Common Sense Media Review
By Kari Croop
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Comedy duo's many "issues" are adult-oriented.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Michael & Michael Have Issues
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MICHAEL & MICHAEL HAVE ISSUES, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter star as themselves -- or at least exaggerated versions of themselves who are starring in their own variety show. The format is part sitcom and part sketch comedy, and episodes typically find the pair butting heads at work ... or in Black's front yard ... or in a public park. In short, most of the "issues" they have are with each other.
Is It Any Good?
If you know and love Black and Showalter from their other projects -- including Comedy Central's Stella or the summer camp spoof Wet Hot American Summer -- you're already tuned in to their antics and will appreciate what they're trying to do here with their deadpan delivery and irony so thick you could spread it. But if you've never heard of them before and prefer your comedy a bit broader, you'll likely feel their jokes fall flat.
Even diehard fans will be a little disappointed with the show's storylines, which don't yield as many laugh-out-loud moments as you'd expect from these two. Black, at least, was much funnier on VH1's I Love the... series.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the series exaggerates what happens behind the scenes of a TV show. Do you think the Michaels are markedly different than the "characters" they play here?
How does the show portray topics like drinking/drugs and sex? Does making light of them make them any less serious?
How is the comedy style of this show different than, say, a more traditional sitcom like How I Met Your Mother?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 15, 2009
- Cast : Michael Ian Black , Michael Showalter
- Network : Comedy Central
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : December 10, 2025
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