Anders the “Father Figure” of the house

Of the three main characters, Anders is always the voice of reason. Although, it is a case of the  blind leading the blind as he is only marginally more mature than his roommates. Without Anders Adam and Blake would likely burn the house to the ground. In one episode when their boss (Alice) was offering a promotion Anders was the only one who actually wanted it. Adam and Blake only applied for it to sabotage Anders and then quickly backed off when he offered them tickets to see a monster truck rally. Anders is also the only one with a car. Blake can’t even drive a car. If you keep up with Workaholics enough you begin to see why Anders acts like he’s better than his two roommates and why he is the most mature to a certain extent. In the episode where the guys first meet in college, Anders is on the swim team and is the RA of the two bone heads Blake and Adam. He only becomes friends with them after Blake and Adam get him kicked off the swim team and get him drunk. So beginning the anchor of Blake and Adam that would weigh down the many dreams that Anders may have for success.

Another episode that reveals why Anders is so high-strung is when his dad comes to town. He doesn’t want his father to know that he lives in a house with two idiots so he attempts to break in to the house for sale across the street to play it off as his own. Of course that doesn’t work and we’re reminded that Anders is simply the most mature out of a group of pot-smoking, beer drinking hooligans. His father is a wealthy man who insists that Anders buy a new Volvo while he’s in town. Anders is so afraid of what his father might think that he actually buys a new car that he cannot afford.

Due to Ander’s “daddy issues” and his minor success as a collegiate swimmer he is constantly frustrated with the shortcomings of his loser friends without realizing that he is in the same boat. as they are; living in the same house and working the same job. It’s hilarious to watch him try and dictate situations that never turn out the way he wanted them to due to the rebellious ways of Adam and Blake.

About Workaholics

I realize now after commenting on other peoples’ posts that perhaps not everyone has seen Workaholics. So, for this blog I will lay out the basics of the show: what it’s premise is, what channel it’s on, who is the production personnel, how long it’s been on, and how it rates.

The premise of Workaholics is pretty simple. It follows three rommates Blake (the one with the big, curly hair), Anders, and Adam. They’re fresh out of college and working together at a telemarketing company called Telemericorp. When they’re not working they’re partying their asses off and getting in to stupid shenanigans. That’s essentially it; just three hilarious buddies living, working, and partying together. The beauty of such a simplistic plot is that the three stars play the role of post-grad slackers so effortlessly. I admire them because I feel like it’s every group of guy friends’ dream to make a show about the hilarious moments in their lives.

Workaholics airs on Comedy Central at 10pm on Wednesdays and it just wrapped up its third season. The production company that puts on Workaholics is called “Mail Order Comedy” which is the name of Blake, Anders, and Adam’s comedy group before they got famous and had a TV show. The three write the majority of the show (I wrote more about this in an earlier post). As far as ratings go, Workaholics returned this season as the #1 show in all of television for Wednesday Prime among men 18-34.

I probably should have written this basic information about the show in an earlier post but I somewhat assumed everyone had seen the show. For those of you that have seen it this is a pretty simplistic post but for those who haven’t I encourage you to watch even if you don’t think Workaholics would be your “type of show” I guarantee these three guys will make you laugh at least once!

RIP Jetset

Jessie Hudson, better known as the snazzy dressing Telemericorp co-worker with a perm on Workaholics passed away at age 59 shortly after the filming of Season 3. I’ve been meaning to address this in one of my posts but this is the final season that the audience will see JesSet. Jetset played one of the many smaller roles that helped make Workaholics such a hit. The guys’ relationship with him was similar to that of other co-workers such as Montez, Wayman, and Bill. However, in the show the guys always liked Jetset and showed respect for him unlike Bill and Wayman who they constantly belittle. It appears that the main cast truly respected and liked Jetset off set as well.”Damn. Sad day. RIP JETSET a true entertainer. Gonna miss that man. Much Love,” tweeted Blake Anderson.

My personal favorite Jetset moment was during this season’s episode, “Alice Quits” when he quits because the new boss makes him change his hair-do.  Perhaps it was because I was paying more attention to Jetset since I knew he had recently passed away, but he really cracked me up this episode. In one particular scene he tells the new boss “You can call me Patrick Swayze, ’cause I’m ghost.” I figured I would mention this 90s movie reference since I recently made a post about the frequent 90s related jokes that pop up in Workaholics.

Workaholics and Seinfeld

I recently came across an article about the style of Workaholics’ storytelling that compared it directly to Larry David’s, “school of realistic interaction.” I found this extremely interesting since I’m currently doing my sitcom script on Seinfeld. “I know we’re all big (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) fans, and I think a lot of writing and humor in general comes a lot from that school,” Anderson said. Although I never noticed the connection until now, I would have to agree that the shows follow a similar storyline technique. Seinfeld, which is often referred to as “the show about noting” puts humor into real life situations. Workaholics could easily be accused of being a show about noting as well. Both shows involve the main characters getting themselves into conceivably hilarious predicaments. However, Workaholics is much raunchier comedy than Seinfeld, as it includes drug references and party scenes whereas Jerry and is friends appear to live a more PG lifestyle. Seinfeld’s characters are also more mature (in a sense anyway) than the goofballs on workaholics.

