy Branum
Brian McCann
StarringW. Kamau Bell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes64
Production
Executive producersChris Rock
Ethan T. Berlin
Chuck Sklar
Keri Smith Esgula
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesCR Enterprises
FX Productions
Original release
NetworkFX (2012–13)
FXX (2013)
ReleaseAugust 9, 2012 (2012-08-09) –
November 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)

Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell is an American stand up comedy television series that premiered on FX on August 9, 2012, starring comedian W. Kamau Bell. On stage, Bell did mostly observational comedy on recent news stories and current events. After an opening PowerPoint monologue, the program usually cut to a segment filmed outside of the studio. Additionally, since all of the show's writers were stand-up comedians, many often appeared as correspondents who performed monologues. As the last segment of the program, Bell interviewed a celebrity guest. In order to ensure the show's topicality, most of the show was taped on the day that it was broadcast. In the first episode, Bell interviewed Chris Rock, who was also an executive producer of the show.

It was announced on November 13, 2013, that Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell had been canceled,[1] and that the final episode would be broadcast the next day.[2]

Episodes

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Series overview

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
126August 9, 2012 (2012-08-09)June 20, 2013 (2013-06-20)FX
238September 4, 2013 (2013-09-04)November 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)FXX

Season 1 (2012–13)

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Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell season 1 episodes
No.
overall
No. in
season
Guest(s) Original air date
11Chris RockAugust 9, 2012 (2012-08-09)
22Rachel MaddowAugust 16, 2012 (2012-08-16)
33Alex WagnerAugust 23, 2012 (2012-08-23)
44Kevin PowellAugust 30, 2012 (2012-08-30)
55Issa RaeSeptember 13, 2012 (2012-09-13)
66Janeane GarofaloSeptember 20, 2012 (2012-09-20)
77Tom MorelloOctober 11, 2012 (2012-10-11)
88David WebbOctober 18, 2012 (2012-10-18)
99Neil deGrasse TysonOctober 25, 2012 (2012-10-25)
1010Chris Hayes & Ted AlexandroNovember 1, 2012 (2012-11-01)
1111Lewis BlackNovember 8, 2012 (2012-11-08)
1212Wanda Sykes & Hannibal BuressNovember 16, 2012 (2012-11-16)
1313John OliverNovember 29, 2012 (2012-11-29)
1414Matt TaibbiJanuary 17, 2013 (2013-01-17)
1515George TakeiJanuary 24, 2013 (2013-01-24)
1616Dave Zirin & Reggie WattsJanuary 31, 2013 (2013-01-31)
1717David Alan Grier & Reggie WattsFebruary 7, 2013 (2013-02-07)
1818Hannibal Buress, Rob Cantrell, Nikki Glaser, and Sara SchaeferFebruary 14, 2013 (2013-02-14)
1919Don CheadleFebruary 21, 2013 (2013-02-21)
2020Melissa Harris-PerryMay 9, 2013 (2013-05-09)
2121Aisha TylerMay 16, 2013 (2013-05-16)
2222Wyatt Cenac & George TakeiMay 23, 2013 (2013-05-23)
2323Jim Norton, Lindy West, Doug Benson, and Mike LawrenceMay 30, 2013 (2013-05-30)
2424Doug Benson, Unlocking the Truth, and Vernon ReidJune 6, 2013 (2013-06-06)
2525Trevor Noah and Eddie PepitoneJune 13, 2013 (2013-06-13)
2626Billy Porter and Zach "MC Mr. Napkins" SherwinJune 20, 2013 (2013-06-20)

Season 2 (2013)

