Reviewer’s Notebook: Showtime’s “Desus & Mero” Is Gone Too Soon

Usually, when shows get canceled out of the blue, I tend to take my anger out on the network or streamer, wondering why Netflix bothers making shows for young adult viewers if they’re going to shut down prematurely every now and then. when or why Warner Bros. ordered a second season come down And pushing forward some of its premiere dates and then canceling the season already filmed without ever airing.

It is therefore difficult to know how to respond to the official announcement on Monday afternoon (18 July) that God and MeroShowtime’s late-night series, apparently on its usual summer hiatus, will not be returning.

The show’s official tweet read: “Hive Winery: Famous @desusnice and @THEKIDMERO continue to push forward their separate creative efforts. #DESUSandMERO WILL NOT RETURN TO SHOWTIME. That was a good race, folks.”

It wasn’t as if Showtime was publicly disappointed by the show’s ratings or its efforts to gain ground in a crowded landscape. If that were the case, Showtime could be criticized for the show’s long breaks during the season and between seasons, or for a lack of consistency. God and Mero It aired once or twice a week. If that’s the choice Showtime makes, there can be irritation at the overwhelming whiteness of the nocturnal space and frustration at how short the leash is for traditionally colored shows, whether it’s BET’s preposterous myopia. when it came to this The recap with Robin Thede Or the impatience of Comedy Central The Night Show with Larry Wilmore.

But there is no indication that Showtime has done anything other than accept and announce the end. God and Mero. And since the show’s appeal was based on one thing and one thing: the chemistry between Daniel “Desus Nice” Baker and Joel “Baby Mero” Martinez, if their eponymous stars decide they’re ready to go their separate ways, permanently or temporarily, they won’t. there’s really nothing to worry about.

All I can say is this: I will miss you so much. God and Mero And not just because the hosts were enthusiastic hosts of the Entertainment and Television Critics Association Awards. TV’s top 5 Podcast Guests.

Late at night was nothing like that. And after two chaotic years, when the exhaustion of current events made my audience dwindle the daily program, Front And various TV talk shows that range from “watching every episode religiously” to “checking in periodically when you’re not so tired of COVID-related headlines, wild Supreme Court decisions, or the guy who was president before the current administration.” . God and Mero s last week tonight they were my only two must-see shows (and even though the last one caught my eye on a couple of weeks when the main story was something too serious or too dry or too repetitive).

In other words, God and Mero It has become my favorite evening show. At best, it was a perfect representation of the relationship between her stars, not as relaxed and impetuous as theirs. The guys from the warehouse The podcast is an increasingly sporadic format whose demise was just around the corner. God and Mero — or even the Complex TV and Viceland versions of the show, but it’s usually best to include some structure around their long scrambled interactions. I loved Desus and Mero in their previous incarnations, but I appreciated the simplicity of two nights a week with 10 or 15 minutes of brainstorming headlines and trending topics on social media, followed by street humor and interviews, often with old friends from before. Programs and big names that never wanted to be caught. What is or what was “complex television”.

Headlines have always been my favorite part. God and Mero, because that’s where they most clearly differentiated their voices, not that there were other shows where the presenters had roots in the Bronx-infused patois of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. They carried their pranks with them from show to show and from house to house, collecting and distributing jokes and catchphrases and sources of friendly, funny phrases. The jokes, which included his obsession with all things “dirty” – “dirty”, handicapped for Spaniards – juxtaposed with celebrations of his favorite New York media personalities, the growing Mero family, the so-called Against the Rise of Hollywood Desus. . most.

As the evening time is dominated by current affairs, and current affairs have been dominated by political outrage in recent years, “Trumpito” has been derided. In 2020, they even promised to interview many or most presidential candidates. Political discussions were something they knew they needed to do to stay relevant and expand their audience, but they never spoiled politics and they never became monomaniacal about the latest White House scandal. No matter how embarrassing the goings-on in the mainstream news world, DeSus and Mero were equally happy to dive into the latest wacky viral video or mid-level hip-hop brawl, and celebrate or mourn the latest happenings with the Knicks or Yankees. DeSus and Mero did what other late-night boys do, did it right, and then stopped talking about what they prefer to talk about, apparently admitting that even James Corden can make fun of a sleazy Politician X in a NewsMax interview. , but not everyone will be able to go deeper, for example, no matter what happens to the Soviet Union.

Desus and Mero weren’t always the most relaxed interviewers. During the first few seasons, it was pretty easy to tell the difference between the people who joined when the brand was particularly strong and the big names who were interviewed for their overall relevance or Showtime’s corporate synergy. However, they were improving. Much better. Just looking at this season’s interviews, they had a meeting with Denzel Washington, a fun conversation with Jeff Bridges, and a fun, scary conversation with Jerrod Carmichael. Sure, you still had to stand out when someone like Mark Wahlberg came along, but DeSus and Mero proved that if you put Barry Jenkins or Barack Obama in them, they’re different enough to run. – factory hosts ensure new insights or connections.

They also improved the floating segments that were initially a weakness of the Showtime series. They have met with dubious success in increasingly regular taste-testing segments, letting their team surprise them with squirts of fancy bottled water, celebrity-produced booze and fast-food fish sandwiches, all while feasting on their near-inevitable drink. . . Speaking of the crew, they gain more and more value from their writers and producers, especially Julia Young, special and self-deprecating as her subject’s revelation and, during COVID episodes, her designated laugh, and Josh Gondelman, whose Stooges and Sports of Boston Worship makes everything easier, but it rarely made him the target of cheap teasing.

I don’t know what forces caused Community to end midway through its fifth season, and I’m not smart enough to predict the future of any of the stars. My hunch is that Desus is probably ready for a new level of visibility. “Hollywood Desus” jokes were sometimes low-key, but Desus was always the more polite and talkative of the duo, while Mero was more comfortable with family-based personal confessions, partner-dependent reactions, and physical comedy. I’m standing. To me, Desus would be a very, very unsuitable choice as a potential replacement for James Corden at CBS, but at the same time, he could be the kind of big change that pays dividends. We’ll hear a lot of worse options and a lot of options that don’t expose CBS real estate to new audiences.

All I know is that they’re all famous guests. God and Mero has its own neon sign (they’ve stopped explaining the winery-based connection to certain guests) and while 180 episodes is a pretty good feat, the neon sign for Showtime’s God and Mero He will read “Gone Too Soon”.