Maybe the reason I’ve been so drawn to Workaholics is because I’ve been a Seinfeld fan for a while and I enjoy the way both shows make light of common day scenarios. I think that everyone enjoys watching sows that the can relate to and I find this east to do with both Seinfeld and Workaholics. However, due to the fact that I’m more closely related in age to the cast on workaholics I find their experiences more entertaining. Overall I’d say the main difference between the two sows is the dialogue. Workaholics is essential slap-stick, stupid, stoner humor while Seinfeld is more clever tan it is witty.

 

 

Dialogue Post

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, much of the dialogue in Workaholics is improv. The constant banter between Anders, Blake, and Adam is filled with witty puns, sarcasm, and even 90s era references. For instance, in an episode I recently re-watched from Season 2 the guys all wake up with horrible hangovers. Anders wakes up to discover that his hair has been died blonde and Adam and Blake begin to make Slim Shady and Ric Flair references. I think that these jokes referencing random actors and singers from the 90s can be hit or miss. Sometimes, I get them and I find them absolutely hilarious, while other times I don’t know the person they’re referring to and I think to myself, “I guess that’d be funny if I knew who they were talking about.” Overall, I find the guys’ dialogue so uniquely perfect for their target audience that I can’t stop laughing. The interactions they have with each other from their body language to the way they bicker with each other is so spot-on of the the 20 year-old audience they appeal to.

One matter of opinion I would like to address is that I sometimes feel like Adam is trying too hard. He is certainly the most animated character of the three main guys and his physical comedy is undeniably talented. However, there are times that i don’t find his jokes funny. There is nothing more awkward than watching a comedy that is going along smoothly and then a character air balls a joke. Unfortunately, I’ve found that this typically happens to Adam. It’s not frequent enough to the point that I don’t think that Adam is a great comedian, It’s just something that I’ve grown to notice by watching the show consistently. However, I find myself rationalizing these instances with the show’s realism. Even the funniest guy I know will say a bad joke from time to time. I think that the missed 90s references and so-so jokes that can be found in Workaholics from time to time are conducive to the overall theme of the show which is simply: anything goes.

Workaholics’ Structure

As open ended as Workaholics appears to be it does follow a certain structure. Each episode starts with a cold open, typically involving all four main characters that lasts for roughly two minutes and then cuts to the opening credits. In the two-minute cold open a main plot is foreshadowed. For example, I chose an episode from Season 1 in which Anders gets Karl arrested. Blake and Adam gripe about how Karl was their marijuana supplier and they won’t be able to get any now. This foreshadows later events when they befriend a child molester simply because he has marijuana. Workaholics follows a three-act-story structure. A problem arises to one, or all of the main characters (Adam, Ders, and Blake), the conflict over this issue (or issues), and then the resolution. For each episode there is typically one lesser character that becomes involved with the main characters. In this particular episode, a child molestor named Topher stars alongside the main characters. However, more commonly used lesser characters include the guys’ coworkers such as: Jillian, Jet-Set, Montez, their boss Alice, and their friend Karl.

In this particular episode I will analyze the three-act-story structure used by Workaholics. I chose this episode because it’s one of my personal favorites. As I mentioned earlier, Adam and Blake are upset with Anders because he got their weed dealer arrested. However, the main story plot begins when Blake and Jillian are discussing a guy on the internet who keeps sendng them nude photos under the impression that they are 11-year old boy’s accounts. The problem is that the child molester must be stopped; so, the guys set him up to meet at their house. The conflict arises when Topher (the child molester) arrives and ends up being a cool guy who also has marijuana that the guys so desperatly wanted. They party with Topher and at times question whether he is as serious of a threat as they once believed. However, the resolution ends when they snap back to their senses and call the police and Topher gets arrested.

Episode Review: In Line

Episode 19 of Season 3 aired last Wednesday on March 13th. I found this particular episode to be a great example of how Workaholics plot development can follow each character down a different path only to intertwine all of their adventures in the end. The episode opens with Anders and a girl on the couch at Adam, Blake, and Der’s house. In likely fashion, he’s interrupted by Blake, Adam, and their friend Karl who come busting in the front door dressed and acting like zombies. Of course, the girl leaves and the zombie clan explains to Ander’s that they’re dressed up for a new zombie apocalypse video game that is about to be released. Here we see the foreshadowing of how the rest of the episode will be split. Ander’s will continue to try and hook-up with the girl on the couch, who the guys refer to as “Darkness” because of her gothic appearance, while Blake and Adam will pursue this new zombie video game. Unfortunately, Karl gets involved with Anders and “Darkness” but I’d rather not get into that.

