Frankly, it's surprising that this painfully obvious sketch-comedy show ever even made it to a second season. What we have here are eight comedic performers of widely varying talent, enthusiastically acting in lame pop-culture satires and warbling song parodies with explicit lyrics, all calculated to reflect an LGBT perspective. The eight half-hour episodes (which aired on MTV's Logo Network) collected in this two-disc set each contain some funny moments, but for the most part, the sketches come off like straight parodies of gay parodies—as if the Saturday Night Live or Mad TV troupes were performing lampoons of gay and lesbian spoofs of All in the Family, The Facts of Life, and The Honeymooners. Yes, gay audiences are understandably eager for relevant programming, but one has to wonder at The Big Gay Sketch Show's continuous presentation of material reinforcing unflattering stereotypes for cheap laughs. Guest stars include Elaine Stritch, Christine Ebersole, Chastity Bono, and Rosie O'Donnell, who's also one of the show's executive producers. Very optional. (E. Hulse)
The Big Gay Sketch Show: The Complete Unrated Second Season
Paramount, 2 discs, 174 min., not rated, DVD: $26.99 August 4, 2008
The Big Gay Sketch Show: The Complete Unrated Second Season
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