Back in Black Again on Comedy Central

Lewis Black may be the king of all things angry, but is he ready to judge the so-called “root of all evil” on a weekly basis?

Black’s new show, Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil, premieres tonight at 10:30 on Comedy Central. After making many appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Black is no stranger to the network. He has received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album and performs sold-out shows in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Some would say that it’s about time he received his own series.

Root of All Evil is in a moot court format, which is different from a mock trial in that it involves only a judge, two lawyers, and no jury. Black presides over this faux court as the judge and introduces two topics in a monologue at the beginning of the show. The topics involve people and issues relevant to today’s culture, such as porn vs. YouTube, Las Vegas vs. the human body, and in the first episode, Oprah vs. the Catholic Church. In a recent conference call, Black explained that the topics are chosen very carefully and that the show will not be afraid to be controversial. However, he mentioned that Britney Spears was not selected as a topic because “we weren’t sure if she’d still be alive” by the taping of the show.

After the judge’s introduction, two comedians act as ersatz lawyers, each trying to prove that his own topic is the root of all evil. In their “Opening Statements,” the two state their cases, and in “Debate,” they show verbal and video evidence in support of their respective theories. Black finally returns for his “Inquisition,” in which he grills each comedian about his arguments. Next, each comedian rants in his own “Ripple of Evil,” describing the consequences that will occur if his evil is left unchecked. Black said that this is his favorite part—“it has the potential to go anywhere.” After all is argued, there are “Closing Statements,” and Black renders his “Final Verdict.”

Although this is a scripted show, there is still a degree of improvisation. Black hopes that a majority of the show will be based on improv in the future. However, even with careful planning, some jokes fall completely flat. Black described the fatal error of the show perfectly when he said, “All it takes is one bad comic to ruin the whole thing.” Sadly, the first two episodes had this problem—the ineffective jokes outweigh the good ones.

Comedy Central has addressed this issue by adding more Lewis Black in future episodes. This is a good move because even though his name is in the show’s title, Lewis Black says very little during the course of the first two episodes. The viewer is left wanting more Black and fewer lawyer-comedians.

Root of All Evil does have promise, and it looks like better-known and funnier comedians will be featured in the future. Black describes the episode with Patton Oswalt as “one of the funniest we’ve done. ... Seeing Patton Oswalt in a three-piece suit is funny before he even says anything.” Since the show really is in the hands of the comedians, if the comedians are hilarious, their episodes will, accordingly, be funny.

The best thing to do is to refrain from judging the show on the first two episodes. Although there are laughs, Root of All Evil still feels awkward and unsure of itself. Black said that over time, he, his writers, and the comedians became more comfortable with the show and each other. He added that the last episodes they filmed “were the funniest.” If possible, check beforehand to see which topics or comedians are performing on the show. It looks like the later on in the show’s run, the better the episodes will be. Hopefully, Root of All Evil will find its bearings and become the acerbic cultural critic it has the potential to be.