114 reviews
Chappelle's show is absolutely one of the funniest television shows I've ever seen! Dave is a flat out genius! I've never laughed out loud so much at one show in my life! There's literally not one episode that's not hilarious. I've watched every episode several times over and laugh just as much every time. Like many others here have already said, it's an absolute travesty that it only went for three seasons. It's not because it was canceled because it was one of the most popular shows on at the time, it's just that Dave didn't want to do anymore for some reason. Chappelle is one of the funniest comedians of this era and this is peak Chappelle at his best.
- Supermanfan-13
- Dec 9, 2023
- Permalink
Chappelle's show is a sketch-comedy show starring if course, Dave Chappelle. He also performs a stand-up routine as he shows you the clips and usually ends with a popular musical act. This is absolutely one of the funniest shows in the history of television! I've never laughed out loud so much at one show in my entire life! It's just a shame it only went two seasons because Dave lost his mind for a little while after Season 2 and didn't want to return for another season even though they offered him record amount of money at the time. This show debuted almost 20 years and it's just as funny today as it was then. Not many shows hold up after 20yrs but this is absolutely one of them. It's one of the best comedies of all-time!
- mbourque74
- Aug 16, 2020
- Permalink
I don't usually comment on things, and spend more time reading and seeing what others have to say, but I think Dave deserves more praise.
I just got season 2 on DVD and it has been nonstop laughter since I put it in. There were several times when I had to pause the show because I couldn't breathe.
I almost died when the grenade came rolling into the house in the skit that showed what would happen if Enron execs and similar were treated like true criminals.
It's bad that I like the show so much. Sometimes i bust out laughing at work and people think I am insane (which I probably am) On another note, I hope things can be worked out for season 3. If this is the end of the show, then I thank Dave for giving us what he has and I wish him the best.
I just got season 2 on DVD and it has been nonstop laughter since I put it in. There were several times when I had to pause the show because I couldn't breathe.
I almost died when the grenade came rolling into the house in the skit that showed what would happen if Enron execs and similar were treated like true criminals.
It's bad that I like the show so much. Sometimes i bust out laughing at work and people think I am insane (which I probably am) On another note, I hope things can be worked out for season 3. If this is the end of the show, then I thank Dave for giving us what he has and I wish him the best.
Dave is funny and controversial but always left me in stitches. I finally was angled to watch all of the episodes. It was sad that he left but the comeback has been epic
- FrakyouApple
- Apr 12, 2020
- Permalink
I've seen the whole series probably 10-12 times all the way through with certain sketches so many more times over. I haven't seen it in a few years, and my gf had never seen it (how that happened, I don't know, I blame her parents). So we hunkered down for a Saturday, blazed some Laughing Buddha, and watched it all the way through. She said she understands why I am this way.
Chapelle Show is genius, pure and simple. Chapelle himself has been a little annoying with his holier than thou, try and cancel me attitude. That aside, this show is still relevant, still hilarious. Do yourself a favor, watch it. Whether it's the first time or the 40th time, it's amazing.
Chapelle Show is genius, pure and simple. Chapelle himself has been a little annoying with his holier than thou, try and cancel me attitude. That aside, this show is still relevant, still hilarious. Do yourself a favor, watch it. Whether it's the first time or the 40th time, it's amazing.
- catchthesmokeinc
- Nov 14, 2020
- Permalink
Brilliant, clever, irreverent, incendiary, thought-provoking, comedy.
A show full of skits and stand-up, hosted by and starring Dave Chappelle. The skits are incredibly original, intelligent, left-field and funny, often covering topical issues like race relations, drugs, personal relationships, Prince and Rick James...
Very edgy, and clearly for the open-minded. If you're a bigot and/or easily offended, best to not watch it...
Pick of the skits, for me, would be from S1 E1 - Clayton Bigsby, the black White Supremacist. He's blind... Not only funny but also shows the irrationality and absurdity of racism.
A show full of skits and stand-up, hosted by and starring Dave Chappelle. The skits are incredibly original, intelligent, left-field and funny, often covering topical issues like race relations, drugs, personal relationships, Prince and Rick James...
Very edgy, and clearly for the open-minded. If you're a bigot and/or easily offended, best to not watch it...