The next scene opens with the guys at work at TeleMeriCorp. Jillian asks Blake if he will cover for her as Alice’s assistant for the day while she goes to see some dinosaur film which seems fitting for Jillian who is just a complete odd-ball. Her relationship with Blake is an interesting aspect of the show as they appear to be boy-girl counterparts and showed signs of becoming romantic in last weeks episode. Nevertheless, in this episode Blake agrees to cover for Jillian but he asks Adam if he will stand in line for him at the zombie video game release. Sounds like a full-proof plan right?

Now, the show is bouncing between three different plots. We find Adam waiting in a line that he thinks is for the zombie video game but is a clean needle dispenserie for addicts who show striking similarites to the walking dead. Blake is being terrorized by Alice as she bosses him around at the office, and Anders is pitifully attempting to seduce “Darkness” into coming over to his place by telling her his friends will pick-up her up a copy of the zombie video game which apparently she’s also in to. After Adam accidently smokes PCP with some of the addicts they attempt to rob him, so he runs, creating a full-on zombie attack in his drug induced state. He ends up running directly past the actual zombie video game line which Blake is now waiting in, in an attempt to meet up with Adam after work. Meanwhile the Karl, Anders, and “Darkness” situation that I care not discuss is occurring at the house which leaves Anders ashamed and barely clothed. At the end of this episode Anders and Blake are beating Adam over the back with skateboards as he willingly participates due to his inability to feel anything on PCP. The current theme that ran through this episode and kept their separate plots connected turned out to be the zombie video game.

Anders on the Wisconsin Swim Team

Anders on the Wisconsin swim team

Diving into Anders’ Swimming Obsession

One of the most frequently reoccurring character jokes in Workaholics is Ander’s constant references to his love of swimming. For example, in last night’s episode Blake and his gang held hostage Anders’ ball that was autographed by the US Swim Team. He immediately gave in to their commands for them to return his cherished swim ball. In the Season 2 episode when Ders, Adam, and Blake are in college, the show explains the reason behind Anders’ swimming obsession. In “Flashback in the Day” when the guys meet in college Anders is on the swim team. He’s clearly very cocky and considers himself a, “jock.” The funny thing is that he’s treated like crap by the head of the swim team who remarks that he needs to lose weight because he looks like he’s “growing boobs.” When Ders gets kicked off he becomes deeply depressed but can’t let go of his identity as a swimmer. In one hilarious scene he says , “Ex-jock coming through” as he walks past a group of people. As with many elements of the show, Ders the actor and Anders in real life share many similarities.What many fans may not know is that Anders was in fact a collegiate swimmer in real life. He swam for the University of Wisconsin for two and a half years until he was kicked off for, “bad behavior” according to him.

Another “Ders-ism” in Workaholics is his love of his Volvo, or ‘Vo for short. This, like the swimming, is one of Anders’ passions that holds true in his real life. In an interview Ander’s explained how his Volvo became incorporated the show and his current-day allegiance to the Swedish model. “I have one Volvo. I had one back in the day before the show, which wasn’t as old as the one on the show, and I thought, “Ahh, I think it’s time to upgrade.” So I got the new one.” In reply to why he loves Volvos: “I’m keeping it real Swedish.”

Little things like Anders’ constant references to swimming, his Volvo, and being Swedish are what make the show Workaholics so funny to regular viewers. The fact that the characters use elements of their real lives to develop their character in the show is something that separates Workaholics from all other shows on television. I believe that the characters are so laughable because they are being themselves and they are a group of genuinely entertaining friends.

 

 

Writing Workaholics

Workaholics is interesting in the sense that the main characters are also the writers of the show. Their creative process comes from being open to every idea they come up. Essentially they rattle off as many ideas until the good ones start to stick. “We have like a hundred ideas that we just toss around and then whatever kinda makes the group laugh collectively are the ones that we pursue,” said Adam in an interview. To anyone familiar with the show and its cast, this lax attitude should come as no surprise. There are often dialogues in Workaholics that are so boldly bizarre that they remind you how Adams, Ders, and Blake were just a couple of goofballs on YouTube a few years ago. The amount of creative liberty that Comedy Central gives these guys is astonishing even for a comedy network, yet so far they have not disappointed anyone.

Although Workaholics can be generalized as somewhat stupid, stoner comedy their episode plots involve twists that appear to be well thought-out. This is due to the creative process that the writers/stars of the show abide by. They don’t just take every idea that jumps with their head and run with it on national television. According to Adam, “We come up with all the stories and we work on all the outlines together and then Anders or one of the writers will go off and write it up. And then we take a final pass at it to add different jokes or maybe a beat doesn’t work that we gotta punch up.” Their process is one of comedic trial and error. When someone comes up with an idea that makes the room laugh, they develop it further, if the joke doesn’t evoke an hilariously uproar, they move on. Writing their own script really helps Adam, Ders, and Blake develop as characters on the show because they’re doing what they love and for the most part, their audience appears to love it too. Comedy is tough to write because not everyone shares the same opinion on what is funny or not. One of the lines that Workaholics flirts with is between what’s perceived as funny and what’s just out-right stupid. However, all three writers/cast members have a similar sense of humor that apparently is shared by many others in the 20s demographic because it keeps them tuned in every Wednesday night.