ZIWE, a riotously funny, new variety series from writer, comedian and internet sensation, Ziwe. A no-holds-barred mix of musical numbers, interviews and sketches that challenge America's discomfort with race, politics, and cultural issues.
As it turns out, viewers wondering if the comedian would soften up on guests once she made the transition to mainstream TV have nothing to worry about.
On "Ziwe" the understanding is that that the conversation is less about the promoting visitor than elevating the host. Fumadoh constructs the show as both a true star-making platform and a spoof of the same.
Fans of Ziwe Fumudoh will approach this show with her web series in mind, but seen strictly as a TV show it delivers with a brand of satire that has real intelligence.
Ziwe, so much bigger and glossier than Fumudoh's Instagram show, is best when it recaptures the original videos' feeling of live, uneasy, intimate, and intense conversation - when it's riding on friction and interpersonal messiness.
It's when the show expands from one-on-ones that Ziwe, as a comedy project, flounders, with jokes relying too heavily on racism as a neon-lit punchline.