Pick of the skits, for me, would be from S1 E1 - Clayton Bigsby, the black White Supremacist. He's blind... Not only funny but also shows the irrationality and absurdity of racism.
While "Chappelle's Show" was occasionally uneven (which is true of any skit comedy show), the successful skits easily predominated. But the reason I liked the show so much was because it was so brave and honest--particularly when it came to race. Chappelle's program was the only show on television that talked openly and honestly about race--something ALL folks need to do in this ultra-politically correct world. But even more importantly, these supposedly offensive skits were hilarious and worked. Plus, no one I know felt offended by them--particularly the wonderful skit about the blind black man who hated blacks because he didn't realize he was black! Another great one was his getting the seemingly white bread Wayne Brady on his show for an insanely funny skit! Brave...and insanely funny. Probably NOT a show for kids but wonderfully entertaining.
- planktonrules
- Aug 21, 2013
- Permalink
Dave Chappelle has a very direct style of comedy that will put some people off. He confronts racial and political issues in America with a very unapologetic tone and never shies away. He has better commentary than a lot of serious, "professional" commentary!
- briancham1994
- Jun 2, 2020
- Permalink
Saw Chappelle's first HBO comedy half hour back in the day. New he was going to be huge. This show was hilarious. Watch the Sam Jackson beer skit and you will know if this was for you.
- geurtsdustin
- Jun 14, 2019
- Permalink
Dyno- mite!
Can we please get this man a drink! Gad damn!
Dave chapelle at his finest, well at his earliest on screen sets. Dave you the man
- trohde-666-266415
- Mar 4, 2021
- Permalink
Chappelle is just a very smart guy Most sketch comedy shows are hit and miss. Kids in the Hall and SNL in its prime in the late 80s and early 90s are the closest that shows have come to the hilarity that is Chappelle's Show. Only Chappelle can turn an already legendary figure Rick James into a whole new level of legend, absolutely REAM R. Kelly, beautifully spoof both Law & Order and the reality of white collar crime vs. Ghetto crime in one fell swoop, and after leaving the show, have a 2Pac skit that's easily among the best skits he's ever done solidify his legacy (notice the tremendous irony in that?!). There is no unwatchable Chappelle's Show episode...even if some skits aren't THAT funny, almost all of them are at least somewhat funny, and there's generally at least one very funny skit in each episode if not most or all of them. There's more than enough horrible entire shows of SNL, Mad TV, and Frank TV.
Most shows start off weak before they hit their stride (most pilot episodes of shows are ironically pretty bad compared to the rest of their runs) but Chappelle had probably one of the strongest outlandishly funny pilots of any show ever (South Park is pretty close). There was no doubt that something special was going on right from the get-go, and Chappelle never failed to deliver.
Some people would say perhaps it's best that the show didn't live a long life because most shows that have age like an old ballplayer still believing they can outplay everyone else. I think any true fan of the show would disagree...Chappelle has been a funny guy since back in the Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Half-Baked days and I'm pretty sure he would have still kept his knack for comedy for many more years if he kept the show going. Still, it's his show, his wish, and at the least we can thank him for 2 brilliant years and the extras that came afterward.
Most shows start off weak before they hit their stride (most pilot episodes of shows are ironically pretty bad compared to the rest of their runs) but Chappelle had probably one of the strongest outlandishly funny pilots of any show ever (South Park is pretty close). There was no doubt that something special was going on right from the get-go, and Chappelle never failed to deliver.
Some people would say perhaps it's best that the show didn't live a long life because most shows that have age like an old ballplayer still believing they can outplay everyone else. I think any true fan of the show would disagree...Chappelle has been a funny guy since back in the Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Half-Baked days and I'm pretty sure he would have still kept his knack for comedy for many more years if he kept the show going. Still, it's his show, his wish, and at the least we can thank him for 2 brilliant years and the extras that came afterward.
- sikes-56523
- Mar 24, 2023
- Permalink
A friend recently lent me the complete DVD collection of the show, and I just finished watching it. I knew Dave's comedy from sketches the same friend had recommended to me on YouTube, and they were very funny.
