So you’ve looked at them all I think you should leave and you want more of Tim Robinson screaming? You’re in luck.
Sure, technically there’s nothing stopping you from looking up clips of his stand-up on YouTube, just like there’s no limit to rewatching I think you should leave. But maybe you’re thinking to yourself: I do new laughs, although. Or maybe you’re thinking of the much more ubiquitous and much more valid: Yes, but me Also love watching Sam Richardson, and The Afterparty And the release of the Detroit Lions schedule wasn’t enough. Then you should probably look Detroiters when it comes to Netflix – and that’s now!
Detroiters is the much-too-fast show that Robinson and Richardson previously collaborated on I think you should leave. And while it’s not a sketch comedy show, the bones of the ITYSL there are for sure. We follow Tim (Robinson) and Sam (Richardson), two advertising executives at the helm of a local company in Detroit. The company has seen better days – the glory days were when Tim’s father ran the business, but then he went ‘insane’ – so now the advertising agency is mainly the channel through which Sam and Tim’s escapades are funneled.
Which, plot-wise, is perfect: it gives Detroiters episodes a bit of structure, and allows each episode to follow an arc, but it also leaves plenty of room for banter, fluff, and laughter as the duo do their best to achieve their dreams in the most ill-advised ways. Like ITYSL, Detroiters’ The comedy DNA is in letting things get a little out of hand so that the comedians can expertly let everything slide home.
Although the pilot focuses on the failed-who-can elements of the show, Detroiters is at its best (and funniest) when it simply indulges the personalities of its two stars. Richardson is better than anyone at switching between moods, veering from brooding grumpiness to gentle naivety with ease, as when he finds himself in a romantic affair, only to realize she might think he’s a sex worker. Robinson is fantastic at splashing around in the gray space of a gag setup that’s almost beyond the boundaries of the ground (like when he tries to convince an off-duty clown to do something for him – he’s just never met a real clown before! ).
Despite the bizarre ITYSL to show, Detroiters remains relatively low. Tim and Sam technically always have normal jobs and lives that they keep and return to, no matter what random crooner they encounter at karaoke night. Not once does the Ghost of the Future from Christmas Way appear, and the “Tables!” abrasive action has definitely been toned down for something a bit softer, even if the duo still has plenty of their signature ridiculous curveball jokes. What Detroiters what really matters is the heart of these two men, the heart of their hometown, and sometimes the true heart of advertising a wig maker by reminding their customers that they not remove hair from dead bodies. At a time when the half-hour comedy is more readily available and easier to burn through than ever, Detroiters joining the Netflix library is a lucky day for all of us.
Detroiters is now streaming on Netflix.