Why 'Why? With Hannibal Buress' Wasn't Too Funny, and How to Fix It

Hannibal Buress concluded the first season of Why? With Hannibal Buress on Wednesday night, and… it wasn’t too funny, was it? Buress is a really good stand-up comic. He’s the person who did more than anyone else to bring attention to Bill Cosby’s alleged crimes against women. He’s frequently hilarious on Broad City.

But in taking over his own Comedy Central series, Buress hasn’t been all that successful in translating his style of laid-back intelligence to the format of Why?. His opening monologues tended to ramble. His taped bits such as invading a PETA protest were often just one-note efforts. His people-on-the-street interviews were pretty drab. He even resorted to what is literally one of the oldest TV ideas ever: interviewing children, in a variation of Art Linkletter’s “Kids Say the Darnedest Things” from the 1950s, with muted results.

Assuming Why? is picked up for a second season, how could it be improved? When the show was first announced, there was some talk that its organizing principle was going to be that each week, Buress would pick a different experience or occupation and do that job. But that notion was quickly scuttled and the looser, more varied format we saw for eight episodes was established. If I was Buress, I’d reconsider that format in future planning (though it sounds as if Chelsea Handler’s upcoming show may invade that turf as well).

The first season of Why? also suggested that Buress is more effective when he’s playing off another comedy pro rather than ordinary citizens. So perhaps booking more guest stars, at the very least more of Buress’s stand-up comic pals, might yield a funnier, clubbier atmosphere.

Before Buress debuted his show, he gave promotional interviews saying things like, “I have no idea what my new show will be about,” which came off as charming, in his patented just-relax, everything-will-work-out manner. Well, he was certainly true to that stated philosophy — he ended his season without demonstrating what his show is about. It’s time to start working on that. I wish him the best of luck, and I’ll keep watching.