But watching the complete set of shows, I was let down. Many of the sketches began with a humorous premise, but then just plain fizzled out; quite often they simply devolved into either toilet or crude sexual humors (or both). In one sketch, Dave offered a rebuttal to critics of that low-brow humor by having an all-girl choir sing a song he wrote called "Diarrhea." That's an example of thinking you're being clever by not being clever, but you still try to pass it off as clever.
The sketch I found the funniest was "Popcopy," about the way customers often are treated in a copy shop. It was smart, over the top and well acted. The other sketch I liked was when Dave says he has quit smoking weed, and shows the "TV commercial" which made him do so. The unexpected twist at the end made it quite funny.
The black KKK guy was somewhat funny; the best laugh for me was while watching the scene at the run-down filling station, off to the side you see a sign reading "Clean Rest Rooms". The Racial Draft was also very smart and well written... and funny.
I'm sure there are a few other sketches I liked but have forgotten about. The large majority of the other material, however, didn't do it for me.
I really enjoy racial humor because it serves two purposes: it shows how silly prejudice is and also how much we are all alike, regardless of skin color. Dave's show does a great job when this is the focus; when it's not, the show succeeds much less often.
I think Dave did the right thing by quitting the show. He said the reason was because he found it interfering with his stand-up act. I have never seen Dave do stand-up in person, but have seen it on the Internet and he is so funny.. Thanks, Dave--by ending the show, I think you did a good job at keepin' it real!
But watching the complete set of shows, I was let down. Many of the sketches began with a humorous premise, but then just plain fizzled out; quite often they simply devolved into either toilet or crude sexual humors (or both). In one sketch, Dave offered a rebuttal to critics of that low-brow humor by having an all-girl choir sing a song he wrote called "Diarrhea." That's an example of thinking you're being clever by not being clever, but you still try to pass it off as clever.
The sketch I found the funniest was "Popcopy," about the way customers often are treated in a copy shop. It was smart, over the top and well acted. The other sketch I liked was when Dave says he has quit smoking weed, and shows the "TV commercial" which made him do so. The unexpected twist at the end made it quite funny.
The black KKK guy was somewhat funny; the best laugh for me was while watching the scene at the run-down filling station, off to the side you see a sign reading "Clean Rest Rooms". The Racial Draft was also very smart and well written... and funny.
I'm sure there are a few other sketches I liked but have forgotten about. The large majority of the other material, however, didn't do it for me.
I really enjoy racial humor because it serves two purposes: it shows how silly prejudice is and also how much we are all alike, regardless of skin color. Dave's show does a great job when this is the focus; when it's not, the show succeeds much less often.
I think Dave did the right thing by quitting the show. He said the reason was because he found it interfering with his stand-up act. I have never seen Dave do stand-up in person, but have seen it on the Internet and he is so funny.. Thanks, Dave--by ending the show, I think you did a good job at keepin' it real!
I just reviewed the two season DVDs, in anticipation of the third season (alas postponed), and I have concluded that this is the funniest show on TV in a long time. Yes it's a little too edgy and risqué for some people, but those aren't the people who I give a >bleep!< about anyway.
It's not just Dave who does it all; he has a great cast around him (Ashy Larry may be one of my favorites), gets major names to drop in (Anthony Anderson, Mos Def, Wyclef Jean) and to stay (Charlie Murphy), and his longer-serving characters are no less valid than the fresh ones (Tyrone the crack addict).
It is not for the uptight; it is not for the close-minded. What he pokes fun at is stereotypes, and that's a taboo for many people today. The barriers that political correctness attempted to break down over the last 15 years is exposed by Chappelle in 24 episodes, showing the truth behind the masks that we all wear. Those of us strong enough to handle it find him refreshing and downright hilarious. Those who don't will face the consequences as they manifest themselves in myriad other, humorless ways.
It's not just Dave who does it all; he has a great cast around him (Ashy Larry may be one of my favorites), gets major names to drop in (Anthony Anderson, Mos Def, Wyclef Jean) and to stay (Charlie Murphy), and his longer-serving characters are no less valid than the fresh ones (Tyrone the crack addict).
It is not for the uptight; it is not for the close-minded. What he pokes fun at is stereotypes, and that's a taboo for many people today. The barriers that political correctness attempted to break down over the last 15 years is exposed by Chappelle in 24 episodes, showing the truth behind the masks that we all wear. Those of us strong enough to handle it find him refreshing and downright hilarious. Those who don't will face the consequences as they manifest themselves in myriad other, humorless ways.
