Dog Bites Man
Encyclopedia
Dog Bites Man is a partially improvised comedy
television show
on Comedy Central
that aired in summer 2006. It began airing on The Comedy Channel
in Australia
in June 2007. The series was produced by DreamWorks Television
.
of local news coverage, and followed the misadventures of a struggling news team from Spokane, Washington
as they traveled around the country producing news segments. A mockumentary
, the show incorporated scenes with the cast in traditional skits as well as them improvising with non-actors, who believed that they are an actual (albeit unusual) news crew.
's webisode series The Michael Showalter Showalter if Comedy Central
had cancelled the show, Zach Galifianakis
replied "Yes, thank God." He went on to explain that "messing with people" made him uncomfortable.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
that aired in summer 2006. It began airing on The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in June 2007. The series was produced by DreamWorks Television
DreamWorks Television
DreamWorks Television is a television distribution and production company that is a division of DreamWorks SKG, a former subsidiary of Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures. The syndication rights to DreamWorks' live-action TV series were held by CBS Television Distribution until fall 2008, the successor...
.
Premise
Dog Bites Man was a parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of local news coverage, and followed the misadventures of a struggling news team from Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
as they traveled around the country producing news segments. A mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, the show incorporated scenes with the cast in traditional skits as well as them improvising with non-actors, who believed that they are an actual (albeit unusual) news crew.
Disclaimer
Perhaps to lessen confusion pertaining to the true reality of the show, starting with episode five each episode began with the following message: "With the exception of the news team, the following episode contains real people who were not made aware they were being filmed as part of a comedy show."Cast
- Matt Walsh as Kevin Beekin, the star reporter for the news show, who used to date Tillie the producer and still has feelings for her.
- Zach GalifianakisZach GalifianakisZachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
as Alan Finger, the show's incompetent director. Also a musician, in episode three, he scored a hit song in Panama City using the name "The Finger" (the song was titled "Come on and Get It (Up in Dem Guts)"). - A.D. Miles as Marty Shonson, an intern who serves as a production assistant.
- Andrea SavageAndrea SavageAndrea Kristen Savage is an American actress best known for her comedic roles in Step Brothers, Comedy Central's mockumentry series Dog Bites Man and in the HBO sketch comedy program Funny or Die Presents.-Personal life:...
as Tillie Sullivan, the team's producer.
Cancellation
When asked on Michael ShowalterMichael Showalter
Michael English Showalter is an American comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is a member of the sketch comedy trio Stella. Showalter first came to recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995...
's webisode series The Michael Showalter Showalter if Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
had cancelled the show, Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
replied "Yes, thank God." He went on to explain that "messing with people" made him uncomfortable.
List of episodes
All titles were prefaced with "Assignment:"| Episode Number | Title | About |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | "Body Builders" | The team reports on a bodybuilding contest and attempts to spice up the story. Also, the recently reunited Kevin Beekin and Tillie Sullivan attempt to get along. |
| 102 | "Undercover Homosexual" | The team tries to uncover discrimination against homosexuals in the city by sending Kevin in as an undercover homosexual. At the end of the episode, the team concludes that "homophobia is gone forever". |
| 103 | "Spring Break" | The team does a report on spring break. Tillie, who ostensibly despises spring break, gets caught up in the partying and Kevin attempts to "be cool" and talk to kids about the dangers of spring break. Also, Alan Finger records and releases a song, "Up In 'Dem Guts". |
| 104 | "Republican Leadership Conference" | The team go to report on the Republican Leadership Conference. Whilst there, Tillie and Marty share a hotel room and Marty grows attracted to Tillie. Kevin talks a lot about meeting up with Chris Matthews and Alan gets people to sign a petition for the release his mother from prison for tasering up to 22 dogs. |
| 105 | "Team Building" | The station is thinking about doing advertising for the show so a test audience is used to figure out the show's audience demographics. The show is criticized, causing the crew to be forced to go to a team building camp. Beekin is especially cynical about the process and is very rude to the leader whom he calls "Hippie Rambo". Beekin and Tillie hook up after Beekin shares his emotions around a campfire. By the end of the camp, they are all working well together, but that ends soon after they go back to work. |
| 106 | "Brighton, Florida" | The network sends the team to Brighton, Florida to cover a missing girl story. Marty messes up the tickets and the team ends up in Brighton, Colorado, so the team decides to fake the missing girl story at that location. Marty is fixated on setting the zoo on fire but doesn't. The girl is found at the end while the team is creating a vigil. |
| 107 | "Christian Convention" | In an effort to boost their ratings among the God-fearing demographic, the KHBX News team infuses its reports with religion by covering a Christian rock concert and a Christian gaming convention. In the process of filing their report, they learn new things about their own faith. |
| 108 | "Gas Prices" | Due to budget cuts, the members of the KHBX news team are in danger of losing their jobs; it's either them or the Doppler, and it seems the Doppler has the edge. At the same time, they prepare themselves for alternative careers. Marty tries his hand at stand-up comedy while Alan returns to the seedy world of Korean Karaoke. |
| 109 | "Daytime Talk Pilot" | Kevin is sick of doing menial garbage pickup reporting. He creates a pilot for a talk show titled Beekin and Eggs. He wants it to have A-list guests but fails in that regard. He interviews a guy from a gas station who charges by the half gallon since his pumps only display up to $3 a gallon. The team members think they do a good job yet the network fails to pick it up. |
| 110 | TBA (Klan Rally) UNAIRED | Though details are scarce outside of cast publicity interviews leading up to the show's initial debut, episode 10 features a remote from a Ku Klux Klan picnic in Pulaski, Tennessee. In an interview with the Knoxville (Tennessee) News Sentinel on June 27, 2006, castmember Matt Walsh discussed the episode. "'The premise for the Klan episode is that we thought we were going to a typical American picnic, but we see the robes and the hoods and we realize where we are, [...] But, then, we decide to stay because the hot dogs are so good.'" As of this writing, neither Comedy Central's website, nor any other television-related website has any details on when, or if, the episode will run. In an interview on the The Michael Showalter Showalter The Michael Showalter Showalter The Michael Showalter Showalter was an internet video series starring by Michael Showalter that was hosted on the website, CollegeHumor. The show lasted for one season of ten episodes that all aired from 2007 to 2008. The series was a chat show hosted by Showalter. Each episode features a guest,... , Zach Galifianakis stated that Dan Mazer Dan Mazer Dan Mazer is a British screenwriter, TV/film producer, and comedian. He is best known as the long-time writing and production partner of Sacha Baron Cohen and has worked with him on such characters as Ali G and Borat... told the actors that there would be no guns. Zach followed this by saying Dan "was wrong--there were a lot of guns". |
Producers and creators
- Jonathan BarryJonathan BarryJonathan Renaldo Barry is a Bahamian cricketer. Barry is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace and currently represents the Bahamas national cricket team....
- Executive Producer - Justin Falvey - Executive Producer
- Darryl Frank - Executive Producer
- Dan Mazer - Executive Producer
- Keith Raskin - Producer
- Dan Mazer - Creator