I love watching Comedy Central. From South Park, to the stand-up specials, it is one of my favorite channels. But one beef I have is with how male dominated this network is: it seems overrun by fat, obnoxious (and often very angry) white men.Oh sure, they brought us The Sarah Silverman Show, but I dare anyone to tell me that show doesn't have a male slant, and male driven humor. (There are way too many scatological and genital references for the writers to be female.)
But every so often, they'll actually run a female comedian special One of my favorites is Kathleen Madigan. If you haven't seen her act, it is a riot. She is smart, funny and manages to deliver comedy that both men and women can enjoy. Her material is both accessible, and fresh - both in topic and delivery. And she manages to be funny without resorting to "persona" comedy, or hyper-character work. Her tales about her upbringing, American culture and observations about the world always leave me in stitches.
It is my sincere wish that comedians like Kathleen get more exposure in the mainstream media. But I think for that to happen, they must first receive proper support and exposure from within the comedy community. I realize stand up is a male-dominated field (like many others), but with over 50% of the population made of women, you think Comedy Central would try to court that audience by promoting and presenting more female comedians. Until that day comes, I'll keep watching Kathleen's specials.
Kathleen Madigan has several comedy albums available on iTunes. Her website is kathleenmadigan.com.
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