View source for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

{{Short description|American sketch comedy series (2007–2010)}}
{{Redirect|Spagett|the cocktail|Spaghett}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Tim and Eric Awesome Show title.png
| genre              = [[Sketch comedy]]<br/>[[Surreal humour|Surreal humor]]<br/>[[Cringe comedy]]<br/>[[Anti-humor]]<br/>[[Comedy horror]]<br/>[[Satire]]<br/>
| runtime            = 11-22 minutes
| creator            = [[Tim & Eric]]
| starring           = [[Tim Heidecker]]<br/>[[Eric Wareheim]]
| opentheme          = "[[Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One|Awesome Show Theme]]" by Davin Wood and [[DJ Douggpound]]
| composer           = Davin Wood
| country            = United States
| company            = [[Abso Lutely Productions]]<br/>Naked Faces<br/>[[Williams Street]]
| executive_producer = Tim Heidecker<br/>Eric Wareheim
| producer           = [[The Basketball Tournament|Jon Mugar]]<br/>[[Dave Kneebone]]
| network            = [[Adult Swim]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|2007|02|11}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|2010|05|02}}
| related            = ''[[Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule]]''<br/>''[[Tom Goes to the Mayor]]''<br/>''[[Tim and Eric Nite Live!]]''
| num_seasons        = 5
| num_episodes       = 50
| list_episodes      = List of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! episodes
}}

'''''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!''''' is an American [[sketch comedy]] television series created by [[Tim Heidecker]] and [[Eric Wareheim]] for [[Cartoon Network]]'s nighttime programming block [[Adult Swim]].<ref>[http://news.turner.com/press_kits_detail.cfm?presskit_id=82&press_section_id=2590 Turner Newsroom] Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Fact Sheet</ref> It premiered on February 11, 2007 and originally ran until May 2, 2010. The show features [[surreal humour|surreal]], [[black comedy|dark]] and often [[satire|satirical]] humor (at points [[anti-humor]] and [[cringe comedy]]), [[public-access television]]-style musical acts, bizarre faux-commercials with a unique editing and special effects style by [[Doug Lussenhop]] to make the show appear off-kilter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3043472/how-the-guy-who-helped-define-tim-erics-editing-style-has-edited-his-career-eve|title=How The Guy Who Helped Define Tim & Eric's Editing Style Has Edited His Career Ever Since|date=March 12, 2015|website=[[Fast Company]]|last=Berkowitz|first=Joe}}</ref>

The program features a wide range of performers, including regular guests [[Zach Galifianakis]], [[John C. Reilly]], [[Ray Wise]], [[Bob Odenkirk]], [[Will Forte]], [[Maria Bamford]], [[Jeff Goldblum]], and [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], as well as an ensemble of [[alternative comedy|alternative performers]] like [[Neil Hamburger]], [[Tommy Wiseau]], and [[David Liebe Hart]], once popular stars like [[Karen Black]], [[Frank Stallone]], and [[Alan Thicke]], porn stars, celebrity look-alikes, [[Impressionist (entertainment)|impressionists]], and amateur actors found through [[Craigslist]]. The show also attracted a wide range of popular Hollywood talent for brief appearances, including [[Will Ferrell]], [[Elisha Cuthbert]], [[Andy Samberg]], [[Jonah Hill]], [[Ben Stiller]], [[Paul Rudd]], [[Ted Danson]], [[Peter Cetera]], and [[Josh Groban]], among others. The creators of the show have described it as "the nightmare version of television".

==Premise==
{{see also|List of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! sketches and characters}}
The show, which expands the genre of the live-action material featured in Heidecker and Wareheim's previous show, ''[[Tom Goes to the Mayor]]'', consists of [[Sketch comedy|sketches]], songs, and commercials. It features several characters and segments seen in ''Tom Goes to the Mayor'', such as Gibbons, the "Channel 5 Married News Team," and the Cinco Corporation with its variety of inefficient and tasteless products. New recurring characters and sketches include "Uncle Muscles Hour," a [[public-access television]] [[variety program]] hosted by a gravelly-voiced [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] and Channel 5 News Correspondent [[Dr. Steve Brule]], played by [[John C. Reilly]]. The show featured a variety of celebrity cameos from actors, comedians, and musicians. The editing style takes its influence from such elements as infomercials, corporate training videos, and TV shopping channels, which are all satirized. The show gets darker in season 5, or "Season Cinco", which has a [[TV MA]] rating.

