Master impressionist Frank Caliendo offers disappointing sketch material on the second season of "FrankTV," a late-night comedy series on TBS. Despite the praise for the show's first season and Caliendo's "FrankTV Stand-Up Comedy Tour," the second season of "FrankTV" fails to create the memorable spoofs of its sketch comedy contemporaries like "Saturday Night Live" and "MadTV."
Many viewers will recognize Caliendo from his impersonations of President Bush and Dr. Phil McGraw for Dish Network commercials. Caliendo has appeared on "MadTV" and "FOX NFL Sunday" to imitate celebrities such as John Madden and Charles Barkley. He also performed at the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, during which he charmed the audience with his Bush impression.
Although "FrankTV" has second-rate dialogue, Caliendo's dead-on impressions of former President Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini are impressive. But out of each episode's seven or eight skits, only two or three contain clever material. The best scenes include political figures like Bush and Gore, two characters that Caliendo has truly mastered. The Bush impressions on Election Night's Nov. 4 episode are sure to please audiences, and the Al Gore Halloween skit on Oct. 28 will leave viewers laughing in their seats. Also, look for Caliendo's Oct. 28 John Madden impression, in which he mocks the NFL star for being obsessed with New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre.
Some of the show's less appealing scenes feature impressions of Republican presidential nominee John McCain that portray him as "too white" and unpopular with celebrities. Other disappointments include a David Letterman parody in which his reality show is transformed into a "nap-time hour" and an unconvincing Ice-T commercial promoting blueberry lemonade.
Comic performers Mike McRae and Freddy Lockhart have joined Caliendo for the second season of "FrankTV." The addition of these actors allows for a larger pool of celebrity impersonations that include interim "Meet the Press" moderator Tom Brokaw and "Star Wars" character Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lockhart's Barack Obama portrayals for the election night episode are among the few that will amuse audiences, as the potential U.S. presidents fail to charm viewers.
The second-rate comedy in "FrankTV" makes it painful to watch. Actors' over-exertions and attention-seeking moves will not impress viewers. "FrankTV" could be described as an adult version of "All That," a kid-approved "SNL"-type show that appeared on Nickelodeon in the 1990s. Both shows feature political icon impersonations, spoofs on celebrities and run-of-the-mill humor that fails to impress.
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