This short lived television program dramatically pushed the envelope on.what was culturally and socially acceptable to show attack on television. Chappell understand human nature. He understands race issue from both sides of the aisle and he understands comedy. While he is a great stand up and storyteller he is also a great sketch comedy actor and impressionist. This show has so many funny, over the top sketches it is always hard to believe he got ways with all he did at the time. Groundbreaking. Cutting edge. Dare I say brilliant week after week b.
- tkdlifemagazine
- Feb 28, 2022
- Permalink
The best sketch comedy show ever! The laughs never stop. I miss good sketch comedy shows. I found one online recently that's pretty good, but Chappelle's Sketch Comedy show was the best! I wish it would have gone on longer than it did.
- ChristopherBatesPA
- May 9, 2019
- Permalink
As shows like Mad TV and Mind of Mencia finally see their ends, one must look back on Chappelle's Show and wonder what comedy television would be like today if Chappelle didn't get burned out and leave the show. Believe it - Comedy Central wasn't paying him ridiculous money because the show was just good. It was and will always be LEGENDARY.
Most sketch comedy shows are hit and miss. Kids in the Hall and SNL in its prime in the late 80s and early 90s are the closest that shows have come to the hilarity that is Chappelle's Show. Only Chappelle can turn an already legendary figure Rick James into a whole new level of legend, absolutely REAM R. Kelly, beautifully spoof both Law & Order and the reality of white collar crime vs. ghetto crime in one fell swoop, and after leaving the show, have a 2Pac skit that's easily among the best skits he's ever done solidify his legacy (notice the tremendous irony in that?!). There is no unwatchable Chappelle's Show episode...even if some skits aren't THAT funny, almost all of them are at least somewhat funny, and there's generally at least one very funny skit in each episode if not most or all of them. There's more than enough horrible entire shows of SNL, Mad TV, and Frank TV.
Most shows start off weak before they hit their stride (most pilot episodes of shows are ironically pretty bad compared to the rest of their runs) but Chappelle had probably one of the strongest outlandishly funny pilots of any show ever (South Park is pretty close). There was no doubt that something special was going on right from the get-go, and Chappelle never failed to deliver.
Some people would say perhaps it's best that the show didn't live a long life because most shows that have age like an old ballplayer still believing they can outplay everyone else. I think any true fan of the show would disagree...Chappelle has been a funny guy since back in the Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Half-Baked days and I'm pretty sure he would have still kept his knack for comedy for many more years if he kept the show going. Still, it's his show, his wish, and at the least we can thank him for 2 brilliant years and the extras that came afterward.
Most sketch comedy shows are hit and miss. Kids in the Hall and SNL in its prime in the late 80s and early 90s are the closest that shows have come to the hilarity that is Chappelle's Show. Only Chappelle can turn an already legendary figure Rick James into a whole new level of legend, absolutely REAM R. Kelly, beautifully spoof both Law & Order and the reality of white collar crime vs. ghetto crime in one fell swoop, and after leaving the show, have a 2Pac skit that's easily among the best skits he's ever done solidify his legacy (notice the tremendous irony in that?!). There is no unwatchable Chappelle's Show episode...even if some skits aren't THAT funny, almost all of them are at least somewhat funny, and there's generally at least one very funny skit in each episode if not most or all of them. There's more than enough horrible entire shows of SNL, Mad TV, and Frank TV.
Most shows start off weak before they hit their stride (most pilot episodes of shows are ironically pretty bad compared to the rest of their runs) but Chappelle had probably one of the strongest outlandishly funny pilots of any show ever (South Park is pretty close). There was no doubt that something special was going on right from the get-go, and Chappelle never failed to deliver.
Some people would say perhaps it's best that the show didn't live a long life because most shows that have age like an old ballplayer still believing they can outplay everyone else. I think any true fan of the show would disagree...Chappelle has been a funny guy since back in the Robin Hood: Men In Tights and Half-Baked days and I'm pretty sure he would have still kept his knack for comedy for many more years if he kept the show going. Still, it's his show, his wish, and at the least we can thank him for 2 brilliant years and the extras that came afterward.