==Episodes==
{{main|List of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! episodes}}
{{:List of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! episodes}}

==International broadcast==
In [[Canada]], ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' previously aired on [[CTV Comedy Channel]] (formerly The Comedy Network) and later [[G4 (Canadian TV channel)|G4]]'s [[Adult Digital Distraction]] block.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://about.rogers.com/news-ideas/g4-launches-add-adult-digital-distraction/ | title=G4 Launches ADd - Adult Digital Distraction | date=8 June 2009 }}</ref> The series currently airs on the [[Adult Swim (Canadian TV channel)|Canadian version of Adult Swim]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/teletoon-canada-inc-announces-cartoon-network-and-adult-swim-launch-schedules-510410361.html|title=TELETOON Canada Inc. Announces Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Launch Schedules|date=June 21, 2012|website=Newswire}}</ref>

==Production==
Halfway through the broadcasting of the first season, [[Adult Swim]] picked up ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' for another season ordering as many as 30 new episodes.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Tim%20and%20Eric/| title=SuicideGirls Interview with Tim and Eric| access-date=2007-04-09}}</ref> The second season began airing on November 18, 2007. Season one was released on DVD in April, 2008. The third season began on July 27, 2008, and ended on September 28, 2008. Eric posted a [[MySpace]] bulletin Oct 1, 2008, announcing that as a "holiday surprise" season four would be airing in January 2009. The show was later renewed for a fifth season.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.adultswim.com/schedule/index.html| title=Adult Swim Schedule| access-date=2008-05-22}}</ref>

Speaking with ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' in July 2009, Wareheim said that season five (or "Season Cinco") would represent "a very dark side of the ''Awesome Show'' series. I think people are going to be very scared and very disturbed by it."<ref name="vf">''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' article: "[http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/07/qa-tim-and-eric-on-child-abuse-diarrhea-and-yerba-mate-tea.html Q&A: Tim and Eric on Child Abuse, Diarrhea, and Yerba-Mate Tea] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328080729/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2009/07/qa-tim-and-eric-on-child-abuse-diarrhea-and-yerba-mate-tea.html |date=2010-03-28 }}".</ref> He also noted that the pair draw equal humor from the awkwardness of ''[[The Office (UK)|The Office]]'' as they do from the awkwardness of [[David Lynch]]'s films.<ref name="vf" /> The duo went on to state that they had begun an unconscious tradition by starting the first episode of seasons two, three, and four each with [[feces|fecal]]-related fake commercials; they planned to "outdo" themselves on season five with a "[[diarrhea]] disease"-based commercial.<ref name="vf" /> The fifth season premiered on February 28, 2010.  The series finale aired on May 2, 2010. On May 16, 2010, the spin-off ''Check it Out!'' premiered.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adultswim.com/schedule/onair.html |title=On Air Schedule |publisher=Adult Swim |access-date=2010-08-17 |archive-date=2008-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217015356/http://www.adultswim.com/schedule/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Tim and Eric acquired funding to shoot and air a one-hour special that aired on December 5, 2010, called ''The Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job Chrimbus Special''. Simultaneous to this announcement, the duo also released a list of dates and cities for their upcoming 2010 tour.  Tim and Eric also announced plans for a movie, entitled ''[[Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie]]''; in the film, released online and on pay-per-view on January 27, 2012, the pair try to revitalize a run-down mall in order to pay a billion-dollar debt.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1855401/|title=Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012)|publisher=IMDB.com|access-date=29 January 2012}}</ref>

