P. Diddy Presents the Bad Boys of Comedy: Season One

The erstwhile “Puff Daddy,” rapper extraordinaire and fashion mogul Sean Combs, teamed up with Original Kings of Comedy producer Walter Latham to bring this nine-episode series to HBO in 2005. Taped before live audiences at Brooklyn's Academy of Music, Bad Boys Of Comedy features standup artists touted by Combs (who appears briefly in each half-hour show) as among the “hippest and realest” urban comedians working today. Unfortunately, these “edgy” comics are rather predictable, serving up familiar strains in episode after episode on the differences between whites and blacks, the various sexual proclivities of black men, disdain for authority, and so on. Some of the comics—especially Mike Brooks and Rayzor, to name two—are wittier and more profound than others in their observations, but overall these brash performers aren't nearly as innovative as some of their predecessors. Rap legend Doug E. Fresh emcees the show, which also includes standup artists Howie Bell, Ronnie Jordan, Malik, Marcus Combs, and Big Jay, among others. DVD extras include two behind-the-scenes featurettes. Optional. Aud: P. (E. Hulse)