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Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell season 2 episodes
No.
overall
No. in
season
Guest(s) Original air date
271Jim GaffiganSeptember 4, 2013 (2013-09-04)
282Tracy MorganSeptember 5, 2013 (2013-09-05)
293Chris RockSeptember 9, 2013 (2013-09-09)
304Jamie Kilstein and John FugelsangSeptember 10, 2013 (2013-09-10)
315Laverne CoxSeptember 11, 2013 (2013-09-11)
326Sarah SilvermanSeptember 12, 2013 (2013-09-12)
337Kristina WongSeptember 16, 2013 (2013-09-16)
348Gilbert GottfriedSeptember 17, 2013 (2013-09-17)
359Michelle ButeauSeptember 18, 2013 (2013-09-18)
In lieu of an Interview comedian Michelle Buteau performed stand up at the end of the show.
3610Dave ZirinSeptember 19, 2013 (2013-09-19)
3711Jeffrey WrightSeptember 24, 2013 (2013-09-24)
3812Tim WiseSeptember 24, 2013 (2013-09-24)
3913Van JonesSeptember 25, 2013 (2013-09-25)
4014Big FreediaSeptember 26, 2013 (2013-09-26)
4115Edward Wyckoff Williams and Aton EdwardsSeptember 30, 2013 (2013-09-30)
4216Jesse VenturaOctober 1, 2013 (2013-10-01)
4317Hannibal BuressOctober 2, 2013 (2013-10-02)
4418Calise HawkinsOctober 3, 2013 (2013-10-03)
4519Stephen RannazzisiOctober 14, 2013 (2013-10-14)
4620Alison StewartOctober 15, 2013 (2013-10-15)
4721Colin QuinnOctober 16, 2013 (2013-10-16)
4822DeathOctober 17, 2013 (2013-10-17)
4923Jay SmoothOctober 21, 2013 (2013-10-21)
5024Keith KnightOctober 22, 2013 (2013-10-22)
5125Henry Louis GatesOctober 23, 2013 (2013-10-23)
5226Josh GondlemanOctober 24, 2013 (2013-10-24)
5327Judy GoldOctober 28, 2013 (2013-10-28)
5428Alex WagnerOctober 29, 2013 (2013-10-29)
5529Penn JilletteOctober 30, 2013 (2013-10-30)
5630TouréOctober 31, 2013 (2013-10-31)
5731Soledad O'BrienNovember 4, 2013 (2013-11-04)
5832Gregg Deal and Andy ThundercloudNovember 5, 2013 (2013-11-05)
5933Bill BurrNovember 6, 2013 (2013-11-06)
6034Maria BamfordNovember 7, 2013 (2013-11-07)
6135Baratunde ThurstonNovember 11, 2013 (2013-11-11)
6236Kathleen HannaNovember 12, 2013 (2013-11-12)
6337Yaba BlayNovember 13, 2013 (2013-11-13)
6438Jim NortonNovember 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)

Production

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On September 18, 2012, FX ordered an additional seven episodes of Totally Biased that premiered on October 11, 2012, at 11:30 PM ET.[3] Episode 12 ended up airing at 12:00 AM ET on November 16, 2012, because Brand X with Russell Brand had been extended to an hour. On November 27, FX announced the series would have an additional 13 episodes in the first season beginning on January 17, 2013.[4] After a short break during the 2013 portion of season 1, episodes resumed on May 9, 2013, and continued until the season 1 finale on June 20, 2013. With the launch of FXX, the show would air daily at 11:00 PM ET and began its second season on September 4, 2013.[5]

Reception

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The premiere episode received mixed reviews. The A.V. Club gave it a B+ and called it "a much better version of Chocolate News, which drops the sketch comedy bent for more explicit social commentary that blends The Daily Show with what Russell Brand wishes he could get on Brand X".[6] The Los Angeles Times also compared Bell and the show favorably to Brand X, saying that "there is a voluble sweetness to his manner that should prove a tonally better companion"[7] to preceding programs. The San Francisco Chronicle applauded the show's edginess, saying that "it makes The Daily Show look like something your dad watches."[8] Newsday gave the show a B− and was more critical, saying that "Rock may want to light a fire under this act sooner than later."[9] The A.V. Club reviewed the first cycle of season one, giving it a B and stating that it has "positive progress to build on going forward. I's certainly in better shape than Brand X, especially when it just lets Bell do his thing in the opening segment. But the longevity of the show will depend on the star finding a way to shape the out-of-studio segments into something more compelling and growing as an interviewer."[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sara Bibel (2013-11-13). "'Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell' Canceled by FXX". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2013-11-13.
  2. ^ Nellie Andreeva, (2013-11-13). "FXX’s ‘Totally Biased’ Cancelled, Last Show To Air Tomorrow". Deadline.com.
  3. ^ Sean O'Neal (2012-09-18). "FX orders more Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell | Newswire". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  4. ^ Sara Bibel (2012-11-27). "'Brand X With Russell Brand' and 'Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell' Renewed by FX". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
  5. ^ "About the show". FX Networks. Archived from the original on 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2013-04-09.
  6. ^ Kevin McFarland (2012-08-10). "Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  7. ^ Robert Lloyd (2012-08-11). "Review: W. Kamau Bell is a friendly late-night face". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  8. ^ David Wiegand (2012-08-11). "'Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell' review". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  9. ^ Verne Gay (2012-08-06). "'Totally Biased' review: W. Kamau Bell does late night". Newsday. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  10. ^ Kevin McFarland (2012-09-21). "Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell - Season One". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
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