The duo's Abso Lutely Productions [[signoff]] bumper features a video clip of Heidecker's father during a family vacation in 1991; when asked to sum the trip up in two words, he responded "Abso-lutely". The full clip can be found on their website, DVD, and also on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWorSepWyJQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/iWorSepWyJQ |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=On Youtube: The inspiration for the name of Abso Lutely productions|publisher=YouTube|date=2006-07-08|access-date=2009-02-23}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Music===
The series' theme music was composed by [[Davin Wood]], who had also composed the theme music for the earlier ''Tom Goes to the Mayor'', and for related series ''[[Derek & Simon]]'', ''American Misfits'', ''Stupidface'', and ''[[Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcrow.net/Artists.htm|title=Davin Wood|publisher=mcrow.net|access-date=15 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904015615/http://www.mcrow.net/Artists.htm|archive-date=4 September 2012}}</ref>

On May 6, 2008, [[Williams Street Records]] released ''[[Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One]]'', a compilation of songs from the first two seasons, and some covers and remixes by other artists. Williams Street also released ''Uncle Muscles Presents Casey and His Brother'' in July of that year, an EP featuring 11 songs sung by Heidecker in character as Casey Tatum.<ref>{{cite web|title=Uncle Muscles Presents Casey And His Brother – Casey And His Brother EP|url=http://www.discogs.com/Uncle-Muscles-Presents-Casey-And-His-Brother-Casey-And-His-Brother-EP/release/1416773|website=Discogs|access-date=1 July 2014}}</ref>

===Touring===
One of Tim and Eric's first live performances incorporating characters from ''Awesome Show'' was ''Muscles for Bones'', a spoof [[telethon]] seeking bones for [[Richard Dunn (actor)|Richard Dunn]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timanderic.com/live.html|title=Tim and Eric|publisher=Tim and Eric|access-date=2009-02-23|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604035255/http://www.timanderic.com/live.html|archive-date=2009-06-04}}</ref> This was performed at [[The Troubadour (Los Angeles)|Troubadour nightclub]] in [[West Hollywood, California]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timanderic.com/images/mfb_flyer.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-02-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910222733/http://www.timanderic.com/images/mfb_flyer.jpg |archive-date=2008-09-10 }}</ref> Major portions of this live performance were incorporated into season 3, episode 8 "Muscles for Bones".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1293050|title="Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" Muscles for Bones (2008)|publisher=Imdb.com|date=2008-09-14|access-date=2009-02-23}}</ref> An extended version of this show can be found as an extra on the Season 3 DVD. The extended version features performances not seen on the original TV episode, from performers such as Pierre and Michael Q. Schmidt. Prior to the beginning of seasons two and three, Tim and Eric combined "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" Live in Vegas (2007). The second of these, listed as season 3 episode 0, shared their 2008 cross-country tour<ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Jason|url=http://www.bullz-eye.com/television/interviews/2008/tim_and_eric.htm|title=A Chat with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, interview, "Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!"|publisher=Bullz-eye.com|date=2008-04-23|access-date=2009-02-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Willamette Week|url=http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2007/03/07/tim-eric-awesome-tour-someday-lounge-34/|title=WWire &#124; Tim & Eric Awesome Tour @ Someday Lounge, 3/4|publisher=Wweek.com|date=2007-03-07|access-date=2009-02-23|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715094435/http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2007/03/07/tim-eric-awesome-tour-someday-lounge-34/|archive-date=2012-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/april/eric_awesome/prweb750584.htm|title=Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Hits the Road: Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Tour 2008 Kicks Off in Boston on April 21|publisher=Billboardpublicitywire.com|access-date=2009-02-23|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302020514/http://billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/april/eric_awesome/prweb750584.htm|archive-date=2009-03-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timanderic.com/images/awsometourflyer08.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-10-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116143823/http://timanderic.com/images/awsometourflyer08.jpg |archive-date=2009-01-16 }}</ref> and was titled ''Awesome Tour Live 2008''.<ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1231200|title="Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" Awesome Tour Live 2008 (2008)|publisher=Imdb.com|date=2008-05-06|access-date=2009-02-23}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!'' has had a wide range of reviews with many differing in opinion. Columnist for ''[[The New York Times]]'' Dave Itzkoff writes,
{{"'}}Awesome Show' revels in an aesthetic of awkwardness." And also adds, "To populate their twisted universe they frequently cast average-looking actors (and nonactors) recruited from Web sites like [[Craigslist]], who bring an additional layer of deliberate amateurishness to their skits."<ref>{{cite news|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|title=The Bizarre Brains of Nightmare TV|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/arts/television/27itzk.html|access-date=27 January 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=27 July 2008 }}</ref>

James Norton from ''[[Flak Magazine]]'' says, "If Adult Swim is the bleeding edge of TV comedy, ''Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job!'' {{sic}} is the bleeding edge of the bleeding edge."

