Jordan Klepper’s “The Opposition” didn’t garner the ratings Comedy Central wanted, but that isn’t to say the satire didn’t earn some praise. Jordan Klepper is at the helm of this series, acting as a sort of Colbert for a new era.
If Colbert responded to a Bush-era sense of absurdity, then Klepper responds to the miscellany of conspiracy theories and lies that now permeate popular culture.
The last episode of the series will air on June 28, and then the wait for more Klepper may be as long as a year, as he will be moving to a new show, likely titled “Klepper,” for weekly broadcasts of him out in the field doing interviews.
Though the interview format is arguably the best way that Klepper showcases his comedic strength, there are still aspects of “The Opposition” that are worth mourning.
Here are the top five things to miss about the show — as “the fight continues,” as he would say.
1. I don’t recognize my country anymore.
This bit is a classic that recurs several times across the series. It’s admittedly bizarre when you first see it — especially when, in the following clip for example, Klepper launches into his description of another country, Madagascar.
But at its core, it is a goodhearted rebuttal of claims about “sh**hole countries.” It rebuts American exceptionalism, but gently and with heart.
2. The War on Men
The introduction for this segment was pure gold, from the sound of Hillary Clinton’s laughter as the opener to the few seconds Klepper waited to put on epaulets, it was a perfect distillation of the weird fearmongering among many communities that align themselves purposely against feminism.
Honestly, any TV segment that includes an animation of a gun being loaded with tampons is the right direction for media.
3. Literally just this one clip with Kobi Libii about Alex Jones.
Just watch this one. Conspiracy theories!
4. The Citizen Journalists
A shoutout is due to “citizen journalists” Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson, who worked excellently as a double act, adding a bit of spice to the normal field work routine of political comics on shows like “The Opposition.”
Especially when they covered topics like Turning Point USA, they were on fire with one-two punches of jokes (though Charlie Kirk really lends himself to laughter on certain occasions anyway).
5. The Gaslight
There was no way to get to the end of this list without mentioning this segment at least once. The gaslight was, in a way, an ingenious mechanism to showcase the messaging that Trump’s political machine (or, you know, just him tweeting in the middle of the night) does.
The language of “gaslighting” highlights the almost abusive nature of the repeated lies to the American public perpetrated by the current administration.
Also, Jordan Klepper craning his head into the frame was just funny.
Looking forward to “Klepper,” I hope that some of these things (maybe some of the citizen journalists) will follow him to the show.
