I started a joke
Dean’s Killer Joke review
Production Company – Evagation Media
Rating – 
Back in March, I was contacted by the guys behind this show regarding a possible review. Truth be told, I’ve had a lot of shows in the go recently (including a load of early episodes). So this one languished at the halfway mark while other shows took the lead. Yesterday though, I finally got to the end.
So a bit later than usual, and with a quite surprising amount of trepidation here is my review of the rather topical, Dean’s Killer Joke.
So what’s it about?
When controversial standup comedian Dean finally takes a step too far in his act, he tells a joke that’s beyond the pale even for him, and gets cancelled. His friends rally around him, trying to get his life back on track. As is usually the case nowadays, it’s harder to get the genie of public opinion back in the bottle, and his career is pretty much over. Once you are labeled “persona non grata” then it’s best to think of something else you can do for a living. Dean tries his best though, but even with his friends behind him, he can’t do anything right anymore.
Then one fateful night, Dean is murdered.
And so we begin a rather unique murder mystery set in the world of comedy clubs and critical public opinion.
Is it any good?
In my experience, there are two kinds of audiodramas. There are the kind that are almost like TV for your ears (as Nic Silver liked to say in Tanis). The other kind are more like the old school radio plays. There is definitely both a stylistic and aural difference in the two. Dean’s Killer Joke falls into the latter category. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there are plenty of shows like this that I have loved for that exact reason. This however, falls a bit flat. The overarching feeling with this show is that it’s just average.
The acting could be better. While some of the characters are well written, and I’m sure fans of American stand up will recognise certain character archetypes (whether intentional or not), the supporting cast just don’t seem up to the job. This sits the show in a strange no man’s land between professional podcast and “am-dram”.
The story is pretty good. There’s no plot holes and the final reveal is entertaining enough. The problem is that it doesn’t do anything really well. Personally, I would have expected a series set in the world of standup comedy to have at least a few laughs in it, but I can’t remember if I even cracked a smile. Maybe that’s the point though. The duality between being funny on stage and serious off stage. Tears of a clown and all that. Whatever, unfortunately an average show gets an average score.
Final thoughts
I can’t help but wonder if this series would even have been made without the trend over the last decade of examining comedy and calling out anything deemed politically incorrect. Ultimately, this small detail is what sets it apart from other more run of the mill murder mystery shows. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not a fan of lowbrow jokes that are offensive just for the sake of it. I’m not going to get into that debate, because as I start to think up a paragraph, it spirals, fractal like, out of control and I’ll dig myself a rather deep hole. I’ll just leave it there I think.
You can get Dean’s Killer Joke here:
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