He adds, "The program has been much hated-upon by the Adult Swim fan base&nbsp;... But the program also represents a foray into one of the most dangerous and exciting realms of the comedy world: sheer individualistic creativity."<ref>{{cite news|last=Norton|first=James|title=Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Cartoon Network Sundays 11:45 p.m. / 10:45 p.m. Central|url=http://www.flakmag.com/tv/awesomeshow.html|access-date=27 January 2012|newspaper=Flak Magazine}}</ref>

A reappraisal of the show in a 2020 ''[[New York Times]]'' column dubbed the show "sketch comedy at its most abrasive, bizarre and, for some reason, endearing."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Sean T. |title=Comfort Viewing: 3 Reasons I Love 'Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/arts/television/tim-and-eric-awesome-show-great-job.html |website=The New York Times|date=26 June 2020 |access-date=24 October 2022}}</ref>

==Spin-offs==
{{See also|Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule}}
While doing press for the first season of the program, Heidecker and Wareheim told an interviewer that they had aspirations to create a [[Spin-off (media)|spinoff]] featuring ''Awesome Show'' regular [[Richard Dunn (actor)|Richard Dunn]]: "It's just him interviewing people like ''[[The Charlie Rose Show]]''. We would love to produce that. No one would ever watch it."<ref>{{cite web|last=Furlinator |first=The |url=http://www.cracked.com/article_15327_adult-swims-tim-eric.html |title=Adult Swim's Tim and Eric |date=8 February 2007 |publisher=Cracked.com |access-date=2010-08-17}}</ref>

Using characters and skits from ''Awesome Show'', Heidecker and Wareheim (via their Abso Lutely production company) created an online-only show called ''[[Tim and Eric Nite Live!]]'', originally broadcast in aired on November 18, 2007 on the [[Adult Swim]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tim and Eric Nite Live|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/tim-and-eric-nite-live/|website=TV.com|access-date=22 August 2017}}</ref>

In July 2008, the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that an ''Awesome Show'' spin-off, ''[[Check It Out!, with Steve Brule]]'', would air on Adult Swim beginning sometime in 2009.<ref name="nyt">''[[New York Times]]'' article: "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/arts/television/27itzk.html The Bizarre Brains of Nightmare TV]".</ref> The show parodies [[local news]]casts, and as Heidecker briefly described it: "It's like his half-hour to go around town and interview the local [[brewing|beer-maker]] or whatever."<ref name="avclub" >{{cite news | url = https://www.thestar.com/article/487266 | title = Twisted minds spawn an Awesome Show | access-date = October 26, 2008 | author = Philip Brown | date = August 30, 2008 | location=Toronto | work=The Star}}</ref> The show will have an episode run time of approximately 11 minutes, and it will feature John C. Reilly reprising his role as Dr. Steve Brule. According to Heidecker, Reilly had the original idea of giving the Dr. Steve character an entire show.<ref name="vf" /> ''Vanity Fair'' reported that the program would begin airing on August 23, 2009;<ref name="vf" /> however, the program did not air on that date, and ''[[LA Weekly]]'' reported in September 2009 that ''Check It Out!'' was "forthcoming."<ref name="laweekly">''[[LA Weekly]]'' article: [http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/synthful/are-tim-and-eric-getting-polit/ Are Tim and Eric Getting Political?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818022140/http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/synthful/are-tim-and-eric-getting-polit/ |date=2010-08-18 }}".</ref> The first episode aired May 16, 2010,<ref name="Eric Wareheim">Teaser posted by ''Eric Wareheim.'' video:[http://vimeo.com/10599430]"</ref> and the last on June 20, 2010, with a total of six episodes. The show returned with six more episodes, the first airing March 18, 2012, and the last on April 12, 2012. The show has managed two more seasons also consisting of six episodes, which aired in 2014 and 2016.

