The United Stats of America

There is a certain type of glee you feel when someone you are familiar with gets a break. Being a fan of the Sklar Brothers, I was very excited to hear that they would be hosting a show on the History Channel. The United Stats of America saw their first hosting gig on television since CheapSeats ended in 2006. Spanning six episodes, United Stats features breakdowns of topics ranging from how we die to how much money we make to how advances in transportation have affected the distribution of population across the country. It was produced by the same company that made the excellent This American Life.

Overall, I enjoyed the show, but it was not without its problems. A couple of episodes, particularly the first, skimp on the stats. As a result, they are heavy on the antics. While I enjoy most of the brothers’ mannerisms and interactions, a few of the jokes in the stat-lite episodes are real groaners. That glee I felt over them getting work turned to the same feeling you get when you see a friend in a play that isn’t that great.

The strongest episodes were those that focused on cramming a huge amount of information into the hour. The twins seem to really find their comedic footing most effectively when they have narrow slices of joke time and must make up for it by lining the episode with their trademark style of witty, rapid banter. I especially enjoyed the episode about why Americans used to be the tallest country on Earth, but have since lagged behind the Netherlands.

It’s a shame that the show probably will not be renewed, based on the Sklars’ comments about their ratings. It’s practically the only show on History that is not a reality program concerning people of varying levels of hillbilly-ness. That or the fear-mongering tripe they produce on the apocalypse. Remember the good old days, when you could make fun of the History Channel for focusing too much on Hitler, a real person? Nowadays, a viewer must put up with this:

I cannot say that every other show History airs sucks. I have a(n intelligent) friend that insists some of it is quite entertaining. But the truth is, United Stats got me watching History again after a long absence. No other current show of theirs interests me enough to even tune in out of curiosity (the last time that happened was maybe a year ago when I decided to check out Swamp People).