The Read with Kid Fury and Crissle West: Season 1, Episode 1 “They Done Gave Us A TV Show” [Series Premiere] – Recap, Review

The Read as a television show takes what we’re used to listening to for an hour or two, and tries to limit that into a half-hour format – for better or worse.

The Read as a television show takes what we’re used to listening to for an hour or two, and tries to limit that into a half-hour format – for better or worse.

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Summary

What The Read with Kid Fury & Crissle does is, as noted above, shrink their sometimes 2 hour-long weekly conversations into a 20-minute format. So you get your Hot Top(ics), Listener Letters, their reads on certain people or situations, but instead of each topic being 10, 20, 30 minutes or more, it’s maybe 5 to 7. Also, rather than a litany of topics, they keep it short and sweet. Sort of how they have often said on the podcast they wanted to, yet like an awards show, they’d always go over.

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Highlights

They Kept Their Format, For The Most Part

All the segments are there, and, thankfully, unlike their guest Desus and Mero, we don’t see skits or anything that would make you question who is in charge. Rather, as Kid Fury makes clear, pretty much the main difference here is seeing them in the flesh as they go off on various topics. And even though this version of their conversations are very short and sweet, if you don’t got one to two hours in a week to listen, this’ll give you your fix.

On The Fence

Interviews?

While the podcast has done interviews, increasingly over the last year, one can only hope that they stick to people Kid Fury and Crissle like. Because as they made clear when they had to interview Stevie J a long time ago, it is hard for them to have a conversation with someone they feel uneasy about. Plus, generally speaking, I don’t think of The Read and see Fury or Crissle as the type who necessarily like or want to do interviews. Especially while someone is on a promotional tour – unless they are really into the thing they are selling.

For when it comes to The Read, and podcasts in general, what you want is to hear the host(s) talk and their opinions. Outsiders usually throw off the flow and make things awkward. Like people trying to double dutch who are uncoordinated or have too much inhibition.

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20 Minutes Is Way Too Short

If you head on over to their SoundCloud page, you will rarely find an episode that isn’t at least an hour and a half. Now, I fully recognize FUSE is not a basic cable station, and likely Fury and Crissle aren’t trying to create a paywall for their content (assuming, past episode 1, the rest will require some form of payment), but it’s hard to understand what’s the point of this show beyond seeing their faces?

Not to pretend I don’t understand a check, less work (assumingly), and a budget. Desus and Mero made that clear when they moved over to Showtime. However, their format is singular and focused strictly on commentary, and one interview, and not broken up into segments like The Read. So one can only hope, if this gets a second season, it becomes an hour show for packing in everything the podcast does into 20 minutes? I don’t know if that is a disservice to the fans or the comedic talents of Fury and Crissle more?

First Impression: Mixed (Stick Around)

Do I love getting to see facial expressions? Sure do. Am I happy to see them reach a new level of success and get the check that comes with it? Absolutely. However, what we get in 20 minutes, at best, seems like an advertisement for you to listen to the podcast and never minding this short and sweet version. For while the segments are there, and the same attitudes you love and adore, after being spoiled, for years, with long episodes, as much as you understand this is next level, clearly there are some kinks to work out if this is supposed to act as a compliment, even equal, to what got them a show in the first place.

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