Posted on: October 24, 2008 Posted by: Jay NeuFutur Comments: 0

It is so great to see that Lewis Black is allowed to shine as brightly as possible on this new Comedy Central show, which different comedians against own another, debating the merits and follies of specific groups (Youtube, PETA), ultimately deciding which of these groups possesses the title quality. The eight episodes that were present during the show’s first run (comprising those that aired between March and April of 2008) are captured during this DVD. Marijuana, porn, Tila Tequila, Las Vegas, and more are covered by a slate of comedians, both known (Patton Oswalt, Greg Giraldo) and unknown (Andy Kindler, Andrea Savage).

The episodes themselves have the same general format between themselves, but depending on whom the lawyers are in the episode, the tone and tenor of that specific debate can change significantly. For example, there is a sort of methodology present to Greg Giraldo’s side of things (as Giraldo actually studied at Harvard) than is present during the sharp, pointed humor of an Andrew Dale. More than just collecting the different episodes of this season, this DVD gives viewers a few extra bonuses – that go above and beyond the disc’s three-hour runtime. This means that there are interviews conducted with each member of the cast and crew (censored, originally being on the Comedy Central web site), along with a 90-second bumper about Black eirself (“Meet Judge Black”) and a similarly-long piece (“Meet the Lawyers”) about the other comedians.

For those fans of Black, the “Polibits” piece is essential viewing, allowing Black to vent about the crookedness of all politicians, no matter how moral and upstanding that they may be. While individuals that are a little less cultured in the ways in which Black truly shines as a moderator (just look at the Amazon page for this release to see what I mean), eir role on the Root of All Evil really makes the comedians bring their A-game, giving the show enough steam to have finished up a second season and be gearing up for a third. If you missed the shows when they were originally aired, then it behooves you to pick up this DVD and dive right into some of the sickest rants and jokes about a number of different topics this side of a Funny Bone. To Paramount: here’s to hoping that the second season of Root of All Evil is captured as well as the first, and that an extended array of bonus features are present.

Rating: 7.8/10

Lewis Black’s Root of All Evil / 2008 Comedy Central / 176 Minutes / http://www.paramount.com /

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