The biggest disappointment in television history is the that this show only really lasted 2 dang seasons! Probably the greatest sketch comedy show ever made, however brief, and unfortunately Dave couldn't handle it. The big wigs should be ashamed of themselves for not stepping back and letting him do his thing. As Chappelle said they came in while he was filming and he didn't like the way they were laughing at him, not with him. Keep hoping one day he will return but it will probably never happen.
After all the drama Dave got from his latest hit, The Closer, I decided to get the old DVD's out and watch again. Wow! I can't believe that his show ever got on air in the first place. He was so far ahead of his time! It's still relevant today and it still made me Laugh Out Loud. Dave really is the GOAT! If you just found Chappelle after all the Free Publicity the alphabet folks gave him and aren't familiar with his previous work, this is a MUST WATCH!
- collectorofsorts
- Oct 31, 2021
- Permalink
This is the most daring, out there, hilarious show on Basic Cable TV.
Dave Chappelle has taken a bit of everything out there, put it in comedic sketches and has driven them off the cliff. Make no mistake, for the weak hearted, some of his sketches will offend some folks, but for the rest of us, this is one of the funniest programs of the new season. Comedy Central did "good" in presenting this guy a show.
Some of my favorite drop dead funny highlights from his first season (and I rate as must not miss...) sketches are "Ask a Black Dude" with Mr. Paul Mooney, "Ask A Gay Dude" with Mario, the "Pop Copy Training Video", "The Real World" spoof (Which is the most funniest spoof I've seen on this EVER!), the "Pretty Woman" spoof of 'if these movies were real life', the really out there "FrontLines" spoofs (The Hollywood animal one and the backwoods writer one are to die for!), the "World is Comming to an End Presidential Press Conference" and...the "Reparations" spoof had me on the floor in laughter.
I sure hope Comedy Central remembers to turn in some of these to Emmy Voters, they are funny -- I cannot wait to see Chappelle present more of this in additional seasons.
Dave Chappelle has taken a bit of everything out there, put it in comedic sketches and has driven them off the cliff. Make no mistake, for the weak hearted, some of his sketches will offend some folks, but for the rest of us, this is one of the funniest programs of the new season. Comedy Central did "good" in presenting this guy a show.
Some of my favorite drop dead funny highlights from his first season (and I rate as must not miss...) sketches are "Ask a Black Dude" with Mr. Paul Mooney, "Ask A Gay Dude" with Mario, the "Pop Copy Training Video", "The Real World" spoof (Which is the most funniest spoof I've seen on this EVER!), the "Pretty Woman" spoof of 'if these movies were real life', the really out there "FrontLines" spoofs (The Hollywood animal one and the backwoods writer one are to die for!), the "World is Comming to an End Presidential Press Conference" and...the "Reparations" spoof had me on the floor in laughter.
I sure hope Comedy Central remembers to turn in some of these to Emmy Voters, they are funny -- I cannot wait to see Chappelle present more of this in additional seasons.
- lambiepie-2
- Nov 13, 2003
- Permalink
Dave Chappelle is a genius. He takes racist stereotypes and skewers them in the funniest ways imaginable. Some critics say he is too foul mouthed and crude, but walk into any middle school in America and you'll hear 11-year-olds saying worse stuff than he does. Dave is a brilliant comic and it's a shame this hilarious show didn't last longer. If you've never seen it, SEE IT!! Some of the best sketches:
"Black Bush"- Dave imagines what it would be like if President Bush was black. The part about the UN was superb.
"Trading Spouses"- Trading Spouses has gone interracial with hilarious results!
"World Series of Dice"- Live from the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York!
"Clayton Bigsby"- oh my goodness, BREAHTAKINGLY HILARIOUS!!! How did Dave think of something so clever, so perfect as a blind, black white supremacist?
"The Mad Real World"- that was so funny I was in tears.
"The Niggar Family"- a hilarious and surprisingly insightful look at racial epithets
"True Hollywood Stories": the Rick James one is hilarious, but the Prince one is really funny, too, especially if you are a Prince fan.
And the best of all:
"The Racial Draft"- the funniest thing I've seen in a long, long time.
Watch Chappelle's Show and you won't be disappointed!
