A little over a year ago, the Comedy Central TV show “Workaholics” concluded after seven seasons. When the show was airing, the humor of Adam DeVine, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm was always well received for its crude take on the lifestyle of three college dropouts turned telemarketer roommates.
But, because it doesn’t appear as if the show will be making a comeback, fans everywhere have been left desperately in need of the trio’s comedic heroics. To sate your need for their puerile humor, you might start with “Game Over, Man!” the group’s most recent project for Netflix.
However, if the film alone fails to satisfy your craving for “Workaholics,” your best option is to turn to the comedy trifecta’s pre-Comedy Central portfolio. That’s right: Before they landed their big break, DeVine, Anderson and Holm cut their teeth on a YouTube channel called mailordercomedy.
The group created the channel, which contains some of the funniest homemade videos of its time, back in 2006. The more you watch, the more you will realize the comedy writers hatched many of the ideas for “Workaholics” while making these sketches.
So, if you’re looking to get into mailordercomedy, here are six of the series’ best sketches.
1. “Wizards”
If you want evidence that mailordercomedy later influenced “Workaholics,” look no further than Season 1, Episode 9 of their Comedy Central series, titled “Muscle I’d Like to Flex.” The episode, which starts with the group wearing wizard outfits and rapping, was obviously inspired by their YouTube channel’s “Wizards” series, in which the group, along with Kyle Newacheck, poses as thug wizard rappers.
The foursome create several music videos together, all of which are actually part of a larger (very explicit) album that is available on iTunes, called “Purple Magic.” I was able to find four music videos on their YouTube channel, which are titled: “Straight Outta Mordor,” “Potion Mixin,” “Wizards Never Die” and “Purple Magic.”
2. “Crossbows and Mustaches”
The longest and arguably best series on their mailordercomedy channel is a nine-part crime-busting drama in which two cops (DeVine and Holms) are tasked with the duty of stopping a drug dealer (Anderson) who is making quillions of dollars selling mutagen X.
Each episode lasts about three minutes long, so the entire series is only around 27 minutes in its entirety. If you are unsure if you want to commit half an hour to the series, just watch the trailer. Compiled together, “Crossbows and Mustaches” competes with some of the funniest “Workaholics” episodes. Since each episode is only three minutes long, they are all compressed and contain a whole lot of action, one-liners and jokes.
3. “The Dojo Bros”
“The Dojo Bros” is a sketch in which Anderson, Holms and DeVine pretend to be brothers making a music video with their dad, who controls the camera. The sketch starts with funny intros and then gets into a boy-bandish song accompanied by choreographed dancing and solo vocals from each Dojo brother. All three are suspiciously good at playing these parts, and it is hysterical.
4. “Religious Dad”
I found this sketch uncomfortably relatable, as would anyone who experienced a strict religious upbringing. DeVine plays a dad standing at his car yelling for his kids to get out of their house so they can all go to Sunday mass. His impatience leads to rage and ultimately results in a very laughable skit.
5. “Little Richies Fish Emporium”
In this video, a solo Blake Anderson plays an employee for a fish store in a commercial and urges viewers to come in. The video is only 44 seconds long but is loaded with subtle sarcastic enthusiasm.
The short sketch is all about Anderson’s high-pitched voice, facial expressions and over-the-top passion.
6. “Diet Coke and Mentos”
Do you remember when Diet Coke and Mentos used to be a big thing on YouTube? In what looks like one of their first videos every posted, the guys at mailordercomedy try the science experiment out. It also doesn’t appear to be a sketch, or does it?
