Inventing a New All-Star Cast of In Living Color
I tell ya if there’s one show I miss to no end it’s In Living Color. What was so great (and at the same time so crappy) about the show is that it will never be duplicated. It was one of the most racist shows in the history of television. And unfortunately after that show you just didn’t see that kind of racial profiling in comedy shows anymore….that is until The Chappelle Show.
But if all the stars aligned and we were in a perfect world I would love to see a sketch comedy show come out that would simple destroy SNL. I think a revival of In Living Color could do it but only if it were casted well.
Clearly this is a dream scenario but if I could have a new In Living Color cast this is who I’d choose…..
Chris Rock
If you need a replacement to do Homey the Clown then Chris Rock would be your man. Clearly Rock would be the token funny screaming guy who I think would fit in perfectly. He’s a no doubt foundation of this group.
Aubrey Plaza
Personally I think that Aubrey Plaza is kind of cute and she’d make a great semi-cute newcomer who would play the role of the sort of hot chick who is funny because not only is she cute but she’s actually pretty funny. She’d be a hell of a lot better than that chick who was in Office Space.
Jane Lynch
I think Lynch could add a nice flavor to this mix as being the token creepy older white woman. This would be awesome.
Bobb’ e J. Thompson
Thompson would be like the Wayans brothers. The young guys who haven’t really found their way yet but definitely have potential and would get their funny moments on.
Dave Chappelle
There’s nothing that Chappelle can’t do and boy oh boy would I tune it just to watch this guy.
Joel Mchale
I thought long and hard about this one and honestly there’s no replacing Jim Carrey. But if there’s a guy who could be animated and pull off some zany characters I really believe McHale can do it. He just has the energy for it. And I don’t know any other funny white guys that could be comedy show worthy. I just don’t think any of the SNL guys would be all that good. Maybe Will Ferrell? But again, he’s more SNL oriented.
Will Smith
Let’s not forget how funny Smith was on Fresh Prince. And he’s definitely still funny. He’s just not in roles that are that funny anymore.
Queen Latifah
I still think she’d be pretty damned funny and it was either her or Wanda Sykes. I think Sykes is a tad overrated. Latifah’s funny.
Samuel L. Jackson
The yelling alone would capture an audience.
In Living Color was a career launching show for nearly all the cast. I think they should start fresh with all new up and coming talent…
Malik
Anjela Johnson
Donald Glover
ditto on Bobb’ e J. Thompson
Then sprinkle in some vets for guest appearances.
Damon Wayans and “James” Carrey totally stole the show. Hard to pick a favorite skit, but I think mine would be The Homeboy Shopping Network. “Mo money, mo money, mo money….
Donald Glover, obviously.
LET ME SHOW YA SOMETHIN’!!!
They had the best musical guests too.
Too bad they cropped them off the DVD release.
…since you’re on the subject, I would recommend a show called “Kids in the Hall”, pretty much a show like “In living Color” except for the fact that it sometimes had recurring characters. It was pretty big over here in Canada in the early to mid 90’s.
I didn’t really care about this list (some “blah-blah-blahs” were going through my head) until I saw McHale’s name.
But, I would add Donald Glover on. His humor is a bit smart and strange (as a side note: he used to write for 30 Rock).
I wonder if the author knows that Chris Rock was on the original show.
I have to disagree with most of this list. I don’t think the show should have any vet actors the level of Will Smith, Jackson and Chappelle. I think one of the things that made the original so great was that the cast were virtual unknowns.
The show wasn’t so much about people screaming and making stereotypical jokes (though that’s what it started to become toward the end). It was funny because it was social/cultural observation and humor from the perspective of being inside that culture. That, and the fact that Keenan Wayans was hell-bent on pushing the envelope, which I thank him for.
That’s why I don’t think there should be any veteran actors. They might still be ‘real’, but they’ve been kinda removed from their roots. In order for the humor to be great, and as genuine as possible without looking like cheap race jokes, then the cast needs to be raw. Donald Glover might be good, and I guess the PSP kid could fit, but the best thing would be to grab the funniest unknowns you can find doing standup or something right now. They’re new, and they’ve got nothing to lose. On the other side of that, imagine family-man Will Smith trying to be edgy while still keeping his clean, wholesome image. That would be a comedy fail.
Great cast, but you forgot to mention the flygirls! They were defintelly one of the best things of the show too. I had always wanted to be one, though I’m only 20 🙂
This might be the most racist list ever. Queen Latifah or Wanda Sykes? Why them two? One or the other? Were they filling some sort of quota?
I think McHale is a great actor, but James Roday (Psych) would fit the character much better.