"Black Bush"- Dave imagines what it would be like if President Bush was black. The part about the UN was superb.
"Trading Spouses"- Trading Spouses has gone interracial with hilarious results!
"World Series of Dice"- Live from the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York!
"Clayton Bigsby"- oh my goodness, BREAHTAKINGLY HILARIOUS!!! How did Dave think of something so clever, so perfect as a blind, black white supremacist?
"The Mad Real World"- that was so funny I was in tears.
"The Niggar Family"- a hilarious and surprisingly insightful look at racial epithets
"True Hollywood Stories": the Rick James one is hilarious, but the Prince one is really funny, too, especially if you are a Prince fan.
And the best of all:
"The Racial Draft"- the funniest thing I've seen in a long, long time.
Watch Chappelle's Show and you won't be disappointed!
- couturegal11
- Jun 11, 2009
- Permalink
The Chappelle is just brilliant. Especially Season 2. I was hard pressed to find a skit that I didn't throughly enjoy. Its timely humour combined with timeless social commentary. The musical guest appearances where amazing. I really enjoyed performance by Kanye West and Common. I didn't the any of the skits form the "Lost Episodes a.k.a. what was supposed to Season Three". Don't get me wrong. Charlie Murphy and Downell Rawlings are very funny. They are great character actors that are part of a brilliant ensemble cast but only Dave Chappelle can really do these skits just with his monologues. I am not a fan of the way the media seemed to portray Chappelle as having a emotional breakdown because he couldn't handle the pressure. This was how it seemed to be spun to me. Chappelle was given a boatload of money by Comedy Cental for season three. Chappelle went to Africa because he "crazy". Give me break. This show stands on its own. I really believe that he didn't walk away from his show because of the pressure. I think he betrayed philosophically by a number of people around. Especially Comedy Central. That is why he felt that he had to make "Block Party". To explain his actions to his fans. Isn't about brand extension or merchandising? Its about people. A connection between himself and his fans. His material spoke to me personally. Made me think. He could really mix it up. He wasn't one dimensional in the sense that he would strictly use stand-up comedy or throw in a random joke here and there to "spice things up".
- lotterypick
- Sep 26, 2007
- Permalink
- sanekozarchak
- Jan 18, 2022
- Permalink
I can't for the life of me understand the appeal of this skit comedy show. Chappelle is an okay comedian who occasionally make me laugh hard, but the yuks are mostly wanting in this particular program. The worst skit is ironically the most popular: "The Rick James Story." Chappelle looks and sounds nothing like Rick James, and his catchphrase has become overused ad nauseum in the real world. Other unfunny skits include the crack addict, Popcopy and the racist TV animals. This is not to say the show is a total loss. Paul Mooney's "Negrodamus" monologues are pretty funny, and I sort of liked that "blind, black KKK member" skit. One inspired bit was having the vanilla Steve Harvey play some creepy crook. For the most part, "Chappelle's Show" is a below-average skit comedy with some inspired moments. I will say that it is far superior to other swill that Comedy Central sees fit to broadcast, such as Adam Carolla's talk show, The Man Show, Crossballs, and the worst of the bunch, reruns of the putrid MAD TV.
Paul Mooney, one of the writers, has done better work on the excellent skit comedy show "In Living Color." He should write for and bring his "Negrodamus" skit to "Saturday Night Live." I'd watch it then.
Paul Mooney, one of the writers, has done better work on the excellent skit comedy show "In Living Color." He should write for and bring his "Negrodamus" skit to "Saturday Night Live." I'd watch it then.
- michael_the_nermal
- Jun 9, 2006
- Permalink
This guy [see above] must be higher than Dave was on Half-Baked. Chappelle's Show is not only funny, but it's smart and irreverent too. When some people see it as sophomoric, Dave embraces that only to make fun of them. Look beneath the sometimes low-brow humor and you'll probably find a deep sociological statement. It must be funny to a lot of people because Dave just got PAID! I hope they can keep the show at the level it is now because it is simply hysterical, and the bits with Paul Mooney are brilliant. Richard Pryor himself watches the show and enjoys it, and if the funniest man ever likes it, Dave Chappelle must be doing something right.
- whiteysopinion
- Aug 9, 2004
- Permalink