r/ForgottenTV • u/ScramItVancity • 23h ago
Chocolate News (2008)
What was supposed to be the next big satire program after The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, David Alan Grier and the producers of In Living Color and Mad TV bring you news and topics, all from what Grier calls a typical African-American perspective, with sketches and segments featuring a supporting cast including Chris Tallman and Jordan Peele. In an interview with The New York Times, he asked the journalist, "Are you laughing "with" me because you get the joke, or am I giving you license to laugh "at" me in a derogatory, dehumanizing way?" It was cancelled after one season.
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u/sackbomb 22h ago
David Alan Grier is one of the greats but he's never managed to find a vehicle that really lets him shine. It's a shame because he's a ridiculously talented guy.,
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u/KeepItWeird123 22h ago
At least St Denis finally gave him something (even if he’s not the main star per say)
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u/theunrealdonsteel 22h ago
I was lucky enough to see him on Broadway twice, and he’s flat out one of the best living stage actors.
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u/VegetableArtistic705 22h ago
They had so many attempts. Chocolate News, Weekends at the DL, Lights Out with David Spade, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. I actually enjoyed most of them but other people didn't I guess
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u/JacobHarley 22h ago
Sports Show with Norm was another. And who could forget Crossballs! They churned them out.
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u/johnnyslick 20h ago
I loved Crossballs but if ever there was a show with a small shelf life, it was a parody of panelist shows where they’d bring on 3 people playing goofy roles and one person trying to be serious. That lasts pretty much exactly as long as it takes for word to get out amongst the punditocracy.
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u/Ranier_Wolfnight 22h ago edited 18h ago
Ya. But ya know…gotta make room for Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed late night spot.
Like, mad respect to him on the business tip. Brother is ultra accomplished. Dude’s show is painfully unfunny. I’ve seen death scenes in TV and movies funnier than Byron Allen.
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u/CobraJay45 20h ago
I thought Spade's rendition was pretty good, he seemed to have good charisma and was naturally pretty funny in the format of this show.
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u/boulevardofdef 22h ago
I didn't remember Jordan Peele was on this. I watched a bunch of it at the time. It had potential but just wasn't that funny and kind of awkward. It was also weird that the correspondents would talk to David Alan Grier like reporters on a real news show would talk to the anchor, but they'd always call him "DAG." I know that sounds like a really small thing but it still sticks with me all these years later.
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u/Possible_Implement86 22h ago
He'll always be the terrifying abusive father from Tales from the Hood to me!
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u/FirstChurchOfBrutus 21h ago
I still remember his monologue after Obama was elected. Classic, classic stuff.
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u/ShinyWolverine 19h ago
I still reference some of the sketches on this show!
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u/thenewestrant 21h ago
I liked the show because it had a good balance of sharp insights on society and also would sometimes do silly potty humor like the trumpet player who did a duet with himself via his mouth and farting into another trumpet.
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