Bill Maher has done it again. He has knocked out yet another HBO Comedy Special. It makes #13 for him. That is just one Special behind the champ George Carlin with 14. He has stated that it could be his last stand-up gig, but maybe it should be. So, it looks like Carlin is still the champ! Anyway, the special, titled BILL MAHER: IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS? debuted Friday, January 10 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will play across those channels for a while and is, of course, parked on Max.
For those who watch Maher at all, the special is just his top-of-show monologue beefed up for a whole 67 minutes and for those who don’t, it is a critical look at both sides of the political aisle with commentary on social issues thrown in. Heck, the gig even starts & ends with his REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER theme by Green Day. As usual, he calls out what he sees as inane regardless of whether it is Trump, the woke, or anything in between. He leads it off under the premise of asking if anyone else is seeing what he is seeing going on. Of course, we do but not quite to the point that he wishes to point out.
But is it stand-up? When he goes off briefly on religion (always a topic of his it seems) sex, marriage and the societal issues that irk him he edges towards stand-up as we know it. The rest of the time it feels like we are getting a history & civics lesson rolled up into one; we are being schooled, taught, lectured. And, since he hates the dumb-ass Ivy League crowd, only his classroom tells it like it is. If you like what he is preaching then you are content with the gig. However, if you’re tired that he is preaching the same schtick yet again I couldn’t be more with you. We get it Bill, but couldn’t you change it up?
As Mr. Maher launches into his 23rd season with HBO, his first of the season landed on Friday, January 17, he tells us that Trump is not going to “get his mind.” Maher is not going to over-examine every Bat-shit word salad that falls out of the President’s mouth. Well, with this special as a solid example, Maher isn’t one not to follow the formula and his is down pat. He will still flop from right to left, calling out what he chooses to and selling his point to the nth degree, controversial or not. He is predictable in that and, if you love that about him, you’ll appreciate BILL MAHER: IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS? and continue with REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER. “Start the clock…”
