Samantha Bee's brand-new late-night TV show is a gift to this absurd election year
TBS
"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" debuted on Monday night, and the former "Daily Show" correspondent immediately brought a new life force to the late-night landscape.
With lightning quickness, confidence, and hilarity, she broke down the election leading into the New Hampshire primaries.
Bee opened up with a scathing analysis of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton's recent head-t0-head in New Hampshire - he with his tales of the average American and calm demeanor and she with her inability to hide her contempt for the senator's ability to make her look like a one-percenter. One of the most hilarious moments was when Bee called out Clinton's statement that she never saw herself running for president.
"Oh, f--k off," Bee said incredulously, followed by a devilish impression of the candidate.
TBS
Bee then moved on to the Republican field, which she referred to as "a banquet of all-you-can-eat crazy." She spoke of Iowa winner Ted Cruz and how he's widely detested in Washington, DC. She referred to his problem as having "stage-four cancer of the personality," but stood up for his wife, Heidi Cruz, who in an interview was asked about how hated her husband is as she smiled uncomfortably.
TBS
Bee also looked to last Saturday night's Republican debate and took shots at the candidates' inability to even walk in according to plan.
"That was the first domino in a cascade of fail," she said.
And she introduced what will be the first of many "Elected Paperweight of the Month" segments. This first one focused on Kansas state senator Mitch Holmes, who created a dress code for the state capitol that only included women. Bee went on to point out several other pieces of legislation from Holmes, which included anti-abortion legislation and honors to Boy Scouts, clergymen, and a college basketball team.
"Basically a legislative career spent controlling women and celebrating the groups that exclude them," she summed up.
That was followed by a somber segment featuring beleaguered Republican candidate Jeb Bush at a rally (and that's being gracious) of some 200 supporters in New Hampshire, while Donald Trump held one with many more nearby. The Bush supporters who went on-camera for "Full Frontal" shared his low-key energy level and described him as "shy" and "meek." (These are his supporters!) They blamed the media for giving Trump's sound bites way too much airtime. It was all punctuated by one young supporter who was asked what kind of drink represented Bush.
"Milk. Milk is just a normal thing that wouldn't be fantastic if you could choose any drink, but it's a solid drink to have," he said. Not very rousing, is it?
With F-bombs, abortion references, and cocaine imagery, Bee lives up to the show's TVMA rating. She's speaking truth and cracking jokes for thinking adults. This is TV for those of us who aren't blinded by our voting pledges among the limited choices for candidates. Those of us who can see the politics in the politics. In all, it was a triumphant debut for Bee - and viewers should look forward to her hilarious insights week after week. It's a better election year already.
Watch some clips from the premiere below (warning: some strong language):
"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on TBS.
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