W. Kamau Bell, comedian and host of the Chris Rock-executive produced, FX talk show, “Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell,” is hoping his new late-night gabfest will become a part of the national discussion on news and politics, much like “The Daily Show” and “Real Time With Bill Maher.”
Though he says he’s more interested in making people laugh than influencing their opinions, Bell said Rock insisted the show air during the 2012 presidential race so that “Totally Biased” could enjoy the same references as other popular talk shows that focus heavily on pairing opinion with news.
“When you watch the cable news shows, they will say, ‘Here’s what happened on The Daily Show last night. Here’s what happened on ‘[Real Time with Bill] Maher,” Bell told The Boston Globe. “I’d like to hear, ‘Here’s what happened on Totally Biased.’ I want to be a part of that national discussion.”
The San Francisco-based comic and community activist, who evolved his stand-up comedy routine into an acclaimed one-man show, “The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism In About An Hour,” also said that while he’s open to influencing opinions, he doesn’t want to do it at the expense of making his audience laugh.
“As a comic, if you get caught up in trying to influence opinion you’re probably not as funny as you can be. I definitely like the idea of putting out my ideas and seeing where they fall. But if it’s not hilarious, it’s not doing its job. I’m not smart enough to be Rachel Maddow.”
“Totally Biased,” which focuses on politics, pop culture, race, religion, media and sex, aired for the first time last Thursday to stand-out reviews. The Los Angeles Times noted that while the first show felt “a little tense,” “Totally Biased” is “a friendly presence” that has a “voluble sweetness” perfect for the lead-in position for its popular late night original shows, “Wilfred” and “Louie.”
The show airs Thursdays at 11 p.m. on FX for the next five weeks. Tune in to let FX know that Kamau is a hit.