In the same July 2008 ''New York Times'' article, it was reported that the duo was in the process of developing a surreal [[game show]] series starring [[Neil Hamburger]], titled ''The New Big Ball with Neil Hamburger''.<ref name="nyt" /><ref>'' Hardford Advocate'' article: "[http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=9112 Hamburger Helper: America's 'worst' comedian performs in New Haven and then in Northampton]". {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208194920/http://www.hartfordadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=9112 |date=December 8, 2008 }}</ref> Wareheim described it as a mix between "[[Japanese variety show|bizarre Japanese game shows]] and ''[[The Price Is Right]]''."<ref name="nyt" /> In late July 2009, Neil Hamburger posted a blog on [[Myspace]] stating that a [[pilot (television)|pilot]] had been filmed, but that Adult Swim was not satisfied and had "pulled the plug on the project."<ref>[[MySpace]] blog post by [[Neil Hamburger]]: "[http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=53055268&blogId=501569194 The New Big Ball] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207065936/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view |date=2009-02-07 }}".</ref> As of November 8, 2013, the pilot has been uploaded to the official Adult Swim website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://video.adultswim.com/the-new-big-ball/index.html |title=Watch the New Big Ball Original Web Series from Adult Swim |access-date=2014-07-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114084534/http://video.adultswim.com/the-new-big-ball/index.html |archive-date=2013-11-14 }}</ref>

==Home media==
All five seasons and the Chrimbus Special have been released on DVD in [[DVD region code|Region]] 1 and 4 with distribution for the latter being handled by [[Madman Entertainment]]. The Chrimbus Special was released as a standalone DVD, and like seasons four and five, have become a rarity due to them no longer being in print.
Only the first and second seasons have been released on DVD in Region 2.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
||'''DVD'''||'''Original year of broadcast'''||'''Region 1 release date'''||'''Region 2 release date'''||'''Region 4 release date'''
|-
|Season 1||2007||April 22, 2008||April 27, 2009||June 11, 2008
|-
|Season 2||2007–08||February 10, 2009||August 2, 2010||June 24, 2009
|-
|Season 3||2008||August 4, 2009||{{N/A}}||December 2, 2009
|-
|Season 4||2009||September 14, 2010||{{N/A}}||December 1, 2010
|-
|Season 5||2010||May 17, 2011||{{N/A}}||November 28, 2012
|-
|Chrimbus Special||2010||December 15, 2010 (Out of Print)||{{N/A}}||{{N/A}}
|}

The series is also available on [[HBO Max]] since September 1, 2020.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ca.bgr.com/2020/08/21/hbo-max-in-september-everything-coming-and-going/ | title=HBO Max in September: Everything coming and going | date=21 August 2020 }}</ref>

== See also ==
*''[[Beef House]]''
*''[[Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule]]''
*''[[Tim & Eric's Bedtime Stories]]''
*''[[Tom Goes to the Mayor]]''

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.adultswim.com/videos/tim-and-eric-awesome-show-great-job}}
* {{IMDb title|0912343}}
* [http://www.adultswim.co.uk/shows/tim-and-eric-awesome-show/ ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!''] on Adultswim.com (UK)
* [http://timanderic.com/ Tim and Eric.com]

{{Tim and Eric}}
{{Adult Swim original programming}}
{{Williams Street}}

[[Category:2007 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2010 American television series endings]]
[[Category:2000s American black comedy television series]]
[[Category:2000s American parody television series]]
[[Category:2000s American satirical television series]]
[[Category:2000s American sketch comedy television series]]
[[Category:2010s American black comedy television series]]
[[Category:2010s American parody television series]]
[[Category:2010s American satirical television series]]
[[Category:2010s American sketch comedy television series]]
[[Category:Adult Swim original programming]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Abso Lutely Productions]]
[[Category:Tim & Eric]]
[[Category:Television series created by Tim Heidecker]]
[[Category:Television series created by Eric Wareheim]]
[[Category:Television series by Williams Street]]
[[Category:2000s American surreal comedy television series]]
[[Category:2010s American surreal comedy television series]]