KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Aug 2017:
The best of Asian stand-up comedy is returning in Season 2 of Comedy Central Stand-Up, Asia! And as all the 16 performers have featured their best material for the Comedy Central Asia original series, some moaned comically these jokes can’t be performed at their live shows anymore.
From Aug 22, on Astro Go and HyppTV, each of the 10 half-hour episodes on Comedy Central Asia will feature skits performed live at HGH Convention Centre here.
For those who couldn’t make it for the two-night live performances on July 13 and 14, be assured the broadcasts have managed to capture the high energy of live stand-up comedic acts – sans the bloopers.
In fact, the live shows were filled with quite a bit of NSFT (not-suitable-for-TV) mannerisms – which many of the performers cheekily ‘bleeped’ themselves onstage too, or happily pointing out such jokes won’t be broadcast.
Happily, there wasn’t much of such NSFT moments because the comedians had all their scripts vetted in advance to avoid stepping on potential sensitivities – which meant much of the skewering targets were mainly spouses, significant others, parents, relatives, siblings or just random strangers.
The return of the original series in Season 2, explained Paras Sharma – senior vice president and general manager, Southeast Asia, Viacom International Media Networks was because “we saw solid viewership of Season 1 of Comedy Central Stand-Up, Asia! last year, which demonstrates that Asia originals have strong appeal with our audiences”.
Series partner was LOL Events, and its CEO Rizal Kamal said: “Stand-up comedy in Asia is at its prime at the moment. In terms of comedy acts and the quality of material, Asia has developed in leaps and bounds to make her presence known in the international arena. This is beyond entertainment, but represents a change in perceptions and breaking of stereotypes.”
The latest season featured 16 distinct Asian voices in comedy internationally – and celebrated Asian sensibilities, or the lack thereof!
The talents included:
- Imran Yusuf (UK)
- Paul Ogata (US)
- Eliot Chang (US)
- Papa CJ (India)
- Garron Chiu (Hong Kong)
- Alex Calleja (Philippines)
- Dilruk Jayashina (Sri Lanka)
- Jason Leong (Malaysia)
- Sharul Channa (Singapore)
