Everything in "Comedy Star" is happy, cute, family, pleasant, stale and boring to die for

Minta Alhmeister We were expecting a potted presence in a program like this. What is surprising is that the other judges, the moderator and the stand-up epics are also glorious succulents. It's not the contestants' fault, carefully chosen and collapsed halls outside the studio walls. As in many cases, only the format can be blamed

Everything in "Comedy Star" is happy, cute, family, pleasant, stale and boring to die for

Even before it went on air, Comedy Star (Network 13) was able to ignite media drama. Earlier this month, it became known that the only woman to join the panel of judges in the TV stand-up competition hosted by Zvika Hadar, among the experienced comedians and filmmakers Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon, is Neta Elmhmeister. The angry reactions across the net were not late, and a particularly striking response was from actress Mia Dagan, who posted her protest in her story.

Necessarily, Dagan donated a good dose of Buzz to the new program. Even those who did not intend to watch it, are now curious to know which judge will be the model already agreed in all directions that the relationship between her and accidental comedy such as a Tinder match.

"An international network star, model, businesswoman, actress and woman worth a million and six hundred and six hundred followers," introduces her in the opening chapter. "As someone who built her empire from the net, you can help us decide which of our comedians made a viral video, who speaks contemporary and correct language, and most importantly, what's funny," Hadar turns to Almeister, but essentially to cameras.

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Nightclub 2. Zvika Citrus with Comedy Star contestants (Photo: Micha Lovetton)

Comedy Star, Zvika Citrus (Photo: Micha Lovetton, PR)

In doing so, Citrus justifies the viewers' choice of comedy judgment model, a justification that he did not need in the presentation of the other two - screenwriters, filmmakers and experienced comedians with field receipts. It seems that the production is aware of the problem of casting in 2020, because both Citrus and the judges who crown Elhmeister make great efforts to lift it throughout the episode. It's almost lovely to hear them repeat the words "I respect your opinion", but does Alhmeister justify the elevations?

No, which is not surprising - we were all expecting Almeister for a potted presence. What is surprising is that the other judges, the moderator and the stand-up epics are also glorious succulents. It's not the contestants' fault, carefully chosen and collapsed halls outside the studio walls. As in many cases on Network 13, only the format can be blamed.

In a clumsy attempt to talk to Generation Z, the production opted for a stand-up competition that hardly includes live performances. Candidates compete with each other through pre-made comic videos, and so, the program gives up in the first place the key tension factor that underlies any reality competition. No viewer wonders if the contestants will be able to bomb in the moment of truth, because that moment of truth doesn't really exist.

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Very respectful of her opinion. Hanan Savyon, Neta Elhmeister and Guy Amir, "Comedy Star" (Photo by Micha Lovetton)

Comedy Star, Guy Amir, Hanan Savyon, Neta Elhmeister (Photo: Micha Lovetton, PR)

When not competing, the comedians sit alongside the judges and shoot punches at each other. Everyone seems to be on a life plan for these punches, including the judges, who provide more contenders with pre-prepared rewards than criticisms. If we resented the casting of a woman with no relevant knowledge in the field of stand-up - you have nothing to worry about, because even the knowledgeable judges are in no hurry to share it. In moments of grace, Savyon and Amir give slightly more sophisticated reasons than "my love," including "You bring a combination of timidity and crooks" and "You are in a conflict of giving and retaining." All three lack a basic degree of criticism.

In general, it's hard to say that Comedy Star has some kind of suspenseful moment that glues the viewer to the screen. In the last duel, two rise to compete in five minutes of then-standup, but there more or less it ended. There are no ounces (not just in this episode, but in the whole program), no dramatic breaks, almost no judgments, and no negative moments. Continuing on the line presented in "The Star Is Born", here too Zvika Hadar comes to do happy, but this time he does not even have Ricky Gal for a little balancing brutality. Everything is happy, cute, family, cozy and boring to die for. Indeed, it is enough to look at the dynamics between the contestants and the judges and among themselves to understand that competition is interesting to them.

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Life for the Punches. The Neitz era, "Comedy Star" (screenshot 13)

Comedy Star, The Needs Era (Photo: Network 13, screenshot)

In the end, more than a competition, there is a panel of my wife-in-law jokes, or in other words, "Nightclub" Network version 13. More than that, if you open your TV in the middle of the show, you probably won't know which of you are watching the two.

Which leads to another depressing matter: Is it really the best that a television stand-up competition can produce is stubborn mainstream humor? Citrus board jokes, which are graceful in their way but have not really evolved since Comedy Store, have become accustomed. But why does everyone need to line up with him? Is it really what we were missing at prime time, after the original "Sabri Marnan" and "Nightclub", these recitations around the table? Don't we even get a dash of political jokes, social statements, bold improvisations of the moment, or even obscenities to challenge the old order? But this is Israel, 2020 as stated, and ten years have passed since the "Beep" troll. Now it is permissible to laugh at prime time only on condition that they do not hurt anyone, do not scorn the mouth and do not really say anything.

After dropping every trace of human rudeness, Comedy Star remains a rather bland and synthetic product that sweats from an effort to endear it to all audiences. So is the corner of Citrus at the end of the program, in which he leaves the studio for a drive-by car. A number of network stars are rising up and down with them, exchanging tasteless things, against the backdrop of bouncy animations a-la Snapchat. In the end, "Comedy Star" falls for what kills any joke: it just doesn't live.